If I were going to West Point in my first year, I'd be called a "plebe", in high school, a "freshman", in the Army a, "recruit". Where do I stop considering myself a, "Newbie"?! I've messed around with pc's for four years now and built my current one from scratch 6 mos ago, and yet I still consider myself a newbie! Why is that? When can I consider myself, "Intermediate"?!!!
I'll bet there are many good people who drop by this forum and never, ever, consider posting anything that's on their minds, simply because there...........NEWBIES!!!
Gary:)
NDD
03-09-2002, 10:36 PM
still consider myself
consider myself is the Keyword. You gotta start believing in yourself !
You can pass the exam and became an "intermediate" if you assemble a duallie server with RAID 5 using only one (left) hand. I tried and failed, so I probably a "newbie" too :( :( :(
glohworm
03-09-2002, 11:28 PM
ND,
Thanks for your reply. I know its stupid to even dwell on this, but somehow, someway, I'm equating "Newbie", with, "Virgin", and that's really goofy on my part.! I sold my old HP 6350 to my next door neighbor and she wants to pay me $10 an hour to help her get up and running, so to speak. Who would ever charge that! I got her onto Netzero, (ISP), gave her all the 98 "Dummy" books I had and the rest is up to her. She's "homebound" and her world has just been expanded beyond measure! It's the little stuff we deal with everyday.
Bottom line is, my neighbor's a "Newbie"! In the truest sense of the word. How do we classify ourselves?! Or should we even bother!
Gary:)
Bovon
03-09-2002, 11:56 PM
Everybody is a newbie for the first time, hunting, fishing, (women :D ) whatever...then, its up to you and your own self assurance. I have been 'playing' with computers for several years myself, and I still am a 'newbie' in some areas of it. I can build one, repair one...I understand the principals a little, but just when I think I am getting a pretty decent handle on the subject...I read a post here and am totally clueless.
When I went in the service many years ago, I had a buddy that was just about as clueless concerning the military as they come...very soon after we got settled in boot camp (unknown to us what was going on of course) we were told to do something that would normally be a ranking non coms responsibility...most of us, (me included) fell flat on our faces. This guy, took the bull by the horns and made it happen. At this time, he was no longer a newbie.
Its all in your mind really...when you make your first post at SysOpt, you are 'new' here, or a newbie...but your next post is a full fledged member...if you want it to be.
dmoltrup
03-09-2002, 11:58 PM
'Newbie', and 'virgin' are completely different. You are no longer a virgin after your first try. You can still be a newbie after many tries. :D
Without going out and getting formal computer training, your level of computer expertise will be judged by those around you. Of course, your title can change several times in the course of a day.
Example:
You help out a 'computer-illiterate' neighbor get her monitor working again. She considers you a 'guru'. You decide her display is broken, so you go to a tech store. The salesperson recognizes you as a 'hobbyist', and proceeds to recommend the 19" flat-screen. Knowing how much you have to work with, you decide to go for the 17". ...Oh, and forget the 12-year extended warranty. You have now become a 'jerk'. You return to your neighbor's house and hook-up the new monitor. When it still doesn't work, you have become an 'idiot' in your neighbor's eyes. You post a desperate cry for help from an 'expert' on a tech forum. An 'expert' reads your cry for help, and responds to the 'newbie' that you should check the BIOS. After resetting an incorrect option in the BIOS, your neighbor calls you a 'hero'. You then return the monitor to the store where you finish out your day as a 'complete moron'.
:D :D
glohworm
03-10-2002, 01:28 AM
Thanks to ND, Bovon, & dmoltrup!
You guys are "heavy hitters" and you've been on this forum for a long time and I appreciate your taking the time to reply to my thread. Like you've all said, just when you think you know it all....duh!
I was in "Nam", (1967), and we were all "Newbies", there! I'm showing my age now. I'm an old **** and I've got this feeling that a good many people on this forum are youngsters who know a lot about computers, but, perhaps
precious little about life! It would be interesting if we could somehow find out what the average age is of all the great people we have on this forum?! Just my senile thoughts on the subject. I love you all!
Gary:D :D :D
Bovon
03-10-2002, 02:45 PM
glohworm, age is only revelent in certain areas. Me??..I was born August 27th 1932 in Jacksonville Florida.
I got a ham radio license in `58. I can talk vacuum tubes with you all day.(what??...never heard of vacuum tubes? LOL) I have ham friends that are much younger than my youngest son, that can explain in detail the makup and how it works of most any chip on the market...just show them a schematic of the layout of the chip, and they will recognize its function immediately. They also have forgotten more about computer technology than I will live long enough to learn.
BTW, Korea, `50 & 51....
gibsinep
03-10-2002, 03:03 PM
Holy Smokes 1932, and you can still use your fingers to type!
JK
lol ;)
frank5
03-10-2002, 05:52 PM
Newbie or not newbie, that is the question.
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ \\\\\ ;)
rextex
03-10-2002, 07:01 PM
Well, I guess I'm mostly a "Newbie" here.But I don't let it get me down.I've been treated fairly and no one has razzed my POSTs even though I must admit I haven't been of that much help and severly goofed on my tips more than once.
For what its worth:
As for you guys: Bovon,dmoltrup,Frank5 and others:
I noticed you're here almost all the time and think you are a great bunch.
About this site:
I used to come here a couple years ago once in awhile and it seems like a lot of people bailed out on this site.I'm glad some good guys stayed and like the core group that's here.I intend to keep coming back.
About Newbies:
Some things about the site that I hope most "Newbies" understand is that if they don't stick around for some answers and have only 1 or 2 posts or whatever it tends to be kind of annoying to constantly offer valid solutions (speaking for myself).So stick around if you're new and you'll probaly figure out a lot of stuff on your own.
About the advice:
I'm probaly like most people here.If the computer with the problem was here in front of me I could get it working.But on the web its a little trickier.Its also harder to attempt to tell someone else how to go about it without including every little trick in every post.
You've also got to weigh whether you want to take some risks when you follow advice here.If its serious, like reformatting your hard drive and losing irreplacable data you might want to wait and research it a bit more before you act!
F.Y.I.
About me:
Well I don't work as a technician, even though I'm A+ certified (Big Deal :rolleyes: )
I work on friends computers and so forth as needed.Most problems I can figure out by trial and error, research, etc. or my general knowledge.
I work at a Major Texas Computer MFG. (I could tell you which one and what I do - But then I'd have to kill you..LOL)
No really!Basically I watch the latest Servers go by all day long and they don't let me touch anything!!Its very frustrating!!!
---Just talkin',
Later.... rextex
;) :cool:
gibsinep
03-10-2002, 07:11 PM
rextex I have some seen some of you posts, and I dont think you are a newbie. I really consider newbie-first learning to put RAM in a computer. From their on out your are, well i dont know what term but not a newbie.
rextex
03-10-2002, 07:48 PM
Well thanks, gibsinep!
I've got to say that my most satisfying moment here at Sysopt was when I read a post by a guy that I actually solved a problem for:
He had this problem and it was possibly anything from hardware to the motherboard drivers, hard drive, O.S. and on and on.Finally I offered the method to restore Win98 with the Scanreg /restore function.It was really late at night for me and I had to go to bed but I stayed up to write that last post with my possible solutions, of which that was one of.As a result I got like 3 hours sleep even though I was in the middle of a tough work week with 12 hour days.
But I remember saying to myself that this is why I'm doing it.This is why I learned about computers.Because I enjoy it and I like to help people.
This guy was telling us about how his liitle daughter was screaming for the new computer all day and he had tried everything and was about at his wits end.I could picture him there with his family and the frustration and disenchantment with computers they might be feeling.So I did what I could, even though I didn't think it would necessarily solve his problem and it cost me the next day.
When I was at work the next day it was, as usual unrewarding.But I couldn't help but think of that guy and wonder if he ever got that machine going and wishing that my extra effort had helped them.
So when I got home I checked the site.And I've got to tell you it made my whole week when I read that post.He thanked me for the tip and it had worked!It made my whole week!
That's worth every hour I spent reading books and hacking away when it seemed like I wasn't understanding anything and was wasting my time and I was never going to be any good at doing computers.
bigparsnip
03-10-2002, 08:09 PM
After reading this thread, I sudenly feel quite young, I only turned 19 a couple of weeks ago. Yet, I would not consider myself a newbie with computers, I have just grown up arround them, we jave a mutual understanding: They do what I want, or they get ripped to pieces (and somethimes put back together). I don't realy ever think of how I would class myself inrelation to other users, I just know what I do, some useful some not. But one thing is certain, I am still learning a huge amount now (especialy inthe computing / electronics side of my degree), and I know that that will never stop whilst I still have an intrest in computers.
As for life experienc, I have probably been through a lot more than some you more wise (older;) ) members might think, but I still know here, that I'm still learning, and will do unitil the day I die. It's all an experience, enjoy it and take from it whatever you want to.
richard_cocks
03-11-2002, 11:46 AM
I am a newbie to sysopt.
Luckily I am a regular at some forums that use VBulletin and I know about forums so I don't double post or whatever.
When it comse to computers I know only from what I have had problems with. Usually I am far too proud to ask for computer help so I poke around my registry or mess with settings until it works.
I pretty much take the same approach when a friend approaches with a computer problems, I'll tell them a load of stuff I think could be causing it, maybe tell them where abouts in settings of things could help to fiddle with then I eagerly await whether their problem was fixed and try to work out what got it fixed so I can remember for next time.
It is extremely rewarding when someone can report that you fixed their problem. I actually found sysopt by searching for a tech support forum, but I dind't have a problem, I wanted to try and lend my experience to help others.
Already I have gained some satisfaction and gained a lot of extra knowledge just reading all the posts that go through the tech support forums each day. Since I don't have any formal training on PCs or whatever, experience whether my own or second hand is important to me.
So thanks guys and I plan to stay around for as long as I can help it, thanks this is really a friendly place. :)
madfish
03-12-2002, 02:58 AM
glohworm:
Nam? Newbie?,, FNG! hehehehe. :)
Madfish
Kurylo
03-17-2002, 04:00 PM
ME IZ NEWBIE !!!
Mr. Sparkle
03-17-2002, 04:35 PM
I've been messing with computers since I was about 5 years old. That's about 17 years of experience, and I still consider myself a newbie.
The day I know everything there is to know, and there is nothing more for me to learn, then maybe I'll think about billing myself as an expert. But that probably won't happen any time soon. :D
dodsimz
03-17-2002, 07:29 PM
Newbie/noob/newb = you are new at something
Bizkitkid2001
03-17-2002, 08:51 PM
I've worked with computers for about 5 years and still consider myself a newbie.
arkie
03-19-2002, 11:59 AM
Originally posted by Bovon
glohworm, age is only revelent in certain areas. Me??..I was born August 27th 1932 in Jacksonville Florida.
I can talk vacuum tubes with you all day.(what??...never heard of vacuum tubes? BTW, Korea, `50 & 51....
Now Bovon, you made me feel at home.:)
I built my first 25 inch color tv, Healthkit, while taking a course using my GI bill. It was all vacuum tube except for a couple transistors in the tuner. We used it for 20 years, still going but just wanted something new.
USAF 52 to 56. Never got away from the USA further than Thule, Greenland.
lowlife_ltd
03-19-2002, 06:19 PM
I have been a "newbie " since i was born and i will be till i die because every one does somethin' they are new at. once you stop, what do you have to live for ?
That is what i think
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