this post was submitted on 18 Aug 2023
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[–] quams69@lemmy.world 66 points 1 year ago (3 children)

That, and stop dumbing down the UI. Gradeschoolers in 1999 could operate windows, it doesn't need to get dumber

[–] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 47 points 1 year ago (5 children)

Gradeschoolers, yes.

Boomers are still struggling even with the modern, simplified UI. They would likely continue to struggle if we had Idiocracy style UI on things (big, bright colored buttons with pictures of what they do).

[–] Microplasticbrain@lemm.ee 17 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Boomers struggle period, its hard being stupid

[–] altima_neo@lemmy.zip 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I'm amazed they can sort of navigate an iphone

[–] Microplasticbrain@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago

I think they mostly just tap around until they get where they need to go, something in between a parrot and a monkey with a typewriter.

Gradeschoolers, yes.

Not so much anymore. Gradescoolers all grew up on iPads and are probably worse off than boomers.

[–] atzanteol@sh.itjust.works 13 points 1 year ago

Er, it's not the boomers who are struggling. They're barely even in the workforce anymore.

https://www.theatlantic.com/sponsored/grow-google-2019/smartphone-generation-computer-help/3127/

[–] ManosTheHandsOfFate@lemmy.world 11 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I know it's fun to rag our boomer parents and grandparents but it was boomers who designed the older, "complex" UI for usage by other boomers. Since boomers are now dropping out of the workforce (25% of it right now) it seems likely that the UI is being dumbed down for the much larger Gen-X/Millennial/Gen Z workforce.

[–] NightOwl@lemmy.one 17 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Yeah, there's now a lot of people who have actually never used a desktop OS, and the only OS they've used being a phone or tablet. Those people are more having an influence on dumbing down the OS now. It's pretty crazy how compute illiterate newer generations have become due to shift in what is considered their primary OS. Some people don't even have laptop or desktops.

https://www.theverge.com/22684730/students-file-folder-directory-structure-education-gen-z

[–] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 3 points 1 year ago

I see both kinds of Boomers. My dad, a boomer, is in the tech industry. He is a software engineer. My grandpa was also a software engineer. Everyone I know from his side of the family has been in tech.

And then there is every boomer I know that isn't my own family and they are practically luddites. I know the former can exist. But it seems rare.

[–] Sanctus@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago

Apparently a large portion of the population, regardless of generation, proudly announces their tech illiteracy. I'm IT, and these people don't even remember their personal email passwords.

[–] judas@lemmy.ca 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

LoL, tell that to every fucking child and teenager who have been using an iPhone, iPad and MacOS for all their lives. It's unbelievable how stupid you can get when you're locked into a walled garden and the OS you're using is designed for three year olds. I have a buddy who's mainly a Mac and iPhone guy, and I fuck you not, he doesn't know how to use anything else. He'll just stare at the screen and simply don't understand what to do.

[–] jamiehs@lemmy.ml 6 points 1 year ago

Agreed. I have been working so hard to get my young kids to understand file systems, directory structures, keyboard shortcuts, etc; all that stuff that just never gets learned anymore with all the iOS/Android interactions.

I’m building a new PC for myself in the next few weeks and if they want to continue playing Genshin/Starcraft2/BeamNG/Trackmania on my older PC as it becomes the “Family PC” they will need to sit with me and learn how to reassemble it, install Windows, attaching peripherals, and setup a few basic things.

That’s the price and that’s the reward.

Many of us grew up in a world where you had to figure this shit out or simply not have a working computer/piece of software.

[–] mtchristo@lemm.ee 3 points 1 year ago

1999 gradeschoolers not today's Gradeschoolers with win98