Date: Tue, 03 Jan 2006 20:37:56 -0500
To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>,
        WSFA members <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>
From: "Mike B." <omni at omniphile.com>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: Crash, thud
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at KeithLynch.net>

At 1/3/2006 05:48 PM, Elspeth Kovar wrote:

>I'm going to assume that you'd gone from Michael's initial "Elspeth's
>computer suffered . . . " directly into generalities.  But as it was that
>email to which you were responding I need to answer what you were, in
>effect, saying about me as well as anyone who doesn't have your command of
>the subject.

Of course it went to generalities.  Anyone with common sense and a basic
command of English should have divined that...and I presume you did, and
that that is the basis for your "assuming" it.

>Look:
>
>Most of the general public are not computer experts, they are people who
>use computers. Some have an IT department to lean on, which may be a good
>one or bad.

Yep, which is why those of us who know a bit more than the average user
tend to point out things to watch out for.  If someone came on and stated
that their car's transmission had died shortly after exhibiting loud
grinding noises during shifts, I'm sure any mechanics reading it would
chime in with a comment about use of the clutch and making sure it was in
working order to prevent transmission damage when shifting.  There's a
large gap between the level of understanding needed to recognize a slipping
or otherwise malfunctioning clutch and that needed to replace or adjust one.

>And so forth.  I'm not going to get into a discussion about all the things
>that people should know, that if they don't this or that they're idiots or
>insane, etc. -- it's not worth our time.  But very, very few people can
>make an in-depth study of everything: that's why as a species we specialize.

If you are going to drive on the public highways it's a good idea to know
about things like traffic lights, speed limits, road markings and signs,
and the controls that make your vehicle go, stop and turn.  You don't need
to be a professional driver to need this information.  Heading out onto the
highway without these bits of basic knowledge is insane, and only an idiot
would do so.  It might be inconvenient to have to devote the time and
effort to learn these things when one just wants to get to and from work or
the store, but it's necessary for one's safety, as well as the safety of
those around them.  That's why we have driving licenses and tests.

If you are going to go out on the "information superhighway" it's a good
idea to know about things like firewalls, virus filters, and the major
protocols and technologies used to do so.  You don't need to be able to
write a TCP/IP stack, or even fix one when it's broken, but you should know
at least in a general sort of way what an IP address is, what a port is,
how ActiveX, Javascript, HTML, SMTP, POP, IMAP, FTP and the other
user-level protocols work (in a general way), what they are for and what
you need to do to keep them from harming you...and potentially those around
you.  Perhaps we need info highway driving licenses and tests?

It might also be good to prohibit software makers from disclaiming things
like basic warrantees of merchantability, and liability for incidental and
consequential harm, at least when it's sold commercially to the public, but
I'm not holding my breath.  Until we do it will continue to be developed in
the way it has been, rather than the careful engineering way that is needed
in today's world where whole economies could be damaged severely by a
sustained outage of the internet, or loss of data from the systems
connected to it.

-- Mike B.