Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!aplcen!haven!wam!nebel
From: nebel@wam.umd.edu (Chris D. Nebel)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: System Error Handling (Was: Mac interface bashing
Keywords: mac, interface, system errors
Message-ID: <1990Feb15.163640.5203@wam.umd.edu>
Date: 15 Feb 90 16:36:40 GMT
References: <3453.25d9361c@vax5.cit.cornell.edu> <1630@mit-amt.MEDIA.MIT.EDU>
Sender: usenet@wam.umd.edu (USENET Posting)
Reply-To: nebel@wam.umd.edu (Chris D. Nebel)
Distribution: comp
Organization: University of Maryland at College Park
Lines: 23

In article <1630@mit-amt.MEDIA.MIT.EDU> mjkobb@media-lab.media.mit.edu (Michael J Kobb) writes:
>For the "computer for the rest of us," the term "Power User" should be
>undefined, or at best redundant.  I can't disagree more strongly with the
>sentiment of "just ask us and we'll fix it."  This removes the power that
>using a computer was supposed to give to these people, and puts it in the
>hands of a consulting elite.  This serves only to increase the mystery with
>which some people view these machines.  The machine should work like a
>toaster, and I don't know of any such thing as a toaster consultant.

If something goes wrong with your toaster, do you know how to fix it? Most
people don't.  They take it to their local toaster consultant, aka appliance
repair service!  So Mac consultants will probably always be necessary.  This
is not to say that things can't (or shouldn't) be significantly improved,
but the majority of people will still have to go to someone else when
something goes wrong.  The real solution is to make things go wrong less
often.  (Consider: how often does your toaster fail to work?  Now how about
your Mac?)


Chris Nebel                                        nebel@wam.umd.edu

A layman knows he has to kick it.  An amateur knows where to kick it.
A professional knows how hard.  And a wise man knows when to kick it.