RE: [inbox] Re: CyberInsecurity: The cost of Mo nopoly

["Michael Smith" <mike () sane com>]

> > Do you really think you could convince the average user that they need to
> > know this much about security? I mean, most users see their computers
> > (and
> > the network, servers, phones, faxes, etc...) as a tool to do business
> > with.
> > Nothing else. The computers are there to do a job, or help get a job
done,
> > and nothing else. It is not so much that they don't know, it is that they
> > don't need to know.
>
> This argument is a total crock.  Most people manage to drive cars that
> remain operational, because they either learn how to do the maintenance
> themselves, or they outsource it to a guy called a "mechanic".

I think the point is that most people expect their cars to be operational
and do NOT do the maintenance themselves... they DO outsource it to a
mechanic.  The average user has A LOT less control over their car than their
computer.  A car is basically a single function unit, point A to point B.
Computers never have been nor ever will be that one dimensional.  At the
most, I think we could hope for users who learn to know better than to try
to do the 'maintenance' on their computers themselves.


> Here.. let's do a s/computer/cars/ on that paragraph:
>
> > Do you really think you could convince the average person that they need
> > to
> > know this much about fuel injectors? I mean, most people see their cars
> > (and
> > the network, servers, phones, faxes, etc...) as a tool to do business
> > with.
> > Nothing else. The cars are there to do a job, or help get a job done,
> > and nothing else. It is not so much that they don't know, it is that they
> > don't need to know.

> I'll point out that the average car no longer comes with a crank to start
> it, or a manual choke button that you have to remember to push back in.
> The average car no longer needs major maintenance every few hundred miles.
>
> So why are we tolerating computers that have cranks and choke buttons and
> need major maintenance every few hundred hours?  

Let's see....  cars have been available to the general public for about,
what, (at least) 75 years?  And computers?  Maybe 25?  I think if you look
at the progression the computer industry has made in that time, it FAR
outweighs the manual choke or crank start...

I think your paragraph above proves the point perfectly....  You'll NEVER
convince the average person that they need to know about fuel injectors.
I'll bet 5$ right now that half the people don't even know if their car HAS
fuel injectors or not.

~mike

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