Linux Documentation From A User's Viewpoint

When I'm asked to help non tech people, be it on Windows, or Linux, or even Macs, Rarely do they want an explanation of what's happening. Invariably I get told to just tell me what to do.

In other words in my experience most people don't want to know why, just how. From then on they operate by rote. Has anyone else noticed that most people can tell you what they do, but not why, other, that is, than "because it makes x happen"

And our current college courses to "teach" computer use just reinforce that. All MS-Centric, all purely operation based. "Click this ribbon, click this icon, highlight this, click this, type this....."

But it's the same in most endevours. How many people do you know, who can explain what happens when you turn a steering wheel on a car, other, that is, than "it makes the car turn"?

A lot of people don't understand the relationship between live animals, say cattle and sheep, and the meat they buy at the butcher.

I think most people aren't interested in why, just what, and sometimes how.

Quoting:I think most people aren't interested in why, just what, and sometimes how.

At the same time, there are numerous basic terms that in effect become mandatory to know and use. Silly as it will seem to readers here, such basic Hardware terms could certainly include "keyboard", the "ENTER" key on the keyboard, "mouse", "monitor", "CD/DVD-ROM drive", "USB device" ("floppy disk" in years past), , "the Power ON button", "the power cord", "network cable", ... etcetera. People using computers for a little longer may probably get accustomed to hearing and using the basic terms "system box", "CPU" or "processor", "memory", "internal hard drive" (and its related term "disk space"), "applications", "upgrades", and more {fill in one's must-know terms here}. So even "purely operation based" teaching methods must intrinsically require learning and using such obviously basic terminology.

Don't forget the "Any Key" that's always hard to find.

Quoting:"CD/DVD-ROM drive"

You mean that isn't a cup holder?