• chiliedogg@lemmy.world
        1·
        2 months ago

        They grew up in the age of the smartphone and apps. They never had to learn to understand technology.

        I have to teach fresh college graduates how to navigate network folders. It’s wild.

  • squinky@lemm.eeEnglish
    1·
    2 months ago

    Gen X checking in here. I’m actually happy to be left out of the memes. Carry on.

  • drspawndisaster@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    1·
    2 months ago

    Unlike with boomers, this shit was your fault. Y’all refused to kill off iPhone and macbooks and chromebooks and Windows and now this is the world we live in.

  • Rachelhazideas@lemmy.world
    1·
    2 months ago

    Classic Lemmy Linux users forgetting that access to a PC and the knowledge to use it is a privilege not afforded to most unlike budget smartphones which cost less than the keyboard you own and are becoming more and more of a necessity than a trivial toy as it was when we first had them.

    Lamenting generational failures is a pastime reserved for the old to soothe their egos. If you actually care, understand the systemic reasons why young people are less tech literate and take the steps to reach them.

    • LeFantome@programming.dev
      1·
      2 months ago

      I bought a 2013 MacBook Air for $60 a year ago to take with me on a backpacking trip.

      It is running the very latest release of EndeavourOS and runs it well. It can do video calls. Honestly, there is little it cannot do.

      You can use it to learn to program C, C++, Rust, Python, Go, Java, C#, and F#. It runs Distrobox and Docker so you can learn about containers. I guess after using QEMU/KVM to learn about VMs. You can use it to run K3S. You can run Postman, RestAssured, and Selenium to learn about Web APIs and testing. It runs WASM. You can orchestrate AWS or Azure from it as it runs both Terraform and OpenTofu great. It can run a host of cybersecurity tools including BurpSuite. You can run both SQL and Document databases. You can use it to package your own software and contribute to Linux distro development. You can emulate older machines and even run digital design tools and PCB layout. Obviously it runs all the major modern web browsers and a couple different Office suites. It can even do basic video editing and run smaller LLMs. It can run Steam if you are happy with older games. I know it can do all these things because I have.

      Without going on and on, I think you could use it to rotate a PDF.

      It comes with keyboard, trackpad, screen, and networking built in. It takes up hardly any space. And it is considerably less expensive than most phones and tablets. Of course, there are many less expensive computers that would also do the trick if you cannot afford $60 and just want to learn.

      I don’t think you can argue that basic computer skills are elitist. We are not talking F1 racing here.

  • SirDimples@programming.dev
    1·
    2 months ago

    As a dev, the divide between apps users and computer software users is fascinating. My mom can do things in instagram or whatsapp that I didn’t even know possible… but put her in front of a modern computer with a simple application and she’s completely lost! I try to explain that it’s exactly the same as her phone its just a larger screen/physical keybaord with different apps, doesn’t seem to help.

  • x4740N@lemm.eeEnglish
    1·
    2 months ago

    I am gen z and know how to use a computer

    Most of us should have been taught how to use computers in school then we expand our knowledge from there on our own

    Is this an american only problem?

      • x4740N@lemm.eeEnglish
        1·
        2 months ago

        People are as experienced in computers as their use case is

        No one is better at computers than someone else, everyone has different tasks and workflows they use them for

        Computer skill isn’t linear

        It’d be more accurate to say someone is more experienced in their industry area or specific skill, they just use a computer to make the tasks they perform easier

        Computers are so intergrated into most things theese days that it’d be very hard to find someone not using one to make their life easier and most jobs are using computers to make it easier and organise better

  • Grilipper54@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    1·
    2 months ago

    I felt like an idiot the other day. Customer sent in a pdf with confidential information. I needed to upload the document without the confidential information but only have the free Adobe. I normally redact the information in paint but paint wouldn’t accept the file format.

    I ended up asking a gen x teammate and she instantly told me to use the snipping tool which solved my problem. Thank you Gen X coworkers

  • moopet@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    0·
    2 months ago

    There’s one generation between boomers and zoomers? I’m pretty confident I know who it is you’re forgetting.

  • twinnie@feddit.uk
    0·
    2 months ago

    I work with some guys much younger than me. They’re great at programming and stuff like that but none of them have ever built a computer. They seem to think it’ll be really hard.

  • taiyang@lemmy.world
    0·
    2 months ago

    Just helped build my 12 year old cousin his first computer and was forced into putting Windows on it. Now, I get that it’s important that he at least understand what the “normal OS” is, but I did want to put at least Mint or something on there. Zoomers and Alpha really don’t know how to navigate even the basics, though, and this kid was no exception.

    Well, technically I wanted to put something based on Arch but even I know that’s a bad idea for a sink or swim computer moment.

      • FizzyOrange@programming.dev
        1·
        2 months ago

        I dunno how old you guys are but just in case… Schools never had good computing classes. When I was in school in the UK in the 90s we had MS Office lessons and that was about it.

        Actually the UK took steps a few years ago to fixing that. Apparently they have actually computing classes now, but I don’t have kids of the appropriate age in school yet so I don’t know if it’s really as good as we’d hope.