Tuesday, January 20, 2009

So, How Many of You Load Your Own Software?

I was thinking about how things work when it comes to computers.
How many people actually load and authorize/activate their own software today?
I am a bit befuddled by people who think they know how computers work and can't make this process work.  Thinking back on the year so far, September and October are the months for questions about installing/authorizing/registering for class in SmartMusic and how the process mysteriously doesn't work right.  
I would say that installing SmartMusic is no more difficult than installing Office or Photoshop, especially the restricted student versions.  Have your passwords, be connected to the internet, watch out for the caps lock key, know the difference between a letter O and a number 0, keyboard carefully and follow directions.  I would say that covers 99.9% of the problems.
In some ways, I wonder if it is the IT department's fault.  In insisting on protecting people and their computers, (actually it's protecting computers from their people!) people don't install very much software these days.  They don't have that kind of permission at work.
The Geek Squad and the Apple Geniuses must do banner business with people that don't buy their software pre-installed.

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