Re: Mac vs PC users

[Peter Neilson <neilson -at- windstream -dot- net>]

Chris Morton wrote:

> ... That said, I'm the type—as are most Techwhirlers, I would guess—who'll
> twiddle with things to get them to work, feeling reasonably assured that we
> won't completely bork the system. Well, not usually, anyway.
> 
> Now consider my techno-challenged wife. If she's the renter, she'll never
> grasp any of the aforementioned controls unless someone shows her. ...

I think it's basically fear. Fear that you'll do something wrong.

The Mac, from its earliest and almost excessively cute incarnation, was 
designed to remove fear.

As little kids, some of us learn to speak only when spoken to, while 
others blab happily away and cannot be shut up unless handed a good book 
or a cookie.

Some of us stay at a safe distance from the pony, while others hop on 
and ride. Oh, and some of us, forced to ride the pony anyway, suddenly 
ride happily after about 20 seconds of screaming while riding. (I run 
pony rides on weekends, and have seen all versions what happens when the 
parents attempt a child's First Pony Ride.)

So some people need a bit of clear instruction, some need hand-holding 
or massive pressure, and some just need to be left alone. We need to 
know the audience, and sometimes it's "all of the above".

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