(no subject)

[antikythera.livejournal.com]

People who don't know how to copy-and-paste wouldn't be quite as frustrating if copy-and-paste was something I could explain over the phone.

Comments

[bitterfun.livejournal.com]

The techsupport is weak in this one.*





*support basics, but I wouldn't wish it on my worst supervisor.

[the-s-guy.livejournal.com]

"It's the computer equivalent of copying a typed-up page in a copier, using scissors to cut the interesting bits out of the copy, and gluing those bits into a new typed-up page.

The difference is that a computer can do all that in half a second. which can save a lot of typing the same thing over and over again."

[azurelunatic]

I just forced them to *do* it, and then they saw how it worked.

Including, one horrid time, "Put your mouse pointer at the right side of the line. Click down on your mouse button and keep holding it down. Move your mouse pointer to the left side the the line. Did it go all dark blue or some other color? Good. Now let go of the mouse button. Now do you see your 'Control' key, it should have the letters CTRL? Good. Hold that key down and don't let it up. Now push the 'C' key. Good. Now let go of both keys. Now click in (whatever place) so the cursor is blinking there. Now push down the 'Control' key and don't let it up. Now push down your 'V' key. Now let go of both keys."
"OMFG IT JUST WENT IN THERE OMG YOU'RE A GENIUS."
" ... Um, yeah, now moving on..."

After sessions like that (and the never-to-be-forgotten incident when a co-worker had someone who literally did not know what his cursor was) at first I was amazed that someone had survived in this age without knowing that, then awed at how much I knew compared to them, then humbled that I am of only medium technical knowledge and there are many with tech-fu greater (but oh so many with tech-fu far, far less).

[mattcaron.livejournal.com]

Then, there is the Unix approach.

BOFH: To copy paste, just highlight to copy and middle click to paste. It mostly works.

User: How do I highlight?

BOFH: Hang on a second....
ssh machine
sudo killall -u username

User: Hey, it logged me out!

BOFH: Hunh, that's odd. Let me check in to that..
ssh authserver
sudo usermod -L username

User: Now it won't let me log in!

BOFH: Funny that. You must have tripped the IQ verification code.

User: IQ verification code?

BOFH: Yeah, it means you're too stupid to use one of my machines.