The Å°bergeeks and Joe Blow.
It’s certainly no secret that I have been having a hard time posting images using WordPress, version 2.5, which difficulty has spawned a thought or two about the issue.
First, let me say that everything I don’t know about information technology would overflow the Grand Canyon. Let me also say that I am amazed at the peeps who are deep into geekery, to the point of producing things like WordPress or similar computer stuff. To me, it borders on magic.
Having said that, I often wonder about the width of intellectual/technical divide between the Å°bergeeks of the World and the rest of us. This massive divide (at least from my perspective) has existed for many years, but it has become obvious only in the last two decades or so. Consider that during the sixties it was the Å°bergeeks who figured out much of the stuff that sent us into outer space and ultimately to the moon. We non-geeks just shook our heads in amazement. It was stupendous stuff, but it was beyond our everyday experience.
Then, along came the personal computer. Once the Űbergeeks made using a computer something that the average schmo might be able to do, the Űbergeeks’ numbers increased dramatically, but not nearly as much as the number of peeps buying computers and hoping to actually be able to use them.
Given that this is not intended to be a history of home computing, suffice it to say that there are a gazillion Å°bergeeks out there, but ten times as many non-geeks flailing away at keyboards, doing everything from playing solitaire to, yes, blogging, which brings me full circle to my problems with WordPress 2.5.
As I understand it (and I could be cosmically wrong), the collective that creates things like WordPress is a loosely associated (if formally associated at all) group of Å°bergeeks who produce truly amazing computer stuff, perhaps just for the hell of it.
I have been told that before these cyber- mavins unleash a new version of software on the non-geeks, they put it “out there†for Beta testing, Beta testing, being the vehicle used to uncover where the software’s problems may lie – sort of like a ship’s shakedown cruise.
I cannot help but wonder if, perhaps because of the great divide between Űbergeeks and the rest of us, the Űbergeeks choose as Beta testers other Űbergeeks, and after the Beta testing is done, they sit around, drink Mountain Dew and speak Geekish to one another about the complex stuff “under the hood,†as it were. You know what I mean: the kinds of esoteric things that one reads on computer forums, which are utterly unintelligible to anyone but the Űbergeeks. This is no doubt an important part of the software development process, but, it must be remembered that in the case of the WordPress (and similar software), the Űbergeeks are developing software for Joe Blow’s use.
Now, specifically with respect to blogging software, it is more than fair to assume that Joe Blow is a lesson or three beyond the “Intro to Your New Computer†or “Learning to Click and Drag†courses offered at places like adult schools.
My question, rhetorical though it may be, is, “Are the Joe Blows of the World included among the Beta testers of blogging software in general and WordPress 2.5 in particular?†Sadly, I suspect not, because if they were, there is no way that WordPress 2.5 would have been released.
I know, I know. You’re thinking, Yo, Jimbo. You’re a techno-doofus; you’ve said so yourself many times. Maybe you just haven’t figured out how to use the farookin’ software. Jeez!†Maybe so, but I’m probably technically more representative of the average blogger than not, and including the techno-doofuses (i.e. Joe Blows of the World) as Beta testers might have suggested to the developers either that WordPress version 2.5 wasn’t working right, or that it was working fine, but that some instructions (gasp!) might be a good idea. Instructions? Who knew?
I appreciate that using the Joe Blows of the world as Beta testers will be tedious for the Űbergeeks, as they would have to endure listening to non-geeks using English to try to explain to Űbergeeks problems that would best be described in Geekish. Still, Joe Blow Beta testers might well prevent a truckload of computers from being assaulted by users who just can’t seem to figure shit out.
In closing, I am hereby volunteering to step to the plate and serve as a Joe Blow Beta tester for the next WordPress version, assuming, of course, that the WordPress Å°bergeeks give two fiddlers’ shits about what we Joe Blows think.
In most cases, Beta testing is supposed to include users from all skill levels. That being said, it rarely happens that way in Real Life: folks such as yourself are seldom willing to experience the ‘foibles’ that Beta testing implies, and aren’t inclined to volunteer. That results in a higher than wished-for (or appropriate) number of tech-ish people testing it – and they’re generally able to figure out the changes with little or no trouble. By the time the whole Beta group gets done with something, and it gets out to the techno-doofus, it’s simply Too Damn Late to un-fix things that shouldn’t have been fiddled with.
Sorry.
Comment by DMerriman — April 18, 2008 @ 10:26 pm
Jimbo, you could try dropping a line at http://wordpress.org/extend/kvetch/
Also, look at Testing WordPress.
BTW, you aren’t the only one torqued about the image functionality.
Comment by Ken Adams — April 18, 2008 @ 11:23 pm
Definitions:
User: person who sits at computer, turns it on, wants it to work… turns it off and goes to sit in Mr. Recliner when computer does not cooperate (rational)
Geek: person who sits at computer, turns it on, would like it to work, is not surprised when it doesn’t, persists in trying to figure out the problem until they fall asleep in front of the monitor. (irrational)
Uber Geek: person who sits at computer, writes the software that makes computer work, finds it fascinating when things don’t work, persists in finding any workaround for problems encountered whether feasible or not for general public, releases product after finding said workaround proclaiming it’s the “neatest software ever written”, dies at desk surrounded by Mountain Dew cans and empty pizza boxes. (insane)
Comment by Teresa — April 19, 2008 @ 12:27 am
BTW – the original tests… they’re “alpha” tests. It’s the users who are the “Beta” testers – been like that for years.
Comment by Teresa — April 19, 2008 @ 12:28 am
T-
Understood, but I’m betting that, in most cases, Beta testers all speak Geekish.
Jimbo
Comment by Jim — April 19, 2008 @ 8:45 am
LOL – nope – I meant that the general public are the beta testers. In other words, it’s been a long time since software has been released “ready to go” that was really ready. What they call “beta testing” should really be called “alpha testing” for just that reason. But who wants to wait for real people to use the product and point out fixes and problems… just release it, let people complain when stuff doesn’t work THEN fix it. That’s the current mode of bringing you new and better software. *sigh*
Comment by Teresa — April 19, 2008 @ 9:49 am
Non-geek here. Question for T: While we’re on this topic, could you explain to me, if a product is working satisfactorily for the person who is using it, why, just because there is a Beta version of a product intended to phase out a current version, are all users forced to eventually switch over to it?
We had the same thing with Blogger a year or two ago, and there were holdouts till the bitter end (though I was one of the first converts, and even wrote product review posts), until they were forced to switch.
My grandmother had a rotary phone from 1960-something that worked just fine for her up until 2003-2004 (she was then moved into a nursing home, where she had to use their phones), but that whole time, nobody forced her to switch over, even while everyone else was using digital, wireless, cordless, cell phones, etc.
I guess I’m wondering, why couldn’t Hairboy stick with his version of WordPress if it made him happy and worked for him, and he was used to it, and it gave him no problems, while other peeps, if they so choose, can move onto the newer version, and everyone could blog happily at their own pace?
Perhaps WP should heed his words. The guy writes scary law disclaimers and other weird, intimidating legal stuff (estoppel up your heiney!), so he’s no dummy, but he’s been trying to post a freakin’ photo for over two weeks now and can’t figure it out. There’s something very wrong with that and, as much as I’d like to say it’s because he’s a dooshbag, I think we all know that the fault probably does not lay with him.
Comment by Erica — April 19, 2008 @ 12:20 pm
Ralph Kramden was the first Ubergeek, with his moon launch technology. Messy, but effective.
Comment by Cappy — April 19, 2008 @ 12:23 pm
And…from Brooklyn!
Comment by Erica — April 19, 2008 @ 1:08 pm
I did the beta test thing on WP 2.5 and didn’t notice a problem. I noticed the problem when I upgraded to the final version of WP 2.5, found the problem, posted messages in the WordPress forums, read the workarounds, tried a couple, and finally found one that works for me.
It wan’t painless, but prior to the fix, I reverted to the old way of uploading the images I wanted to my server via FTP adn then hard-coded the things into my post…
I guess that’s geekish, but I hate to be beaten by a piece of crap computer…
MC
Comment by mostly cajun — April 19, 2008 @ 1:08 pm
Erica – with software it’s generally one of two things (and sometimes both).
First you have “security issue” upgrades. Especially with interactive software like blogging software. Annoying cracker type people can find flaws in the software and then use them to break into accounts and even servers – this gives them the option to use the server for their own (bad) purposes… even unto changing posts that people have made. Generally it’s so they can get access to the system and use it as a jump point for other break ins or for the disk space available.
The other thing is – it’s difficult to support 2 systems. So to save money and or time, there will be a changeover period, but eventually they go to the “new and improved” to save time and effort. Whether or not this works for the user is beside the point. Oddly enough – for the most part – what the user wishes is beside the point. heh.
The difference with phones is that there are no security issues with dial phones, also if the phone broke, she would have had to go to a touchtone (unless she was able to find a dial phone somewhere)… but if it doesn’t break down then it will simply work. Because the only user interaction with one of those phones is “dialing” there’s no need to make changes. In other words, there is no compelling reason to change unless you want access to touchtone features. (my parents still use dial phones)
Comment by Teresa — April 19, 2008 @ 1:41 pm