OT: error messages

[Alejandro Tejada]

on Wed, 30 Aug 2017, Ralph DiMola wrote:

> In 1975 a few of us were huddled around the console
> of an IBM 1130 trying to figure out the new command
> line text editor(Cytos). The error messages were less
> than helpful(much less) so at one point in frustration
> we typed "f*** you". Cytos replied "Same to you" and
> we all fell on the floor laughing!

Oddly enough, my first contact with Windows was
helping a neighbor to understand the sparse and
sometimes unintelligible error messages from his
music applications that refused to open after installing
another music application.

I used Macintosh at home and in my work,
so Windows computers were a real novelty
at least for me.

Took some time for him to understand that it was himself
that have given permission to the most recent application
to modify the computer to assure only his own functionality.

You have no idea about all the suffering that my neighbor
had to endure using Windows 95 (later 98) but his
computer life improved vastly after he buy a new computer
(2002) with a new OS: Windows XP

>From his experience, I learned that Windows works better
(and more reliable) when you use it as a Workstation,
but still today (2017), too many computer users still employs
their PC as experimental devices, where they install any kind
of cards, devices, drivers and programs with unpredictable
consequences.

Who knows...

If the money of my first computer have not been stolen
(money for a Commodore Amiga) maybe I have never
had the chance to use a Mac and learn about HyperCard,
MetaCard and LiveCode.

If I have never helped my neighbor with his suffering,
maybe I have never learn about Xara (the fastest
design software in any platform) and learned to
read very carefully the software manuals before
installing and using any software in any computer.

All this previous knowledge have been really useful
and have made a lot easier to learn Ubuntu Linux.

Al