Once, Computers were a tool reserved for the very elite. They cost many thousands of dollars, were the size of a room, and required constant care to run properly. To use a Computer you would need to learn about every aspect of how a Computer would work. This fact, in combination with how catastrophic a simple error could be, lead to every Computer being extremely well maintained. Now, the only Computers that are maintained as well as those from our past are those of companies, who pay system administrators to take care of, use, and oversee use of a server…
With the rise of ‘easy computing’ came the rise of the famous, at least in IT, stupid user. Nowadays, anyone from any background can ‘use a Computer’, in fact, many of us spend most of our waking lives using one, be it for social media, gaming, or typing a report. Little ‘previous knowledge’ is required, unlike any other high level tool. Every tractor driver requires basic training, every pianist must learn how to play, and every machinist must learn how to use a milling machine and other tools, all processes which take years to accomplish. However, today we see even 1st graders being brought over to the ‘Computer lab’, and being told to type up essays, with little to no prior knowledge about Computers. The Computer, nowadays, is treated as a basic tool, on par with a pen, or a crowbar, but its internals are more complicated than any other gadget on the planet.
Almost every system in our age is one maintained by a person who is not a Computer expert, which means they are blind to the true power and glory of computing. They would say, “Oh, my Computer is getting slow, time to buy a new one”, or, “Any file that ends with a .txt is a text file”, or, “I need to go download some more ram“, all comments that are blissfully ignorant of the true power and capabilities of a Computer. In order to use any tool effectively, you need to learn the most effective way to use it, and how the tool works ‘under the hood’.
This blog is not for the ‘stupid users‘, nor is it for the ‘wizards‘. It is for those users who are amazed by the technology of the Computer, and willing to put in time, make sacrifices, and fix their own problems, in order to LEARN how a Computer actually works. If these people encounter an error they have never seen before, they will take the time to figure out what has gone wrong, why it went wrong, and the PROPER way to fix it.
Let us go forth, and find out what it REALLY means to check that ‘advanced users only’ box.
-[onion] chesse
DISCLAIMER: While it may appear that I know a lot about Computers, I really don’t. I just want to make it easier for people to go through what I struggled through for 4 long years: beginning to learn how to truly use a Computer. My journey is nowhere near complete, but I hope to help the few of you that will stick with me to get started and broaden everyone’s mind about The Computer!
[onion] chesse 
This blog sounds really interesting!! I completely agree that computers are misunderstood and misused all across the board as they are becoming smaller, cheaper, and more readily available to the masses. I am no expert on computers, but I have grown up in a time to really see their rapid advancement over the years and I appreciate their potential and would love to learn more about them! I want to know as much about them as possible so I can be as prepared as possible for the business world!
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Glad to have you onboard! I will be spending the next few weeks talking about several different technologies in computer software, and hopefully you can learn a lot by following along!
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This sounds really great! I would say I’m one of those users who kind of know how to use a computer, but not to the level where I can make them do anything I want. I hope to learn a lot more from your blog!
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Your blog is very intriguing! As a college student and frequent computer user, this is very helpful in learning how to moreso utilize this technology. Try to keep the relevance of this blog to that level. I also like how your post is very informative but also informal and easy to read. Good work.
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There is a very big difference between learning how to use something and truly understanding something. This blog will attempt to teach people how to understand the low level concepts behind computing. It is easy to get an A+ on a Microsoft Word class, but how valuable is that knowledge compared to the understanding behind how all text editors, and even more generally, how all programs work?
There are plenty of resources for those who simply want to learn how to use a computer, but this blog is definitely not one of those resources. Good luck on whatever your want to learn though!
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