The best IT tech analogy ever

[scootstah]

Saw this on reddit today, thought you guys would get a chuckle.

 

I've actually been using the cars analogy for a couple months now and I think it's very fitting. Imagine if you were a mechanic who owned an auto shop and your average customer call went something like this:

 

Customer: My car isn't working and I need you to fix it immediately, this is an emergency

 

Mechanic: Alright sir what seems to be the problem?

 

Customer: I don't know, I tried to use my car on friday and it didn't work, now it's monday and I need to get to work and I can't and this needs to be fixed right now.

 

Mechanic: Can you start the car? Can you even get into your car? Does it make any sounds when you try to start it? Are all 4 tires there?

 

Customer: I don't know, I don't know what any of that stuff means, I tried to get to work and it wouldn't let me and you need to fix it now because you changed my oil 6 months ago.

 

Mechanic: Alright well what kind of car are you driving?

 

Customer: I don't know, a green one, why does that matter?

 

Mechanic: Please take a look at the back of your car and see if there are any letters or numbers that would indicate a vehicle model or manufacturer

 

Customer: Ok, my car is a SV2 87K.

 

Mechanic: No sir that's your license plate. My records indicate that you drive a Nissan Altima, can you confirm that the key you're using to try and get into this car says Nissan on it?

 

Customer: My key says Lexus but I don't see how that makes a difference, I've been using this key on this car for years and it's always worked, what did you do to my car?

[Philip]

Man, this is spot on

[Jessica]

It's funny, I was expecting a bit more of a punchline tho, was there more?

[ManiacDan]

The punchline is that if you actually treated a mechanic like that, he'd call you a moron and throw you out.

 

There isn't really a joke, it's just...sad.  My brother and I have this argument constantly.  He thinks IT guys are elitist assholes for saying "well that sentence doesn't even make sense." 

 

Him: Can you look at my computer? When I try to do some of the things, it's slow.

 

Me: Sure. While I'm doing that, can you look at my car? When I make the moves, it doesn't go.

 

Him: Stop being an asshole

 

 

 

[Jessica]

Agree with you on the sad part.

 

I have no idea why sometimes seemingly otherwise smart people grind to a halt when a computer is put in front of them. Like people who are afraid to try things in software - read the text, click the right buttons.

 

My grandma is one of the smartest people I know, but she still searches for the name of my blog in her AOL browser every time she wants to read it. She also thinks I personally email her every post (I don't know HOW she figured out how to subscribe to the emails!!!). She also keeps telling me she doesn't know how to leave a comment even though she's done it a dozen times. *shrug* She can easily read a recipe and cook a complicated dish, I don't see why learning to use a computer is different...

[Maq]

I like the "Are all 4 tires there?" part, it's like asking, "is your computer plugged in?"

[scootstah]

My grandma is one of the smartest people I know, but she still searches for the name of my blog in her AOL browser every time she wants to read it. She also thinks I personally email her every post (I don't know HOW she figured out how to subscribe to the emails!!!). She also keeps telling me she doesn't know how to leave a comment even though she's done it a dozen times. *shrug* She can easily read a recipe and cook a complicated dish, I don't see why learning to use a computer is different...

 

My grandmother used to be almost that bad, but she's starting to get the hang of it now. She now has a laptop that she goes on Facebook with and plays all the games, uploads photos, ... you know, Facebook crap.

 

My other set of grandparents, though, have pretty much zero experience with computers. My grandmother knows how to move the mouse and play solitaire, but I don't think my grandfather has ever even touched a computer. They don't even have cable/satellite TV, just the few local stations.

 

God help me if they ever decide to get internet.

[.josh]

Yeah, I've used the "retard talking to mechanic" analogy a lot of times in tl;dr posts...pretty good go-to analogy.

[ManiacDan]

My mom is probably the worst sufferer of this disease.  She will simply state that there is nothing on the screen if she gets confused.  I'll ask "nothing? like, seriously nothing? No letters, no words, no icons, NOTHING?  The screen is black?"  She'll said "I SAID NOTHING!" in a panicked voice.  Sure enough, there's a dialog, blue screen, or just normal content.

[KevinM1]

My Mom is pretty bad, too.  It's even more aggravating because she's used a computer for at least 30 years, if not longer, both at work and at home.  She can learn custom, in-house software, and even make usability suggestions to the IT department, but she can't figure out how to save a bookmark in a browser.

 

Every time I hear "Why isn't this working?!" I die a little inside.

[.josh]

My 61 y/o mom does database entry and data mining, she can make db queries that even fenway would be proud of...but when it comes to absolutely anything else with computers...seriously, I've had the "did you check if it's plugged in? ... yep, that would do it..." moments with her.  Older generation people .. they weren't really around computers all their lives, esp as younger kids who could just mash buttons and see what happens.  They were put in front of computers and taught to push very specific buttons, do very specific things, and nothing else. 

[DavidAM]

Don't blame it on the "older generation"!!! My kids still holler at me:

 

Child: Why won't it work.

Me: What happens?

Child: Some error pops up.

Me: What does the error message say?

Child: I don't know, I didn't read it.

(When I say "child" I'm talking about my teenagers -- in fact my 21-year old daughter did this the other day)

 

They just click OK and move on. I really think it is Bill Gates's fault, for making the computer do soo much for the user, without giving the user a choice, that kids today expect the computer to do exactly what they want without having to tell it. And if the computer does something they didn't expect, then they believe that that was actually want they wanted it to do, they just didn't know it.

[Jessica]

I really think it is Bill Gates's fault, for making the computer do soo much for the user, without giving the user a choice, that kids today expect the computer to do exactly what they want without having to tell it. And if the computer does something they didn't expect, then they believe that that was actually want they wanted it to do, they just didn't know it.

 

I love how you blame it on Bill Gates, and in another thread someone says basically the same thing about Apple/Jobs

[xyph]

They're different statements. Re-read his.

[ManiacDan]

I think he was being sarcastic, yeah.

 

It's the users' fault, for using quite literally the most flexible and powerful machine humankind has ever built, and expecting it to be easy.  With a standard desktop computer, I can decode potentially alien signals from outer space, sequence the human genome, edit a movie, email someone on the other side of the planet, watch movies, listen to music, design a space ship, order food, watch television, organize my finances, do my taxes, buy a new wardrobe, file a car insurance claim, make a website, meet new friends, watch porn, find a sex partner, read about any subject ever investigated by mankind, or even make entirely new programs.

 

And then my mom says "why is this so complicated!?"

[Adam]

I literally had the 'not plugged in' thing happen to me once. My Nan called and asked me to come find out why the printer had "died"; "it was working yesterday". So after work I took quite a detour to go and have a look, and sure enough it wasn't flicked on at the switch - "uses electricity just like your hair dryer, Nan!" Get these kind of call outs every couple of weeks or so these days. Don't mind for my Nan of course, but she's started telling her friends now! I got a call the other day of her asking me to go round and take a look at Margaret's spreadsheet?

[xyph]

My grandma had a win95 box until it finally exploded a couple years ago - the one's that say 'It's now safe to shut off your computer' So my dad told her once it says that, just turn the power bar off and all of your devices will turn off with it.

 

Well, I got her a new box, LCD, and printer, all tied in with a power bar. I get a call from her a few days later... the printer isn't working... odd error message saying it can't find the printer. Hmm.. that's odd...  I swore I installed the drivers, but it was a cheap ass A-B cable, maybe it's loose or faulty. Head over there, and sure enough, the printer is off. Her old one would power itself on when she'd turn the power bar back on, this new one wouldn't.