Re: [ba-poker] please stop using outlook and update your virus definitions

[Lone Locust of the Apocalypse <zorak(deleted the rest)>]

On Sat, 6 Nov 2004, David S. Heller wrote:
> > Designing for the lowest common denominator is what got us into all
> > sorts of crap to begin with.
> 
> This may be true, but it is unrealistic to expect everyone to be as
> smart as you, or as computer savvy as you.

I'm not expecting that.

> It is a common misconception among engineers that the user is the
> problem.  I hear this from engineers frequently.

There seems to be a subtext here concerning your opinion of engineers 
but let's gloss over that for now.

> The user isn't the problem.  The problem is a lack of proper human
> factors engineering.  The problem is that the engineer didn't design
> the product with a realistic evaluation of the user in mind.

The problem is usually that marketing has imposed on engineering a
requirement that the product be usable by a complete idiot.  And you
know how that bit of Murphy's Law goes.

This is what gets you stuff like "Our users are too <insert adjective>
to open attachments, let's have them execute automatically."