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  • I'm not a Luddite, but...

    ...sometimes, man. Forgive kind of a rant and ramble; I'm not sure if there's actually a better place to post this. Every generation at times thinks the previous is a bunch of stick-in-the-muds, and the next is deranged. I've been hitting a lot of the latter lately, reading up on Win10 and other tech news - modern computing confuses, occasionally frightens, and very much makes me feel old. I consider myself part of the Computer Generation, not the Internet Generation, and I've some bullet points to vent, in no particular order. Maybe y'all of varied age ranges on this site can offer some insight.

    - I don't want to be connected to everything all the time. It's unnecessary to be checking for 'status updates' 24x7.

    - My stuff does not need to be distributed, clouded, broadcast, or shared all over the damn place. It needs to be accessible to one person (me) at one location at a time (usually my office).

    - If I buy a piece of software, I have bought a piece of software. So long as I have no illicit plans, I should be able to do with it as I please. It doesn't need to phone home on a daily basis.

    - I prefer to remain smarter than my phone. Then again, for me it's not a multimedia-internet-connectivity platform. It's a phone.

    - I don't 'get' Social Media. I can't think of a single person who would care in the least about anything I could post to FaceMyGoogTwit.

    - It bothers me that there's no physical switch to turn off the wireless on my work laptop.

    - It weirds me out that there are Kids Today who have never handled a CD, much less a floppy of any size or any sort of tape.

    - I find it disturbing that there are cellphones and tablets out there designed specifically for the under-ten age bracket.

    - I remember when multiple programs fit on a single floppy.

    - I also remember when 14.4 was the thing and the internet was The Internet.

    - I prefer to do things over the phone or in person where possible; y'know, actually -talk- to someone, possibly see their face?

    - I remember dropping $50 for a 256MB keydrive in college. That kinda cash gets you a terabyte now. And I once found a receipt in my dad's binders for a box of 10 1.2MB floppies - $20.

    - Netrunner is a card game set in a dystopian sci-fi future where computers are everything and villainous mega-companies run the world. A sci-fi future. Right?

    - Get off my lawn.

    - Oh, help.

    - How's commercial Linux these days? Need an OS that isn't spying on me.

    - Yeah, send help.
    Cheap, fast, good. Pick two.
    They want us to read minds, I want read/write.

  • #2
    Quoth Ceir View Post

    - If I buy a piece of software, I have bought a piece of software. So long as I have no illicit plans, I should be able to do with it as I please. It doesn't need to phone home on a daily basis.
    <applauds wildly>

    I go to sea for weeks at a time, you would be surprised how many programs or apps go into hysterics if they can't touch the internet...

    Comment


    • #3
      I guess that makes us Luddites, then, as we don't have a "Like" button here on this forum. Would likely come in handy right now

      I'm from the same generation...

      I remember inheriting an Amstrad 286 system in the late 80's with a whopping big 640K of RAM, two - count 'em! - TWO single-sided double-density 5.25" floppy drives, running GEM DOS, and it had a flier in the box offering a 50MB hard drive (I think) for the bargain-basement price of only $1,500.
      "For a musician, the SNES sound engine is like using Crayola Crayons. Nobuo Uematsu used Crayola Crayons to paint the Sistine Chapel." - Jeremy Jahns (re: "Dancing Mad")
      "The difference between an amateur and a master is that the master has failed way more times." - JoCat
      "Thinking is difficult, therefore let the herd pronounce judgment!" ~ Carl Jung
      "There's burning bridges, and then there's the lake just to fill it with gasoline." - Wiccy, reddit
      "Retail is a cruel master, and could very well be the most educational time of many people's lives, in its own twisted way." - me
      "Love keeps her in the air when she oughta fall down...tell you she's hurtin' 'fore she keens...makes her a home." - Capt. Malcolm Reynolds, "Serenity" (2005)
      Acts of Gord – Read it, Learn it, Love it!
      "Our psychic powers only work if the customer has a mind to read." - me

      Comment


      • #4
        'Kay, I'm probably a bit younger, but as you said this goes down each generation.

        Quoth Ceir View Post

        - I don't want to be connected to everything all the time. It's unnecessary to be checking for 'status updates' 24x7.

        - My stuff does not need to be distributed, clouded, broadcast, or shared all over the damn place. It needs to be accessible to one person (me) at one location at a time (usually my office).
        I really agree. The only thing I like to have available is my email, but my photos/music/documents can just stay on my home computer and be happy. I know so many people who like Apple products because they are so easy to "sync" and I'm like, "that's one reason I DON'T like them!" I'm also bothered by how much little kids are on tech. My kinda niece was at my parents house and kept saying how bored she was. Finally I told her she must just be a boring person, and stop bothering me. (She had plenty of books, board games, hell she could go outside on our wooded property. But she wanted to play on my phone and I said no.)

        I will add more:

        -I don't want a touch screen computer. I like buttons and mice and real keyboards. Please don't talk to me about gaming on a tablet, I'm not interested.

        -The internet is lovely for many things, and you can learn a lot. However, you can't find everything online for free, and taking a class or talking to someone is often far superior to attempting to learn online. People come in every day all confused because the "tutorial" they were using online sucks and they don't know how to finish their project.
        Replace anger management with stupidity management.

        Comment


        • #5
          Quoth Ceir View Post
          - If I buy a piece of software, I have bought a piece of software. So long as I have no illicit plans, I should be able to do with it as I please. It doesn't need to phone home on a daily basis.
          You very rarely buy a piece of software, what you buy is a lisence to use the software. Seller gets to sell on their terms.
          ludo ergo sum

          Comment


          • #6
            I rolled back from windows 10 to windows 8 because it:

            kept reminding me every time I went above a specific level in volume (and had something plugged into the ear jack) that "your ears are important!"

            Yes, I'm aware. I'm plugging you into MY CAR. There's a separate volume dial. (For those concerned about other safety concerns, I have playlists that go on its own, and it stays on the floor of my passanger seat. I don't fiddle with it.)

            And Windows 10 blocked off several things I used to NEED to do (and it turns out I still do, thanks windows!) handing off the ability to trusted installer, not letting me hack myself my permissions back, and just blocking it off entirely. I'm not talking like, I can't get rid of the stupid phone app, I'm talking like, for some reason, when I leave school and go home, my computer can't figure out it's no longer connected to my school network. I have to restart the computer unless I restart the adapter. The troubleshooter won't do it because it doesn't see a problem. Windows 10 won't let me go near the adapter settings.

            And Windows 8 and 10 (I was on 7) really were insistent I log in with a windows ID, and I'm like "sorry, not happening." I've avoided store apps as much as possible.

            There are SOME cloud based programs I rather like. Steam, for instance, has been fantastic to me. I feel like I own those games, even if they are digital. (And I'm aware I don't, that I'm essentially renting them. But transferring them from computer to computer has never been a problem. I have more problems with Microsoft Office when I have the physical disks.)

            But yeah, I just felt like Windows 10 was babying me. As for Linux distros, the only one I've tried was Ubuntu. I liked it fairly well, but like I said, it's the only one I tried. If you manage it right, you can have it boot on a separate partition so if you change your mind you can roll back. (I did it by accident...)

            Comment


            • #7
              Quoth EricKei View Post
              I remember inheriting an Amstrad 286 system in the late 80's with a whopping big 640K of RAM, two - count 'em! - TWO single-sided double-density 5.25" floppy drives, running GEM DOS, and it had a flier in the box offering a 50MB hard drive (I think) for the bargain-basement price of only $1,500.
              Our first computer was an Amstrad cpc 6128 with a whole 128k It had a disk drive which was pretty new then before that it was tapes! We got a 286 later
              Final Fantasy XIV - Acorna Starfall - Ragnarok (EU Legacy)

              Comment


              • #8
                My first computer was a National Semiconductor SC/MP Kit-N-Kaboodle with 256 bytes of RAM.

                The input/output was a gutted 4-function LED calculator...
                I am not an a**hole. I am a hemorrhoid. I irritate a**holes!
                Procrastination: Forward planning to insure there is something to do tomorrow.
                Derails threads faster than a pocket nuke.

                Comment


                • #9
                  My first actual computer -- several years before the Amstrad -- was a TRS-80 Color Computer. Taught myself BASIC on that bad boy. Then a TI 99-4/a. C64 after that.
                  "For a musician, the SNES sound engine is like using Crayola Crayons. Nobuo Uematsu used Crayola Crayons to paint the Sistine Chapel." - Jeremy Jahns (re: "Dancing Mad")
                  "The difference between an amateur and a master is that the master has failed way more times." - JoCat
                  "Thinking is difficult, therefore let the herd pronounce judgment!" ~ Carl Jung
                  "There's burning bridges, and then there's the lake just to fill it with gasoline." - Wiccy, reddit
                  "Retail is a cruel master, and could very well be the most educational time of many people's lives, in its own twisted way." - me
                  "Love keeps her in the air when she oughta fall down...tell you she's hurtin' 'fore she keens...makes her a home." - Capt. Malcolm Reynolds, "Serenity" (2005)
                  Acts of Gord – Read it, Learn it, Love it!
                  "Our psychic powers only work if the customer has a mind to read." - me

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    I hear ya on the phones and the social media.

                    I use my phone to call places. It's a cheap Tracfone. I have no intention of getting trapped into a monthly phone bill again - I had that with my old Verizon landline, and for all the money I paid them, their service sucked. I also see no need to let some huge corporation track my every move via my phone.

                    As for facebook and such, there's no one I want to keep in touch with on that. I like talking to people here on CS , that's enough for me.
                    When you start at zero, everything's progress.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      To the OP


                      <<<< WILD APPLAUSE from RM>>>>>>>>>>

                      I too am NOT a Ludite my any means and I have worked in the IT/computer field in another life

                      BUT now

                      I have a simple but rugged flip phone (my job requires that I get wet, cold, baked and smack into things that would KILL a modern smart phone)

                      I feel NO need to be connected 365/24/7

                      I feel NO need for social media

                      I do NOT want to "share" my life 365/24/7

                      I DO like the sound of human voices over the phone for the most part (unless I am dealing with a stupid(&&(*&&*(%&*%%^er customer at work)

                      Quoth dalesys View Post
                      My first computer was a National Semiconductor SC/MP Kit-N-Kaboodle with 256 bytes of RAM.

                      The input/output was a gutted 4-function LED calculator...
                      Quoth EricKei View Post
                      My first actual computer -- several years before the Amstrad -- was a TRS-80 Color Computer. Taught myself BASIC on that bad boy. Then a TI 99-4/a. C64 after that.
                      First PC was an Apple ][+ with 64k ram (upgraded from 48k ram) 2 5 1/4 floppy disk drives, a CP/M adapter (think early Unix type), a 300 Baud modem for connecting to BBS's (single user at a time at that) and an RF adapter so I could put the video output to a standard US TV.



                      Damn I thought no one remembered the TI-99-4/a. I got loaned one to write a small business system on for a guy that ran an auto repair shop. Cassette player and all for loading programs

                      I might still have some IBM punched cards (one might be a JOB card) laying around in my junk boxes from my college days 37 years ago
                      I'm lost without a paddle and headed up SH*T creek.
                      -- Life Sucks Then You Die.


                      "I'll believe corp. are people when Texas executes one."

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        I prefer my iPad because it is easier to manuver when the cats demand a lap. I like Facebook to keep up with family. I have tons of cousins and it is nice to keep up with what they are up to as well as some awesome friends. I mostly agree with everything the OP said though. I have no desire to be connected 24/7. There is an amusing side effect to getting accoustomed to touch screens...when you finally do go back to your laptop to do some writing and you spend a good two minutes touching the x to close a window and realize it is a laptop not a touch screen.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          I just mentioned in another thread how the Stockholm public transport system conspired against me last week. Here's one of those ways:

                          Stockholm bus drivers can no longer accept cash and give you a paper ticket. There are machines at some major locations (like the railway station) that sell paper tickets, but these are not next to the actual bus stops.

                          The correct method of buying tickets is, apparently, to either own a pre-loaded smartcard (fine for residents, not so good for brief visitors), or to use a smartphone app which displays a ticket on-screen. The app is a 20MB download.

                          I have a Finnish phone provider. When I go to Stockholm, which is in Sweden, I'm *roaming*. This completely disables my data connection unless I find a free wifi hotspot (again, not within range of the bus stop), or authorise payment for a temporary roaming plan via text message. I tried to do without the latter, since I didn't like the look of the prices.

                          So, the first time I travelled across Stockholm, I was caught completely unawares by the lack of paper ticket sales on board. The bus driver was nice and let me get on anyway.

                          The second time, I was better prepared. I used a wifi hotspot to download the app. I put in my card details - which in itself made me uncomfortable. Never before have I given a *phone app* my payment information. When it was time to make the early-morning transfer from the cheap hostel I'd found to the ferry terminal, I sat down in the hostel reception after checking out, and duly bought a ticket.

                          When I got on board the bus, I was no longer within range of the hostel's wifi. The app noticed this and slapped a gigantic red EXPIRED stamp across the ticket, even though it should have been valid for 80 minutes, of which only 20 had elapsed (having just missed an earlier bus than I strictly needed).

                          For f***'s sake.

                          The driver peered closely at the greyed-out numbers still visible behind the stamp, agreed with me that it should have still been valid, and let me on.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Quoth Chromatix View Post
                            When I got on board the bus, I was no longer within range of the hostel's wifi. The app noticed this and slapped a gigantic red EXPIRED stamp across the ticket, even though it should have been valid for 80 minutes, of which only 20 had elapsed (having just missed an earlier bus than I strictly needed).

                            For f***'s sake.

                            The driver peered closely at the greyed-out numbers still visible behind the stamp, agreed with me that it should have still been valid, and let me on.
                            That's bad programming. Instead of assuming a "no connection" status means an expired ticket, the app should put up a "no connection available" message and show the ticket's expiry time. Raise a few flags so that the driver will know to look at it more carefully than one where the app is online, but don't assume the ticket is expired. After all, an out-of-towner who only uses wi-fi because of expensive data roaming charges could still be riding the bus.
                            Any fool can piss on the floor. It takes a talented SC to shit on the ceiling.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Okay, making this post proves that I'm older than dirt

                              One of my first jobs out of high school was working for a computer company. My job in that company? Every 30 minutes go into the giant air-conditioned room that contained the computer (which took up the entire room) to change the tapes. Yes, that's right, I worked on a computer that ran on tapes that held the data - think movie reel type tapes, that size. This was in 1976 and yes, every single one of the programmers was a stoner ;-)

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