Still scratching my head on this one...

[FuzzyKitten99]

This just happened, I swear to the Gods.
A guy comes in, grabs a roll of mini donuts and comes over and hands me a dollar. Then asks about the DH's Sherlock Holmes-style pipe sitting on display on the counter. Keep in mind this guy is probably mid-late 40's (could be even in his 50's) but is hard to tell because he doesn't have a hint of grey hair-it is all jet black and he has a full beard. I am 31 yrs old.

The following is the conversation:

Him: Can you special order pipes like that?
Me: I am sure you can but I would think you might have an easier time finding something on ebay or similar site. Possibly better pricing too if you're just starting out since you won't know if you will like it and the prices these pipes command are probably more than you would want to invest in right away.
Him: EBay? Do they have that on the computers at the library?
Me: (a bit confused) Um, eBay is a website on the internet.
Him: It is?
Me: (trying to be nice about this) Uh, yes, it is online.
Him: So they're connected all on one site?
Me: Yes.
Him: Ok thanks! When I was your age we didn't have computers like this. I have been doing a lot of reading and studying on computer technology, but there's so much to learn.
Me: Um yeah, I guess there is...

[Bright_Star]

It continues to amaze me that there are still people who, in this day & age, lack even the most simple of computer skills such as knowing how to use e-mail & what-have-you.

[MoonCat]

Oh god, I am not by any stretch of the imagination "computer savvy" - but every week I have to explain to a customer what the difference is between an email address and a website address. And I really don't think most of them get it.

[greek_jester]

I remember, back in the dark ages when the internet was only just coming into existence, how confusing it was. There are some people who just never felt the need to use a computer in their every-day lives, because it's only really since the turn of the millennium that it started becoming a central part of everyday life.

When you're first starting out, particularly if you haven't grown up with it, the internet is a very confusing place, as is the terminology for computers. If you don't need to use it every day it can be confusing.

After all, how many of you would know what I was talking about if I started nattering on about AIAs and FYAs and when to restrict the WDA on an expensive car? And yet, anyone who deals regularly with tax would know exactly what I'm talking about & would blink a bit at anyone getting the terms confused.

[FuzzyKitten99]

Even my 70yo grandma has her own laptop and knows how to work the internet.

My other grandma is even more savvy.

Neither of them has a *need* to use one, they do out of wanting to learn to navigate technology. They are both retired and have been for several years.

My maternal grandfather has had computers since before it was cool though. I remember sitting on his lap and him teaching me how to type and pull up basic programs on MS DOS. My favorite game as a kid was Donald Duck's Playground.

I am only amazed at his lack of knowledge because most jobs, regardless of type, require at least some kind of computer skills and very few companies have paper applications; everything is online.

[Merriweather]

My first job as a programmer (waaay back even further in the mists of time than greek_jester, back when the internet didn't even exist) I had to write code as segments of a major ledger system for companies trying to come into the computer age after doing their books by hand. So I truly had to deal with clients who had never used a computer, never been exposed to one. So I didn't have high expectations.

But what is it about computers that strikes terror into the hearts of some people, and freezes the brains of others? My favourites were the ones who had used typewriters all their lives, but show them a computer keyboard, and they couldn't even find a letter of the alphabet or figure out how to "mash" a key

And sure, those big flat square things (original floppies) were weird, and hard to grasp how the computer wrote the data to them. But knowing it takes a compter to write to them, how, when they mess up and put the wrong data on the wrong disk, can they honestly think the laws of physics were somehow suspended and the data somehow "leaked" from one to the other Or even worse, the subject of ghosts was once brought up as a possible explanation

Awe, the good old days of computers...

[Ironclad Alibi]

My favourites were the ones who had used typewriters all their lives, but show them a computer keyboard, and they couldn't even find a letter of the alphabet or figure out how to "mash" a key

Such resistance to new technology isn't new. When typewriters first appeared, there were people who refused to use them, prefering to write with a pen. One story from the 1880s is about a saleman receiving a typed letter and replying back to the home office that he didn't need to have a letter specially printed for him to be able to read it.

Mark Twain was the first writer to use a typewriter.

[Chromatix]

To help explain the difference (although everyone here already knows it):

E-mail addresses always have an @ (at sign) in them. They are like postal addresses for computers, you can use them to send messages to people. Your messages are stored on a "post office" type computer until your own computer's e-mail program goes to retrieve them.

Web addresses never have an @ in them. They are like book titles, and sometimes references within the book. You ask the computer to retrieve the "book" from the Internet, and it shows you the contents in the Web browser. Many websites are more like magazines or newspapers than books, in that they are updated regularly.

Both types of addresses need to be spelled carefully, typed into the computer exactly as given. Otherwise the message will go to the wrong person (or be returned as undeliverable), or the computer will find the wrong book (which might be on an entirely unexpected subject) or find no book at all. This is simply because computers are extremely literal-minded, and there are so many addresses in the world that it *can't* just guess.

[Argus]

Both types of addresses need to be spelled carefully, typed into the computer exactly as given.

This is worth repeating. I have to wonder whether some of those people would dial a phone number mostly right and expect it to work anyway. Or stick their local area code at the front of a mailing address.

[Pixilated]

*snip*

But what is it about computers that strikes terror into the hearts of some people, and freezes the brains of others? My favourites were the ones who had used typewriters all their lives, but show them a computer keyboard, and they couldn't even find a letter of the alphabet or figure out how to "mash" a key

*snip*

If you ever find that out, Merriweather, let me know. My mother is a prime example. Many years ago, we suggested she needed to learn computers in case her job disappeared. Nope, she'd be there until she retired; didn't need to learn computers. Amazingly ... her job disappeared. She managed to struggle along on temp jobs until she could officially retire, reminding us all that she had "tried" to learn computers. I "tried" to explain to her that going to a computer class once a week, when you have no computer at home, isn't going to get you far. I learned computers (very haphazardly) by being thrown on them at work, with very basic training ("If you want it to do X, you need to push button Y.") I also experimented, with varying success.

One thing I recall that seemed to bother her immensely: she had to write many procedures down in order to be able to do them. I tried to explain to her that I did exactly the same thing, because I could then refer back to my notes as needed until, through repetition, I could do the procedure without referring to my notes.

And don't even mention buying online ...

In any case, nothing worked. Her technophobia, combined with a complete lack of interest, continued to the point where, as of today, she hasn't checked her email in at least three years.

[manybellsdown]

This is worth repeating. I have to wonder whether some of those people would dial a phone number mostly right and expect it to work anyway. Or stick their local area code at the front of a mailing address.

Many websites actually reserve common mistypings of their domain names, and have it redirect to the right place. I know I've only realized I misspelled something after hitting enter, and gone to the right place anyway.