Apps and computer technology

[Will86]

Is there anyone else like me who fails to understand it all ?

 

My brain runs at the speed of drying paint and whatever else I try it fails miserably.

 

The problem is that the modern world is progressing faster than my brain.

 

There was a time when I was way in front of other individuals, now relegated to last.

 

 

 

 

[snowie]

If you don’t need the technology Will, don’t worry about it.

It may be irritating, but don’t let it get you down, simple is good, enjoy it

Regards, Snowie

[Tracker]

If, like me, you have lived an almost normal life for so many years without a smartphone or an app (not to be confused with a nap which is an essential item!) or any of the other so called essentials of modern life why change now?

 

I use an old PC at home and an ipad on free wifi when away if I really must check on something but one of the best things about being away is no news - 'cos no news is good news!

 

Sites and Aires are still available in books, dumb phones that will make a perfectly acceptable phone call when needed are still around, TVs for entertainment are still around, maps are still made in paper or book form as are repair manuals, so why worry about advanced computers?

 

Many years ago a guy who ran a fishing tackle shop told me that all too often new special advanced fishing gear catches more fisherman than it does fish, and so it seems with apps and computers.

 

On the other hand when there is an app that will empty the loo or change a gas bottle for us - now that would be a good idea!

[Alanb]

The word "APP" is one of my pet hates. A slang abbreviation for the word "application" which term was, I believe introduced by Apple along with the iphone, and taken up by other smartphones.

 

An "app" is a coded instruction set for the performance of a particular computing task. This used to be called a progamme, or program in American. What was wrong with the original terminology?

 

I am no luddite, as a 13" laptop accompanied me on our recent trip to NZ. I used it for emails, tracking our expenditure, finding campsites, saving photos,etc.

 

A significant offline use (I nearly typed application.) was to hold detailed maps of most of NZ. These proved to be a useful complement to our two paper 1:250,000 road atlases for detailed location of places to visit, as small areas could be viewed at about 1:25,000 on the computer. A smartphone just does not have a large enough screen for this application. Perhaps a tablet woulkd be lighter, but wouldit offer the same connectivity?

 

Alan

[Spyder]

I work in IT and it drives me mad! So much technology for technologies sake. If you don’t need it don’t sweat it. Some of it is great but loads of it is pointless

[Don636]

I would not worry about it - you don't need all of that tech most of the time anyway. I do not have a smartphone and my mobile phone costs since last March comes to £3. I have an I-pad I use to surf the net and my only apps are for mobile banking and to operate my Hive remote heating controls, both of which I find very useful. Not interested in anything else. Most of it is tech for techs sake.

[colin]

Alanb - 2018-05-01 9:49 PM

 

The word "APP" is one of my pet hates. A slang abbreviation for the word "application" which term was, I believe introduced by Apple along with the iphone, and taken up by other smartphones.

 

Alan

 

As a work colleague used to say "Tell enough people how great you are and some will believe you"

'Apps' where not invented by apple, they predate the iphone by years, when Apple tried to throw their weight around and ban other companies from using the term App they where soundly put in their place.

[colin]

My smartphone and it's App's are tools for me.

I'm looking at the home screen and see after the phone and text app's the next one is a calc which I frequently use at work, then comes the calendar nowadays I can't be without it to note down appointments before I forget them, then I have the browser for conducting my online work, next is a satnav was using this last friday to find a shop, next is weather, then the camera, the next app is a torch, was using this today on the lathe, not quite enough light to see how align a tool to recut a thread, then it's my emails, then my alarm clock which is more for when I'm in the van.

I do have an array of other App's but rarely use them.

 

The cost of phone and using it? Well the phone is a secondhand Nokia 950xl, IIRC £150, my phone contract is 'free', although most of my data is over wifi so wouldn't cost anything anyway.

[Geeco]

Will as the saying goes "do not sweat the small stuff"! I would be surprised if most on this forum understand it all. I use technology every day and do enjoy the ease of information availability. I find the biggest challenge is to identify what I can use and what to avoid. Once I have got my favourite items then forget the rest. You do not need it all, be selective and it will not over power you.You could call that "Willpower"! cheers,

[plwsm2000]

Not sure if it was true or not, but some years ago there was a story going around about NASA spending millions of dollars to develop a pen that would write in space.

 

The russians however, just used a pencil.

 

Personally, i cannot wait to get a driverless motorhome. Think of all that extra space in the front !! :-D

[Alanb]

colin - 2018-05-01 10:23 PM

 

Alanb - 2018-05-01 9:49 PM

 

The word "APP" is one of my pet hates. A slang abbreviation for the word "application" which term was, I believe introduced by Apple along with the iphone, and taken up by other smartphones.

 

Alan

 

As a work colleague used to say "Tell enough people how great you are and some will believe you"

'Apps' where not invented by apple, they predate the iphone by years, when Apple tried to throw their weight around and ban other companies from using the term App they where soundly put in their place.

 

Colin,

 

Thanks for the correction. Appreciated.

 

Alan

[Alanb]

colin - 2018-05-01 10:23 PM

 

Alanb - 2018-05-01 9:49 PM

 

The word "APP" is one of my pet hates. A slang abbreviation for the word "application" which term was, I believe introduced by Apple along with the iphone, and taken up by other smartphones.

 

Alan

 

As a work colleague used to say "Tell enough people how great you are and some will believe you"

'Apps' where not invented by apple, they predate the iphone by years, when Apple tried to throw their weight around and ban other companies from using the term App they where soundly put in their place.

 

Colin,

 

Thanks for the correction. Appreciated.

 

Alan

[Derek Uzzell]

I was writing computer programs in the 1970s and, even then. these were referred to as software applications.

 

There is a couple of nice definitions of “app” in the Urban Dictionary

 

“1: Shortened form of 'application.' Popularized by Apple Computers Inc. with the introduction of the iPhone. Mainly implemented because the majority of the Apple userbase is too retarded to even be able to use two mouse buttons, let alone pronounce a four syllable word.”

 

 

“2: Abbreviated form of "application", a type of software program that typically interacts with the end user, such as a calender program or a chat program. Applications differ from lower-level software programs such as device drivers which are mostly invisible to the user.

 

Since the late-2000s, the term "app" has been bastardized by Apple and other Apple wannabes to specifically mean a software program that you can buy at the "App Store" or variations thereof. In fact "applications" have been freely available online since the advent of the Internet and this concept is completely foreign to the majority of "app" buyers."

 

 

[colin]

The first time I recall coming across the term App would have been back in the late 80's working with Wang.

[Will86]

Thanks for all the comments, its all much as I thought ... some do some don't.

 

They're certainly not designed for people like me. I've not tried an ipad which as far as I can ascertain is larger than a standard pocket size which needs to be carried.

 

The most useful item to me is the Satnav

[Tracker]

Will86 - 2018-05-02 2:22 PM

 

The most useful item to me is the Satnav

 

 

To me, my wife is the most useful aide memoire that I have, followed by the SatNav!!

[malc d]

What irritates me are the moves to ' persuade ' everyone to use technology whether they like it or not.

 

Online banking for instance is quite useful, but there should always be an alternative ( just ask TSB customers ! )

 

As more and more everyday operations are digitalized / mechanized it will become essential to have - and be able to use - a computer or smartphone.

 

What will happen to those people who cannot afford them - or don't understand them ?

 

 

.........and what a disaster social media is turning out to be - where people turn to Twitter or Facebook for their " News " !

 

 

:'(

[laimeduck]

malc d - 2018-05-02 3:02 PMWhat irritates me are the moves to ' persuade ' everyone to use technology whether they like it or not.Online banking for instance is quite useful, but there should always be an alternative ( just ask TSB customers ! )As more and more everyday operations are digitalized / mechanized it will become essential to have - and be able to use - a computer or smartphone.What will happen to those people who cannot afford them - or don't understand them ? .........and what a disaster social media is turning out to be - where people turn to Twitter or Facebook for their " News " ! :'(

My mother is 97 and 90% blind. She can't use a computer or android style phone. 

I have power of attorney but the hoops I've had to go through to contact suppliers etc is mind boggling.

You try getting a snail-mail post address for water, electric, gas companies! Try moving money or paying bills with a PC or android phone with text messaging!

And most of these bods wouldn't talk to me because I was not the account holder.

The number of CEO's I have written to complaining about the parlous state of their businesses in term of old people is legion!

Apologies every time, but they won't change & it'll get worse!

I refuse to discuss things like this on the phone because I end up with no copy of the conversation, thus no proof when things invariably go wrong.

I'm a great believer in the pudding theory.....pudd..ing writing!

[malc d]

laimeduck - 2018-05-02 4:13 PM

malc d - 2018-05-02 3:02 PMWhat irritates me are the moves to ' persuade ' everyone to use technology whether they like it or not.Online banking for instance is quite useful, but there should always be an alternative ( just ask TSB customers ! )As more and more everyday operations are digitalized / mechanized it will become essential to have - and be able to use - a computer or smartphone.What will happen to those people who cannot afford them - or don't understand them ? .........and what a disaster social media is turning out to be - where people turn to Twitter or Facebook for their " News " ! :'(

My mother is 97 and 90% blind. She can't use a computer or android style phone. 

I have power of attorney but the hoops I've had to go through to contact suppliers etc is mind boggling.

You try getting a snail-mail post address for water, electric, gas companies! Try moving money or paying bills with a PC or android phone with text messaging!

And most of these bods wouldn't talk to me because I was not the account holder.

The number of CEO's I have written to complaining about the parlous state of their businesses in term of old people is legion!

Apologies every time, but they won't change & it'll get worse!

I refuse to discuss things like this on the phone because I end up with no copy of the conversation, thus no proof when things invariably go wrong.

I'm a great believer in the pudding theory.....pudd..ing writing!

Precisely my point.Your " pudding theory " is otherwise known as an " audit trail " ;-)Trouble is of course that the nerds who dream up all this stuff haven't realised that they too will get old one day.

[Tracker]

I had similar issues with my Mum and my late wife when they were ill and both before and after their deaths and I often found it easier to use an email account in their names to communicate with these often unhelpful organisations. Not strictly speaking legal but it worked!

[malc d]

Tracker - 2018-05-02 4:38 PM

 

I had similar issues with my Mum and my late wife when they were ill and both before and after their deaths and I often found it easier to use an email account in their names to communicate with these often unhelpful organisations. Not strictly speaking legal but it worked!

 

 

........... but not much help to an elderly person living on their own, with no family.

 

:-|

[Tracker]

malc d - 2018-05-02 4:46 PM

 

Tracker - 2018-05-02 4:38 PM

 

I had similar issues with my Mum and my late wife when they were ill and both before and after their deaths and I often found it easier to use an email account in their names to communicate with these often unhelpful organisations. Not strictly speaking legal but it worked!

 

 

........... but not much help to an elderly person living on their own, with no family.

 

:-|

 

Absolutely right - or with unscrupulous relatives you can't trust !!

[michaelmorris]

Some of the advantages gained by using modern technology are brilliant and can be very helpful. For instance - Sat navs, mobile phones, 'Whatsapp' for contacting my daughter in Sweden, on line submission of tax returns, internet forums like this one, internet shopping etc.

However, notice the use of caveats in the above statement. Computer technology can be a curse as well as a blessing and it's important to understand the potential downsides as well as the advantages.

[Brock]

Laimeduck, we follow up phone calls with an email or letter that sets out what was said/agreed and asking them to get in touch within X days if they disagree. Or we make our own note and scan it into the computer.

 

I've always seen technology as an aid but no more. It doesn't do well on interaction with people. I do not have a smart phone although big business thinks I should and I am typing this on my. Hudl in sunny Garlieston. My satnav is back in the cupboard. Technology struggles to show the big picture although mind mapping software comes close.

 

Information isn't much use until converted into knowledge or better still, wisdom and it takes a person to do that. Technology is still trying to be knowledgeable.

[monique.hubrechtsgm]

Definately a motorhome wiil over power you in his form. price, and technical appliances and software fitted. And updates. And APPs. My partner was a engine room engineer ending up in the top at Shell Marine London. Remote control is nice if you understand A+B. And manual overide in a MH. The interface between the two is the problem. At a large cruise ship there are still two officers bridge and technical. Snce the sixties they tryto be one to cope both. Never happened. OIl or no oil. Only on Aircraft the kicked off the the tech from the the two front seats, Just remote control as the future will be.