Re: Is this True?
"jon.maddog.hall--- via Ale" <[email protected]> Thu, 18 Jun 2026 10:18:04 -0400 (EDT)
| Newsgroups | gmane.org.user-groups.ale |
|---|---|
| Message-ID | <[email protected]> |
--===============7796221609281413111== Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_Part_126720_328993194.1781792284533" ------=_Part_126720_328993194.1781792284533 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Michael, I agree in principle with your answer but I think you (like a lot of people= ) are mixing "percentage of" with "number of" people. As in a lot of "new technologies" (radio, automobiles, etc) computers start= ed with universities, technical hobbyists, etc. and as they became more pre= valent more people started to use them who could not build a crystal radio = or change the oil in their car. However as more and more radio stations a= nd radios happened, more and more NUMBERS of people started learning about = radio, became radio amateurs, etc. It could be argued that the total perce= ntage of early radio users who were TECHNICAL dipped, but as radio became m= ore useful the NUMBERS (and perhaps the percentage) of TECHNICAL people wen= t up. I think this will also happen with FOSS. We only have (at latest estimate= ) 5% of the (approximate) 2 billion desktops. For the most part this is s= till the "have" nations...people who can afford Internet, computers, etc. = But there are (approximately) seven billion people, which means that over = 5 billion people have not selected their desktop/laptop operating system ye= t. Plus, of the ones that have selected their desktop OS, they are moving= towards the good side of the Force, and once they experience the freedom o= f having access to the source code, they will want to know WHY it works, an= d not just how to use it. Not everyone. My mother only learned how to pump her own gas late in life= . She never understood "oil" in the car. Pop took care of that. But I have faith that we will find "whippersnappers" that will take the pla= ce of "old farts" as time goes on. The "old farts" need to embrace them, = listen to them, steer them and explain things....make them feel welcome, as= they should be. Warmest regards, maddog > On 06/17/2026 3:01 PM EDT Michael Hirsch via Ale <[email protected]> wrote: > =20 > =20 > Wow, what a grumpy old man!=20 > =20 > I think he's half right. The percentage of users who are power users is = going down, but that is because the number of users is going up and appreci= ating 100% of the populace (except my mother) while the number of power use= rs is holding pretty steady. I think. I have no hard data to back that up= , but I do meet young people at work who know a lot. > =20 > I think there are a fairly small number of people with a natural affinity= for technology at that level. It used to be that all computer users were = of that type, but now everyone is a user, but the power users are still out= there. > =20 > Michael >=20 > On Mon, May 11, 2026, 11:40=E2=80=AFAM lollipopman691 via Ale <ale-25S/[email protected]= g mailto:[email protected]> wrote: >=20 > > https://fireborn.mataroa.blog/blog/the-slow-death-of-the-power-user/ > >=20 > > Hm. I am way more optimistic than this guy. Maybe 'cause I am mostly a= member of the very Technical Communities he claims "the cultural mass behi= nd . . . has collapsed". From where I am sitting,we appear still very much = alive. And the 3D printing + MakerSpace folks are continuing the fight. R= ight to Repair is still very much in the news and being litigated both in c= ourts and in legislatures. > >=20 > > Doesn't mean we can relax though. > >=20 > > -- CHS > >=20 > >=20 > >=20 > >=20 > > _______________________________________________ > > Ale mailing list > > [email protected] mailto:[email protected] > > https://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo/ale > > See JOBS, ANNOUNCE and SCHOOLS lists at > > http://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo > >=20 > _______________________________________________ > Ale mailing list > [email protected] > https://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo/ale > See JOBS, ANNOUNCE and SCHOOLS lists at > http://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo >=20 ------=_Part_126720_328993194.1781792284533 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/html; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!doctype html> <html> <head>=20 <meta charset=3D"UTF-8">=20 </head> <body> <div style=3D"font-size: 12pt; font-family: helvetica,arial,sans-serif; c= olor: #333333;"> <span style=3D"font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12pt;">Michael,<br><br= >I agree in principle with your answer but I think you (like a lot of peopl= e) are mixing "percentage of" with "number of" people.<br><br>As in a lot o= f "new technologies" (radio, automobiles, etc) computers started with unive= rsities, technical hobbyists, etc. and as they became more prevalent more p= eople started to use them who could not build a crystal radio or change the= oil in their car. However as more and more radio stations and = radios happened, more and more NUMBERS of people started learning about rad= io, became radio amateurs, etc. It could be argued that the total per= centage of early radio users who were TECHNICAL dipped, but as radio became= more useful the NUMBERS (and perhaps the percentage) of TECHNICAL people w= ent up.<br><br>I think this will also happen with FOSS. We only= have (at latest estimate) 5% of the (approximate) 2 billion desktops. = ; For the most part this is still the "have" nations...people who can= afford Internet, computers, etc. But there are (approximately)= seven billion people, which means that over 5 billion people have not sele= cted their desktop/laptop operating system yet. Plus, of the on= es that have selected their desktop OS, they are moving towards the good si= de of the Force, and once they experience the freedom of having access to t= he source code, they will want to know WHY it works, and not just how to us= e it.<br><br>Not everyone. My mother only learned how to pump h= er own gas late in life. She never understood "oil" in the car.= Pop took care of that.<br><br>But I have faith that we will find "wh= ippersnappers" that will take the place of "old farts" as time goes on.&nbs= p; The "old farts" need to embrace them, listen to them, steer them a= nd explain things....make them feel welcome, as they should be.<br><br>Warm= est regards,<br><br>maddog</span> </div>=20 <blockquote type=3D"cite">=20 <div> On 06/17/2026 3:01 PM EDT Michael Hirsch via Ale <[email protected]> wr= ote: </div>=20 <div> </div>=20 <div> </div>=20 <div dir=3D"auto"> Wow, what a grumpy old man! =20 <div dir=3D"auto"> </div>=20 <div dir=3D"auto"> I think he's half right. The percentage of users who are power u= sers is going down, but that is because the number of users is going up and= appreciating 100% of the populace (except my mother) while the number of p= ower users is holding pretty steady. I think. I have no hard da= ta to back that up, but I do meet young people at work who know a lot. </div>=20 <div dir=3D"auto"> </div>=20 <div dir=3D"auto"> I think there are a fairly small number of people with a natural affin= ity for technology at that level. It used to be that all computer use= rs were of that type, but now everyone is a user, but the power users are s= till out there. </div>=20 <div dir=3D"auto"> </div>=20 <div dir=3D"auto"> Michael </div>=20 </div>=20 <br>=20 <div class=3D"gmail_quote gmail_quote_container">=20 <div class=3D"gmail_attr" dir=3D"ltr"> On Mon, May 11, 2026, 11:40=E2=80=AFAM lollipopman691 via Ale <<a h= ref=3D"mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a>> wrote: </div>=20 <blockquote> <a href=3D"https://fireborn.mataroa.blog/blog/the-slow-death-of-the-po= wer-user/" target=3D"_blank" rel=3D"noopener">https://fireborn.mataroa.blog= /blog/the-slow-death-of-the-power-user/</a> <br> <br>Hm. I am way more optimistic than this guy. Maybe 'cause I a= m mostly a member of the very Technical Communities he claims "the cultural= mass behind . . . has collapsed". From where I am sitting,we appear still = very much alive. And the 3D printing + MakerSpace folks are continuin= g the fight. Right to Repair is still very much in the news and being= litigated both in courts and in legislatures. <br> <br>Doesn't mean we can relax though. <br> <br>-- CHS <br> <br> <br> <br> <br>_______________________________________________ <br>Ale mailing list <br><a href=3D"mailto:[email protected]" target=3D"_blank" rel=3D"noopener">= [email protected]</a> <br><a href=3D"https://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo/ale" target=3D"_b= lank" rel=3D"noopener">https://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo/ale</a> <br>See JOBS, ANNOUNCE and SCHOOLS lists at <br><a href=3D"http://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo" target=3D"_blank"= rel=3D"noopener">http://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo</a> </blockquote>=20 </div> _______________________________________________ <br>Ale mailing list <br>[email protected] <br>https://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo/ale <br>See JOBS, ANNOUNCE and SCHOOLS lists at <br>http://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo </blockquote> </body> </html> ------=_Part_126720_328993194.1781792284533-- --===============7796221609281413111== Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline _______________________________________________ Ale mailing list [email protected] https://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo/ale See JOBS, ANNOUNCE and SCHOOLS lists at http://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo --===============7796221609281413111==--