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kpreid comments on Solved Problems Repository - Less Wrong
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It's a nice joke, but I don't think it's actually good advice. There is a lot of background knowledge about how most computer software works that goes into actually executing the steps of this or similar procedures, e.g.
But you acquire that background knowledge faster when you follow the procedure.
My mother is retired, and sits paralyzed in front of the computer not knowing what button to press. I try to explain that you're unlikely to break anything, so just start looking around.
I learned most of what I learned -by- breaking things.
For example, I learned how page files worked because American Online and Dungeon Keeper both tried to seize them for themselves, and if Dungeon Keeper was run, AOL wouldn't run subsequently without a reboot. Research on the issue turned up that disabling page filing would fix it, which led me to research page filing to see what disabling it would do.
I initially tried giving my mother the "you're unlikely to break anything" advice as well, then reconsidered after she'd followed that advice and gotten malware on the computer.
"Boot into this live-CD and you're unlikely to break anything a reboot won't fix." (At least as long as you don't use webmail or similar persistent online accounts that can get hacked by malware you downloaded into RAM during the same session.)
I claim that you have a lot of background knowledge which gives your experimental actions a probability distribution much more like “unlikely to break anything” than hers.
Not really, and particularly not with the new managed computing environments (Android/Ipad) that don't give you root. You can install programs they pre screen, and run them. And she's not likely to install anything I hadn't suggested. Just not a lot to break.
When in doubt, (<-back), (Home), or reboot, in that order.
Is there any kind of widespread problems with a google Nexus getting pwned?
Can relate, the weirdest habit of non-computer-literate people is 1) not reading what is on the screen 2) not trying to interpret even really simple instructions on the screen. Is there any sort of a cognitive explanation why do we have to have conversations like this?
"The computer froze."
"Do you see a pop-up window with a message?"
"Yes."
"Is there anything written into it?"
"Yes."
"What?"
(squint, lean closer) "Posting Date must not be empty in..."
"What do you think it means?"
"Ugh, fill out the Posting Date?"
"Exactly."