backslash, what backslash?

[255-255-255-0.livejournal.com]

That last call reminded me of one I got about two years ago.

M: me
L: Luser

Telephone call went something like this:

M: Press the backslash key
L: Backslash key ??
M: It’s the key above your enter key
L: You mean the square bracket?
M: No, the backslash key, it looks like a diagonal line leaning right to left.
L: Urmmm, Oh I found it (sound of key pressing)
M: Good now type in, (me reads out folder path) then press enter
L: It didn’t work, it’s opened up a web page?
M: You must have used the forward slash, you want the backslash.
M: It’s above the enter key a line leaning backwards, right to left diagonally
L: Yes that’s right I used the backslash key.
M: OK we’ll try again, (me:repeats folder path)
L: No it didn’t work I have an internet page again
M: Do you have a pen and paper?
L: Ermmm yes
M: Draw a box on your paper.
L: erm OK I’ve done it
M: OK, put your pen in the bottom right hand corner of the box
M: now without taking it off the paper draw a line to the top left hand corner of that box.
M: do you have a diagonal line?
L: Yes
M: Good, that’s a backslash !
L: OH ! that one

Comments

[dejana.livejournal.com]

You rock.

[ephant.livejournal.com]

Dunno about anyone else but *my* backslash key is not above my enter key.

[255-255-255-0.livejournal.com]

they vary around the world

[dukesnorre.livejournal.com]

I think I might actually go with the luser on this one, "right to left" sounds to me like /, while "left to right" would be \—assuming that here, like pretty much everywhere else, you start at the top and work your way down. (Then again, assuming people to write from left to right, "bottom to top" for / and "top to bottom" for \ also makes sense.)

[torkell]

Seconded, I was reading this and thought "that doesn't sound like a backslash".

Also it's only above the enter key with some layouts (I think US), in UK it's next to the left shift key.

[dukesnorre.livejournal.com]

Left of backspace, here, but that varies and I would assume FFFFFF00 to use whichever was appropriate for the local layout.

[bekscilla.livejournal.com]

I'm with you, that's why i always say the line is from top left to bottom right, or bottom left to top right for forward slash. I would've been way confused as well.

[255-255-255-0.livejournal.com]

yer fine, but it doesnt matter if you write left to right, right to left or upside down and back to front.
Right to Left is RIGHT to LEFT ;-)

[dukesnorre.livejournal.com]

Yep, and right to left is /. ;-)

[bekscilla.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but / is kinda right to left as well if you look at it from the right (direction, as opposed to right versus wrong) side of it. If you think of it as starting at the bottom, then yeah, \ goes right to left, and / goes left to right, but that's where it *does* matter how you think about it.

I never said users had a clue, that's why i be really really specific.

[redqueenmeg.livejournal.com]

Don't forget the varying terms for it, including but not limited to

backsplash
blackslash
blacksplash
backflash
frontslash
splashy thing

[255-255-255-0.livejournal.com]

backsplash :-)

[violetvixen.livejournal.com]

I'll have to remember the box method for showing lusers what a backslash is.

*craddles head in hands*

[nightsinger.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the box method is pretty good! I hadn't heard that one, either.

My usual method is "Okay, if the slanty line fell down, would it fall forward, or would it fall backward?" ... Assuming the person reads from left to right as per most Western languages, this tends to be pretty clear. ... Note "tends"; these ARE lusers we're talking about, here!

[violetvixen.livejournal.com]

I found that typically I have to indicate leaning direction and if it's top/bottom.

cause inevitably I get well it leasns towards the right on the bottom!

[captpackrat.livejournal.com]

If I have a user who doesn't understand the difference between the two slashes, I just tell ask them to look for the key with the question mark, that's the forward slash. The other one, with the two vertical lines, is the back slash.

[255-255-255-0.livejournal.com]

excellent idea !
BUT as I live in Australia the backslash, (or backsplash, did you read that one, very funny) shares the key with the 'pipe' symbol, (vertical dash/hyphen)either will be hard to explain, but I'll take it on board and try it next time :-)

[nightsinger.livejournal.com]

My usual method is "Okay, if the slanty line fell down, would it fall forward, or would it fall backward?"

That usually works. :D

[255-255-255-0.livejournal.com]

LOL That's brilliant !!!!!!!

[255-255-255-0.livejournal.com]

ooops I misunderstood, so I tell them which one it isn't then tell them to use the other one.
That would work !

[255-255-255-0.livejournal.com]

I just thought, That's a bit like saying,

"That's a window", you leave throught the other hole in the wall, it's a door :-) :-)

[geeveecatullus.livejournal.com]

hahaha on MY keyboard the backslash is with the "?" :-)

[captpackrat.livejournal.com]

The standard US, UK, Brazilian, Greek, Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Dvorak layouts have ? and / together, while most European layouts put the / together with 7, 6 or 8. The ? and \ only occurs on the Finnish, Swedish, German and Austrian keyboards.

The majority of layouts put the \ with either a vertical line | or a broken vertical line ¦ . Some keyboards have both, and their location is sometimes switched depending on whether the keyboard has a standard Windows or a Unix layout. The standard US layout always uses the broken line.

The standard Russian layout puts both \ and / together on the same key. That would sure simplify things.

[nightsinger.livejournal.com]

Re: Standard Russian layout -- "simplify" maybe. You then couldn't use the other symbol on the key to reference the slashy line -- and I know a lot of lusers who don't understand the "shift" key. -_-;

[anamacha.livejournal.com]

that. was funny.

thank you!

[meandean.livejournal.com]

"Actually sir, we don't even need the paper to solve the problem. Just take the pen and jab it into your neck several times.

"So there's red stuff squirting everywhere? Excellent, now both our problems are solved."

[255-255-255-0.livejournal.com]

Dilbert Cartoon :
User: Hello Tech support, my computer is frozen.
Dogbert: Try hanging up and slamming you hand in a drawer.
:-)