How Did You Learn.............

along-for-the-ride · Post by **along-for-the-ride** » Tue Nov 11, 2008 4:30 pm

...........To Use the Computer?

Did you take a class?

Did you just go solo and have OCT...........on the computer training?

Did you read a manual?

Are you still learning?

I did the OCT bit, and killed my previous 'puter with the Windows 98 system a few years back. May it rest in peace. I think I deleted stuff I wasn't supposed to. Uh-oh.

Share with us your learning experiences............good and bad.

Attached files

Post by **Bryn Mawr** » Tue Nov 11, 2008 4:54 pm

along-for-the-ride;1054646 wrote: ...........To Use the Computer?

Did you take a class?

Did you just go solo and have OCT...........on the computer training?

Did you read a manual?

Are you still learning?

I did the OCT bit, and killed my previous 'puter with the Windows 98 system a few years back. May it rest in peace. I think I deleted stuff I wasn't supposed to. Uh-oh.

Share with us your learning experiences............good and bad.

Writing machine code for a valve computer with 4K of memory and five hole paper tape as input - taught me the value of efficient design :wah:

Odie · Post by **Odie** » Tue Nov 11, 2008 5:14 pm

For the most part, I taught myself by trial and error...and alot of things seemed quite obvious to me.

Also, working in an office for years, learnt alot there as well, but for email, scanning pics, uploading them, word, the internet and sooooo much more...was done on my own, and with no instructions..and I hate instruction booklets, I am a hands-on person.

my keyboarding skills were taught at Business College, 75wpm.

CARLA · Post by **CARLA** » Tue Nov 11, 2008 6:12 pm

I started on a keypunch machine back in the 70's. The Hospital I worked for then sent me to College to become a I.T. specialist. That lead to my life long job in the field in every position you can imagine. Manager, data entry, Executive Director of IT, programmer I have done it all and still do it at as a I.T. Manager.

southern yankee · Post by **southern yankee** » Tue Nov 11, 2008 8:40 pm

3 years ago. we bought a used HP, and dove in. Hubby has learned a lot from work. Me i get by. nothing fancy. But i can find what i am looking for. And that's it in a nut shell:)

kayleneaussie · Post by **kayleneaussie** » Tue Nov 11, 2008 8:59 pm

I taught myself a few things and my son has shown me a few things but I still have heaps and heaps to learn....also chezzie has helped me when I have been stuck :-4

wildhorses · Post by **wildhorses** » Tue Nov 11, 2008 9:04 pm

I learned a little at school and a little at work. But about 90% was on my own...trial and error. I learn better that way. I cant remember how I even lived without my puter. Well its been a long time since I was puterless.....but it seems unatural to not have a computer. How do you look things up? Library? OMG. I remember I use to keep a notebook of things I wanted to look up. And then when at the library I would look up all the things in the notebook. All news from the newspaper and TV? Yep. Wow. I cant believe I did that.

devist8me · Post by **devist8me** » Tue Nov 11, 2008 9:33 pm

About 15 years ago, I was made supervisor and had to do patient statistics on a DOS program. That literally was all I knew how to do on the computer for about 3 years. Then I took a basic computer class. Next came AOL and a fascination followed shortly by an addiction to all the information on the internet.

Since then, it's been all trial and error and looking up "how to" sites on the internet. I've sure tore up some great computers in my day.

Post by **spot** » Tue Nov 11, 2008 9:54 pm

Driving one of these...

Lon · Post by **Lon** » Tue Nov 11, 2008 11:20 pm

My first shot at a computer was 1973 and that was simply trying to receive data, no imputing. This was connected with my career. Client data was stored on computers 3,000 miles away and accessible on a local terminal.

My first PC was in 1983 with the floppy discs, memorizing codes etc. Next PC was in 1987 with my first access to the net being through Spry Mosaic and Compuserve. I consider myself a computer user rather than one who is into all the technical aspects of computers. I am still learning how to do certain functions. I love what can be done on computers and it makes spending long periods of time out of the country a snap, in so far as banking, taking care of personal finances and communication is concerned. I am pretty much self taught through trial and error and help from web sites.

Post by **spot** » Wed Nov 12, 2008 3:10 am

I had an entire 800 page reference book (written by Woody Leonhard, and very good it was too - The Mother Of All Windows Books it was called) to get me around this one

and it still didn't bring me any closer to analysing these when I got them

and I still have the install disks to use Gem, which was the PC's pre-Microsoft-Windows GUI - I checked they still ran not long ago and they do. Very very quickly, on my current computer. Did anyone else ever use it? It was what you needed to run Ventura Publisher.

sunny104 · Post by **sunny104** » Wed Nov 12, 2008 7:13 am

self taught. I'm no expert but I know enough.

southern yankee · Post by **southern yankee** » Wed Nov 12, 2008 7:19 am

spot;1054840 wrote: Driving one of these...

i remember about 25 years ago. When they came to SEARS. My mom was freaking!! How scary they look she would say;)

along-for-the-ride · Post by **along-for-the-ride** » Wed Nov 12, 2008 2:43 pm

:wah: Those first computer systems were huge and intimidatiing. They screamed, "Don't touch me unless you know exactly what you are doing!"

I have an old Tandy/Radio Shack computer from the 80's. Still works, but is in retirement as I rarely use it. Back when the floppy discs were really floppy.

Jimbo..............................:yh_rotfl

Chezzie · Post by **Chezzie** » Wed Nov 12, 2008 2:55 pm

I dabbled a little in school and then my first job had me using a pc just for invoicing and ordering. Didn't get my own pc at home till 2000, started off using it for work at the nursery, so using Sage payroll and accounts and the microsoft office, mainly excel,word,access and powerpoint.

Did some courses and completed ECDL and then did a 2 year Business and IT degree.

All the ins and out on the pc I have learnt myself.

Post by **spot** » Thu Nov 13, 2008 10:59 pm

along-for-the-ride;1055742 wrote: I have an old Tandy/Radio Shack computer from the 80's. Still works, but is in retirement as I rarely use it. Back when the floppy discs were really floppy. You've got a genuine original Trash 80 and it's still working?

Don't lose the manuals or the disks! There'll be a museum keen to accept it eventually. Really. That's one of the Big Three home computers that fired the public interest and started things off, along with the PET and the Apple II.

I bet I could still drive it. It must be a quarter century since I touched one of those.

I never saw a Commodore PET, they didn't get into the UK as much as the other two.

Post by **Bryn Mawr** » Sun Nov 16, 2008 3:43 pm

spot;1057343 wrote: You've got a genuine original Trash 80 and it's still working?

Don't lose the manuals or the disks! There'll be a museum keen to accept it eventually. Really. That's one of the Big Three home computers that fired the public interest and started things off, along with the PET and the Apple II.

I bet I could still drive it. It must be a quarter century since I touched one of those.

I never saw a Commodore PET, they didn't get into the UK as much as the other two.

We test drove an Apple II and a Pet to see if they were fit for purpose at work - the 100K drive alone cost £500 but the boss vdidn't take to them.

My first home machine was an Ohio Scientific Superboard III - it started with 1K of memory but ran far better when I upgraded it to 8K. Fantastic machine - Kansas City cassette interface, basic in ROM, taught me a lot about efficient code.