My folks are in their seventies. Between them they have family all over the world. Enter the wonderful world of internet and email. Enter also the not so wonderful world of software that presupposes that all computer users live in America and have permanent 24/7 hi-speed broadband internet connections.
In America, I guess you just sit down and use your computer. Updates take place in a flash and were probably done while you were sleeping.
In parts of Africa on the other hand, the computing experience often goes something like this.
Mom gets out her laptop, plugs in her wireless modem and pushes the power button. I've installed the CPU and Ram gadget because Microsoft masks the 20 -30 min boot-up time on an entry level machine by not showing you the hour glass anymore. As most of you probably know, elderly folk are not always the most patient of people and there is no faster way to crash Windows than to start trying to ?do stuff? while it's still booting. Back to mom. She knows she must wait for the ?gauges? to settle before she ?connects?. She's using wireless because the phone lines keep getting stolen and Telkom are no longer prepared to replace them.
Out in the sticks, Edge is about as good as it gets. In fact even Edge comes and goes depending on the weather. So, finally the moment arrives and Windows Mail is launched.
In theory:
It will take several minutes just to download and/or send a few text emails. Add about 10 minutes for each tiny low res photo well meaning family have thoughtfully attached. The folks have a link with the outside world. Technology triumphs, albeit slowly.
In practice:
Edge will drop out halfway through a 10 email download. Incredibly, software programmers have not anticipated this type of event. Mom duly reconnects and has to start from email #1 again, even though 5 got through ok.
But it gets worse.... somehow the word gets out that an internet connection is available and everything from Adobe to Java suddenly decides it needs updating. Not little 100 to 200k updates mind you, but 20, 30, 80 megs at a time. With Edge, we're looking at weeks, months, possibly even years to complete those updates.
I have done my level best to disable every automatic update setting I can find. From Windows to Adobe, from AVG to Java. I even installed Zone Alarm in an attempt to put an end to this ?free for all grab as many megs as you can? bun fight, but incredibly that's not enough. But back to mom...
So all this ?bit grabbing? is going on in the background and the emails just won't download. The email server assumes you're not there any more and times out.
I think it's bloody marvellous that mom has even made it this far. This technology is absolutely daunting to most people that age. And yet she perseveres. Well done mom.
I think what I?m really asking here is this.
WHERE IS THE F***ING ?THIRD WORLD? OPTION BUTTON, when installing software? The one that tells the software that the user DOES NOT live in America and DOES NOT have high speed internet!
In America, I guess you just sit down and use your computer. Updates take place in a flash and were probably done while you were sleeping.
In parts of Africa on the other hand, the computing experience often goes something like this.
Mom gets out her laptop, plugs in her wireless modem and pushes the power button. I've installed the CPU and Ram gadget because Microsoft masks the 20 -30 min boot-up time on an entry level machine by not showing you the hour glass anymore. As most of you probably know, elderly folk are not always the most patient of people and there is no faster way to crash Windows than to start trying to ?do stuff? while it's still booting. Back to mom. She knows she must wait for the ?gauges? to settle before she ?connects?. She's using wireless because the phone lines keep getting stolen and Telkom are no longer prepared to replace them.
Out in the sticks, Edge is about as good as it gets. In fact even Edge comes and goes depending on the weather. So, finally the moment arrives and Windows Mail is launched.
In theory:
It will take several minutes just to download and/or send a few text emails. Add about 10 minutes for each tiny low res photo well meaning family have thoughtfully attached. The folks have a link with the outside world. Technology triumphs, albeit slowly.
In practice:
Edge will drop out halfway through a 10 email download. Incredibly, software programmers have not anticipated this type of event. Mom duly reconnects and has to start from email #1 again, even though 5 got through ok.
But it gets worse.... somehow the word gets out that an internet connection is available and everything from Adobe to Java suddenly decides it needs updating. Not little 100 to 200k updates mind you, but 20, 30, 80 megs at a time. With Edge, we're looking at weeks, months, possibly even years to complete those updates.
I have done my level best to disable every automatic update setting I can find. From Windows to Adobe, from AVG to Java. I even installed Zone Alarm in an attempt to put an end to this ?free for all grab as many megs as you can? bun fight, but incredibly that's not enough. But back to mom...
So all this ?bit grabbing? is going on in the background and the emails just won't download. The email server assumes you're not there any more and times out.
I think it's bloody marvellous that mom has even made it this far. This technology is absolutely daunting to most people that age. And yet she perseveres. Well done mom.
I think what I?m really asking here is this.
WHERE IS THE F***ING ?THIRD WORLD? OPTION BUTTON, when installing software? The one that tells the software that the user DOES NOT live in America and DOES NOT have high speed internet!
