Dont Tell Me What, Tell Me How
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by: Guest
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Word Count: 674
I have been writing about technology for a long time and I have come to understand that people want ready solutions to immediate needs or better want to get some immediate advantage, without really caring of knowing much about what they are really doing and why. There is some definite advantage in learning tips and short cuts and gaining the direct advice of experts, but when it gets overdone then you can run into serious problems.
I have been writing about technology for a long time and I have come to understand that people want ready solutions to immediate needs or better want to get some immediate advantage, without really caring of knowing much about what they are really doing and why.
There is some definite advantage in learning tips and short cuts and gaining the direct advice of experts, but when it gets overdone then you can run into serious problems. If you know how do to a procedure or a job and you don't know why you are doing it and what is behind those actions, you can easily get off track when something changes in the usual circumstances and now you are required to take judgment on something you now very little of.
Today, for example, a friend came to visit me and she had a problem with her computer that had been apparently infected by a virus. She couldn't use it any more since every time she opened it up a slew of windows would come up urging her to buy a specific anti-virus software and provide credit card information for the purchase.
Fortunately she was wise not to proceed in the purchase, but while talking with her I realized that her machine had been contaminated three days before and she had been using it all that time while the bad software was spreading everywhere.
She had an antivirus, but it was probably not as effective on Trojan horses (the particular type of virus present in this case) and she had seen some signs of infection but she felt covered by the antivirus that she had already installed.
The point here is that she knew she had to have an anti virus in her PC, somebody told her how to get one and to install it, but nobody took the time to explain her what the antivirus was supposed to do and why. Therefore when she got the infection she figured that the antivirus would have taken care of it and continued to use her computer for a few days until it came to a complete stop.
When she arrive din my office, she could not even open a window without the virus asking her to buy some specific type of remedy software by providing her credit card information (that she was smart enough to not reveal).
While I spent most of the afternoon cleaning her machine of the over 50 viruses that had gotten into it in the meantime, I explained her that modern viruses are developed uniquely for the purpose of stealing money or valuable information from the victim and that it is not enough to just have an antivirus, but you need a whole battery of protective software programs that cover all aspects of modern security (these batteries are called security suites, by the way).
One might say that this is too technical for an average computer user, but I would add that nobody goes on a safari without knowing about lions and nobody should ever connect to the Web without having a clear idea of the threats that are out there and how to protect herself, particularly if they depend on their computer for their work and general communications with the world.
Knowing how to use a computer is not enough anymore, just like you can't just have the best tips on how to run a business. If you don't know what should happen and why you will run into some unexpected problem that will throw you out and you won't have a clue on how to go back to the main course of action.
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