WHAT difficult e-mail?

[Rich Littleton]

Listen all you techie rascals.

Mock all you want, but even the library is goin to go graphic and they are
looking askance at us.

I share much of your sentiment about good old unix (I even have a warm
spot for DOS), but you are playing an expensive and luxurious game --
fiddling and joking while people drop away (or never approach).

I also lobbied (unsuccessfully) to keep the Freeport mailer because I
think SCN should keep older technology.  But, that is a two-sided
situation.  If we keep older and less user-friendly software, we are
obligated to teach people how to use it.  And SCN does not keep up with
the demand.  (E.g., I had a woman in a class who used Freeport heavily,
but had never been told she could mass-delete with the upper case D.)  The
point is, we are not keeping up with the NEED the users have.

This is not just a question of preferences whimpy users.  It is a question
of what SCNA's task is.  Just plopping a difficult software out there is
not being responsible.

So, I expect everyone who thinks Unix is adequate for the public at large
to sign up to TEACH the public how to use it.  (No excuses) Then we can
keep Unix until the 22nd Century.

Unfortunately, Bill Scott shoots the hell out of my plan.  He puts a LOT
of time in teaching, but still defends this monster system.  Go figure.

Later you all,

Rich

______________________________________________________________________

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On Fri, 11 Sep 1998, Kenneth Applegate wrote:

> On Thu, 10 Sep 1998, Bill S wrote:
> 
> But that makes it HARD! And requires some effort on the part of the user
> to actually LEARN something! That is probably subversive and goes counter
> to the American Way and the Microsoft Point-and-Click Ethic! 
> 
> Programs/Operating Systems/Computers are just NO GOOD unless we can pick
> up the Holy Mouse, speak into it clearly, and say "Computer, read my
> email, give me a 25 word digest, and answer it for me!", :>) 
> 
> Ken Applegate
> 
> > Thanks Al;
> > 
> > Finally somebody has found the right words to get to the point of this
> > situation. There is no easy system !! Whatever kind or brand of interface
> > someone uses the internet and e-mail systems are complex and in order to
> > use them and get the most out of them it is necessary to understand as
> > much as you can about how they work. 
> > 
> > On Thu, 10 Sep 1998, Al Boss wrote:
> > 
> > > It seems I can't turn on my computer without reading about how difficult
> > > our SCN e-mail is to use. 
> 
> [snip}
> 
>  eventually you have to RTFM
> > and practice until you are able to use it well. 
> 
> [snip]
> > 
> > 
> > Bill S
> > bk846 at scn.org        
> > 
> > 
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> 
> Ken Applegate           How do you identify astronomers from Seattle? 
> <starsrus at scn.org>      By the windshield wipers on their telescopes!
> 
> 

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