388
submitted 1 year ago by koncertejo@lemmy.ml to c/technology@lemmy.ml
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[-] ch00f@lemmy.world 28 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

https://xkcd.com/763/

But forreal, I think it's really interesting how people who aren't familiar with computers never think to themselves, "there has to be a better way to do this."

Like, I'm an EE, and electrical engineering software is notoriously terrible (I like to joke it's because it's written by EEs). Even knowing that, if I run into a problem where I want to accomplish something where the default option is to click and drag something 200 times, the first thing I do is google "how do thing Altium." Sometimes the answer really is to do it the hard way, but I at least check first.

Edit: I'm just remembering a story where I was asked to review a PCB and schematic design for a client. I think they had hired like someone's kid to do the design work to save money as there were problems all over the place.

Probably the most glaring was with the component markers or "reference designators." In Eagle CAD, when you place a component (resistor, chip, etc), it comes with a little label to be printed on the PCB. This label has a default location next to the part and moves with the part, but you can't move it relative to the part without using a separate tool to allow that. This is important when designs get dense as labels might overlap each other or other parts.

Any way, rather than searching for how to move reference designators relative to components (it's called the "Smash" tool), this kid deleted all reference designators from the design and just manually placed labels. That means that when you move a component, you have to manually move the label. Also, normally, reference designators are hi-lighted when you select components so you know which one goes with which component. These manual labels had no association with the parts. The only way to tell if a label was next to the right part was to select the component to figure out its name, and then visually scan the labels to look for the one with a matching name.

There were hundreds of parts on the PCB. This was $1500 software, and they assumed that this was the correct user flow. Place parts, delete labels linked to parts, make new labels not linked to parts.

[-] schroedingershat@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

I think it’s really interesting how people who aren’t familiar with computers never think to themselves, “there has to be a better way to do this.”

Sort of a communal learned helplessness. Years of abusive user interfaces and faceless corporations providing an all or nothing platform instead of modular tools leads to a mindset of "that's just the way it is and I have to deal with it".

this post was submitted on 10 Jul 2023
388 points (94.7% liked)

Technology

35114 readers
161 users here now

This is the official technology community of Lemmy.ml for all news related to creation and use of technology, and to facilitate civil, meaningful discussion around it.


Ask in DM before posting product reviews or ads. All such posts otherwise are subject to removal.


Rules:

1: All Lemmy rules apply

2: Do not post low effort posts

3: NEVER post naziped*gore stuff

4: Always post article URLs or their archived version URLs as sources, NOT screenshots. Help the blind users.

5: personal rants of Big Tech CEOs like Elon Musk are unwelcome (does not include posts about their companies affecting wide range of people)

6: no advertisement posts unless verified as legitimate and non-exploitative/non-consumerist

7: crypto related posts, unless essential, are disallowed

founded 5 years ago
MODERATORS