Re:Why Won't You Answer My Question?
by tambourine_man on Thursday April 27, 2017 @10:25PM
(#14216477)
I think you're onto something regarding the troubleshooting mindset.
I know very little of cars, but I used to arrive at the mechanic with a clear problem: overheating, noise while turning the wheel, flashing light on the dashboard, etc. No need to know the solution, just articulate the problem.
I fell like computers occupy almost the realm of magic in most people's mind. When it works, it's great, when it doesn't, why bother, it's beyond comprehension.
It looks easy and clear-cut to you, because you know what is going on.
You look at an HTTPS connection issue, and you can soon discern that the crypto-suites do not match, so the connection cannot be negotiated.
You go to a mechanic (assuming you are not knowledgeable about cars), and you can at best partially describe a symptom and when it occurs and your best guess as to why it might occur. That is better than a non-technical person, its true, but a mechanic may be able to speak to you at the same level about computer problems.
As a counterpoint, look around your office at all the people who would not be able to help the mechanic diagnose a problem - they may have domain specific knowledge, but not a troubleshooting mindset.