British kid wins a pathetic competition

[NickStone]

I could not believe what I was reading on a news site today. A kid from England wins a competition on using MS Word and then thinks that with his "talent" it will get him a top job. Does this kid really think that knowing how to use a word processor is going to make him an business executive?

Mr Youngman said: "Career-wise I think it will show any employers I know how to use a Microsoft Office product

Big deal! Now if he had won a competition about coding in a certain language then he would have a bright future.

Full story here

[HalationEffect]

They have contests to see who is best at using MS Word??

Mind = blown.

Then again, the fact that some people can make a fantastic living from kicking a ball around a field leaves me pretty much flabbergasted too.

[verndog]

Now if he could use vim or vi in a constructive manner, I would be impressed.
I never could get the hang of Emacs. Most likely because I started with vi on a Unix system back in the 70's.

[SteveRiley]

Guys, forget the software. This kid got himself in the news. That skill is far more valuable to prospective employers than prowess with software more than half a decade old.

[woodsmoke]

I can see the point about the OP. it was a "rant"...

But it might be instructive for all and sundry to learn a little about what is going on in education and the workplace in the U.S.

In the schools of the U.S.

One does not learn how to use a "computer" ...

One learns how to use "technology"

As if a steam engine is not an example of technology, as opposed to basic science which is the wheel and axle.

The way "it works" in business/office in the U.S.:


If one goes to a "temporary service" to obtain work "in the office field" in the U.S. one will be required to take a "test" on the use the main MS office products, if one does not pass the test then one can take some refresher courses.

When one goes into the workplace in the U.S. the whole workplace uses MS products.

The temporary service does not want to send out someone who cannot "step in and take over" for a secretary that is sick.

My college and ALL colleges, have tens of thousands of people sitting at computers learning how to run MS products, the teacher watches a multi-screen within screen at the desk to see who is doing what.

THE TEST....is not to produce a Powerpoint.(tm)......it is whether the student did the correct sequence of steps to make the powerpoint.

The teachers computer produces the steps the student provided, they were HARVESTED as the student did the work, and the incorrect parts are highlighted and the grade is reduced.

That kid did exactly what he needed to do to get a job and rise quickly in an office/business enviornment that is not overwhelmingly, but IS Microsith.

Except, of course, for the few countries that have BEGUN to use Linux in a big way.

This, from the fifties:

I was one of the FEW boys who took "typing"..instead of another head banging "gym" class on the field..and I'm running Linux now.



has become this:



Does anyone remember the "cartoon" of the "good girls" with their wrists correctly arched and sitting with upright posture in the 30s to 60's and how the "intelligentsia" sneered at the "drones".

Welll maybe the intelligentsia of the fifties and sixties should have spent less time sneering and more time trying to steer the system onto more of a developmental track as opposed to a linear track..

What we got instead what bloviating about the merits of WordPerfect and MS and Peachtree and multiple computer companies who would not agree on a standard...

So Microsith made "the standard"...... as evidenced by the simple fact of people trying all the different OSs out and choosing MS...

Apple got it's nich by GIVING AWAY...... a free computer to all of the admins in all schools across the U.S.

And giving away AT COST..... computers to all the teachers.

And who dominates? Not Apple even after giving away computer....MS does...(except in the office of academe) where the professors type away at their research papers.

BOTH companies "gave away" computers and MS won ...simple as that.

So.. those "drones" have now greatly improved to be sitting slouching at a terminal working on "technology" which equates to using MS products!

HOWEVER THERE IS HOPE! As evidenced by my lab assistant. Folks might remember that, in another thread, I gave the assistant an Ubuntu laptop with Unity on it and the response was to the effect of something like, yeah the icons are different but the applications work basically the same...

poco a poco se va lejos!

NICE THREAD!!

woodsmoke

[Tom_ZeCat]

I could not believe what I was reading on a news site today. A kid from England wins a competition on using MS Word and then thinks that with his "talent" it will get him a top job. Does this kid really think that knowing how to use a word processor is going to make him an business executive?



Big deal! Now if he had won a competition about coding in a certain language then he would have a bright future.

Full story here

There's a world champion MS Word user? *facepalm* I have to agree that that's ridiculous. I also can't believe that the public didn't reject Word when it came out with that atrocious Ribbon design. The Ribbon is the reason I'm using LibreOffice instead. Windows 8 is the reason I'm using Kubunutu. Both are ineffecient garbage designs, which I won't use unless I'm somehow forced to. I'm hoping I never have a job in which I'm compelled to use that crap.

People will babble on about how supposedly I'm opposed to progress, which, of course, is a crock. It's only progress if a change is an actual improvement. The Ribbon makes it way, way harder to quickly and efficiently get work done. Windows 8 is a ridiculous attempt to turn a desktop/laptop OS into a tablet one. A tablet OS should be used for A TABLET, not for a regular PC. Kubuntu is an improvement over Windows 7. Windows 8 is a regression.

Anyway, now you know why I'm here. I've fired Microsoft from my life as much as possible. My brother fired them by going for Macintosh. I've fired them by going for Kubuntu.

Okay, back to topic. That kid knows a bunch of commands in MS Word. Whoopie. I'd bet he can't write specialized plugins for it.

[SteveRiley]

The Ribbon makes it way, way harder to quickly and efficiently get work done.

A quibble... The usability lab has a decent amount of data whose conclusions disagree with you. The ribbon did present an adjustment challenge to those with many years' experience in prior versions. But most people adapted very quickly and regained their productivity. People not steeped in the ways of pre-2010 versions were immediately more productive in Office 2010. The ribbon increases discoverability -- this is not debatable according to the findings. Better discoverability = better workflow.

Windows 8 is a ridiculous attempt to turn a desktop/laptop OS into a tablet one. A tablet OS should be used for A TABLET, not for a regular PC. Kubuntu is an improvement over Windows 7. Windows 8 is a regression.

Unlike the above, there is much less data supporting the notion that Metro is good for the desktop. In fact, I suspect once the analysis is complete, the conclusion will be that Metro creates barriers nearly impossible to cross. (Dirty secret: I see a lot of Microsoft employees still running Windows 7, or Windows 8 with third-party add-ons that bring back the Start button. Shhh!)

[Tom_ZeCat]

Nope, the ribbon has hurt productivity according to studies:

http://www.exceluser.com/explore/sur...ey-results.htm

And, besides, the biggest problem is the way Microsoft forced it down people's throats. The Ribbon was not optional. They could have easily made it that way, as was done by another office suite whose name escapes me at the moment. On the LibreOffice forum there was a thread about a possible ribbon for L-Office. Many people felt like I do and vehemently protested the idea. If for any reason such a thing were developed for LibreOffice, it would be a must to make it optional, IMO. Maybe it could be installed as a plug-in and those who don't want it don't have to have it. My biggest gripe with the Ribbon is the whole "work the way we want you to, not the way you choose to" attitude of Microsoft.

But I strongly suspect I know why Microsoft did not make it optional. Users would have shut off the Ribbon and kept using the old interface and hence it would not have caught on. Then their "innovation" would not have caught on.

[SteveRiley]

Look. I don't want to provoke arguments with you. But your data is suspect and you make claims that cannot be substantiated.

You quote a four year old report on a site that lacks much current content. The report shows numbers that might indicate the failure of the ribbon -- but how can we tell? It's not unreasonable to think that this site mainly attracts folks who prefer Excel 2007, if my brief perusal of the articles is any guide. That means the sample set of those polled is skewed in a direction favorable for those who want to gripe about the ribbon. We also don't know how many poll respondents there were.

I am confident that Microsoft's usability lab is more extensive. (I remind you: I worked at Microsoft during 1989-2009.) They have tested tens of thousands of people who exhibit the full range of skills from rank beginner to full-on expert. The ribbon went through more than a year of design reviews and modifications. The result works, and the data prove it.

As far as any throat-pushing is concerned... sometimes giving customers exactly what they want is a good thing. Other times it can keep you stuck in a trap. Every software (and hardware, and $WHATEVER) manufacturer can point to instances of where they've made radical changes in direction. This is not news. Let me remind you of an example. Most of us here at KFN detest Ubuntu's Unity interface. I am among that crowd. But Canonical soldiers on, continuing down the path they've chosen. Many people bitch. Many others love it.

I'll conclude with this: I suggest you read The Innovator's Dilemma by Clayton Christensen.

[woodsmoke]

Lol the "quibble" that I have with the ribbon was that "supposedly" it would be a "universal" way for people from different languages to use it..

but it STILL has "words" in it so.... what was the real point?

woodsmoke