I am almost ashamed to admit it, but I am not a computer genius. Yes, I grew up along side computers, and as they got smarter and faster, I got dumber and slower. But it’s not the computers that most frustrates me…it’s the programs I have to use on the computers.
Every other week, some program — Windows, Google, one of several security programs I have on my computer, some application that I forgot I had, some program that I thought I updated just last week — demands that I do an update. I’m not opposed to progress, not really. I am opposed to change, since I like things the way they are. But I realize that updates are essential. Things change, and as changes in the external environment occur, software programs need to be adapted to these changes.
I understand that.
But what I don’t understand is why when I change one little program, everything on my computer gets screwed up. I can’t access passwords. I can’t open some programs that I just had opened. I have to re-enter my two-level or three-level or 84 character encryption key. That means I have to search all the places where I, against all computer security advice, wrote down my last password. Because of course, I try to use a different password for every program, but I expect the damn computer to remember them for me!
I keep blaming the program that just updated. Then I try to solve the problem. I check the settings of the updated program. I check the settings of the program that’s been affected. I re-start my computer multiple times, hoping that a new start will magically make things better. I even start checking my finances to see if I can buy a brand new computer that won’t have these problems.
Then I go get a fresh cup of coffee, and when I return, everything is working properly once again.
I really hate computers. They’re more unpredictable than high school sweethearts.