Once—just once—I'd like a for a computer upgrade (especially in Windows) to actually make things better. Failing that, at least not to lose abilities the older system had.
Years ago, I had a computer lab (yes they were all Apples) in which I could press a two-key combination and every computer in the room would see what was on my monitor. Then they upgraded. The student computers were no longer subordinate to mine; now the students had to opt into the system and they could take control of any computer in the room. Total chaos.
Then there was the Microsoft Word upgrade that hid almost every common function and made every user into a beginner again. Apparently all of the old abilities are still there, but some of us have never found them.
Fast forward to this semester. Windows 7. Old friends ("My Computer") are now tucked away in obscure sub-menus and the system has lost the ability to open PDF files.
Worst of all are the stealth improvements: things that changed and don't give a signal to their reduced abilities. I use a "Learning Management" package at Akron. Always in the past, I could set up a course, then copy the course to other sections. Not now. It looks great and about 80% works. But it can't deal with uploaded files. They simply don't move.
And in every change, I end up looking stupid. Students all assume that I'm a software engineer and have kept up with the up-to-the-second changes and glitches that are imposed upon me every month.
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