Re: [DEB-USER] Re: [DEB-USER] Holiday arrangements
On Wed, Jul 31, 2002 at 08:12:24PM -0500, Richard Cobbe wrote:
> > I've given users explicit instructions and had them execute them. No
> > go. I show up, query them on exactly what they did, and it sounds
> > right. Then I sit down at their terminal and do what I told them to do,
> > and it _works_.
>
> Ya know, I get this sort of stuff a lot at work, because I'm the resident
> expert on a lot of the tools we use, like CVS (though not including any
> sort of listserv system). While I often suspect user error in situations
> like this, I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt and say that
> the software package may, in fact, be buggy. Only when I can see exactly
> what they did, in a command history or something, do I conclusively
> attribute the problem to user error. (Especially because the command
> history makes it much easier to explain to them the right way: ``No, that
> won't work, because....'')
>
> Not all users are stupid.
>
Agreed. However, I always test my instructions first, and usually pilot
them locally before exporting them to users. Another posters alluded to
a "significant number" of users who can't follow the instructions. It's
a small but dedicated fraction of users. I often also find that these
same users are the ones who 1) understand the least about computers, and
2) have the most difficulty in understanding and communicating in basic
English (and they are native English speakers).
I only suspect buggy software when 1) it isn't an established package or
long-used version; 2) its behavior is bizarre compared to my experience
with the package or similar software; and/or 3) it behaves incorrectly
when _I_ operate it.
Paul
Reply to: