On Mon, 11 Jan 2010 12:40:54 -0500, "Emily L. Ferguson" <elf@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote/replied to: >But I can't imagine any real reason that anyone needs to know how to >"actually use a computer" unless they're going to become an engineer >or IT technician. > >Sorry. Computers are for making it less difficult to do the stuff >that matters. and "actually use(ing) a computer" is not what matters >to 99% of the people who use computers. Well my IT skills have really paid for nicely for me. My wife and I both have our own companies and sell online. I've had to setup and maintain these two, plus a backup and laptop. Calling in a service man just isn't the same as diagnosing a problem and getting back to work right away. There's more to IT than setting up computers. Installing software, updating, installing backup software and external harddrives for backup, setting up the fiber optic internet, and many other things. Anyone who wants to run their own business internet business or not, will really profit from some good basic IT skills. My wife for example 'just uses a computer'. I do everything else plus 'just use my computer'. When you have to call for help, who knows what you're going to get - most of the time they haul off your computer and it comes back with a new hard drive. When my wife's previous computer's hard drive was failing a couple years ago I got an external hard drive, installed Norton Ghost, and recovered everything that mattered. She was back to work within hours with all her data and programs intact. Now with our backup hard drives and spare computer we're only a couple hours away from restoring to the spare computer and getting back to work, no matter what happens to one of our computers. Without this ability our businesses could suffer big losses, annoyed customers, ruined reputations, and lost orders. So I gotta ask you, if your computer dies right now, how long would it be before you'd be back working and how much data would you lose? I might add that my wife also does all our accounting for both businesses. I shutter to thing about losing any of that data. -- Jim Davis, Owner, Eastern Beaver Company: http://easternbeaver.com/ - Motorcycle Electrics Check out my incredible fuse panel - the PC-8 is a hit! 1990 Honda VFR750, 1988 Honda Africa Twin 650