If your a regular reader of this blog you know i don’t really go in for scathing attacks….but bear with me on this one<\/p>\n
Last week i needed to go see a client to change a suspect hard disk. I took an IDE drive with me as i had new one in the office which meant i wouldn’t have to wait to order one but when i got there the existing drive was SATA (it wasn’t quite as old as i thought!) Not a problem though as i came prepared with a spare IDE cable<\/p>\n
However, the motherboard layout had SATA connectors at the bottom right corner and IDE connector in the top left corner combined with the layout of PC case meant that the IDE cable i had with me was about 1cm too short! I wasn’t too concerned though as there was a computer shop over the road<\/p>\n
This shop is the typical local computer shop where everyone in the town goes to get the laptop the kids have filled with spyware cleaned up. (This isn’t an attack on all local computer shops though as i know some that have really great people running them!)<\/p>\n
There were two people manning the desk and i waited for my turn as they both dished out advice on a manner of subjects from laptops to operating systems to broadband providers<\/p>\n
When it was my turn i asked for an IDE cable. She came back with one and i asked if could just check it was longer than the one i had. As i held the cables up to each other she said<\/p>\n
“That’s a floppy cable…that’s why it wouldn’t work. It’s the wrong one”<\/p>\n
It didn’t quite sink in straight away what she said and i just blurted out<\/p>\n
“I’ve just taken this off a hard disk”<\/p>\n
“Yeah but thats’ a floppy cable”<\/p>\n
I assured her that it was definitely an IDE cable and she just shrugged at me like i was an idiot and took my money<\/p>\n
I went over the conversation in my head as i walked back and still was pretty surprised the “local source of IT knowledge” couldn’t tell the difference between an IDE cable and a floppy cable when they are are held next to each other<\/p>\n
Maybe she just got this one wrong…but what other advice are they dishing out?<\/p>\n
It got me thinking to some things i’ve seen on certain “mailing lists of the Yahoo variety”<\/p>\n
I’m more of a lurker as I don’t post an awful lot on the Yahoo lists (not enough hours in the day combined with everything else!) but i do find some of the conversations useful and valid. However, sometimes i see\u00a0questions i wouldn’t expect most end-users to ask, asked by people who are installing and maintaining systems for people (for money!)<\/p>\n
I wont post any examples as that’s possibly too harsh<\/p>\n
In contrast there are lots of people who contribute who are far better than me and recently through the community i’ve met some really switched on people<\/p>\n
I just wonder if\u00a0there really is that broad a spectrum on the technical capabilities or am i being a little arrogant?<\/p>\n
As always thoughts welcome<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
If your a regular reader of this blog you know i don’t really go in for scathing attacks….but bear with me on this one Last week i needed to go see a client to change a suspect hard disk. I took an IDE drive with me as i had new one in the office which<\/p>\n