how did you aquire your computing skills ?

[Bethrezen]

hi all

in just kinda curious how all of the more knowlegable people here got started are you all self tort or where you schooled im the arts of computing

see im what some might call a young aspiring meck boy a tinkerer and a putterer and a fixer of broken things like puzzels and i like to tinker and expriment with new things as one of my goles in life is to better my self

i guess the resion i ask is coz computing and online security intrests me as do other things such as the the unknown and the unusual and im just wonderin whats the best way for me to go comtinue to lern as i am now trile by fire lerning from faileur and smegups or to seek schooling ??

comments anyone

[cnm]

I was self-taught with the aid of a good manual. Listen, no offense I hope, but your spelling may have to improve a lot before you can get a job.. :)

[the Tester]

Like cnm I am self-taught.I have learned what I do know now from forums mostly.(I am no expert by any means!)I read posts a lot,particularly about security programs.The links in different posts have been very educational in one way or another.When you are new,I feel that you need two things.1)An interest.Without that you just wouldn't care.2)The most important asset is a good forum frequented by knowledgable people.The experts,programmers,tech people etc.. have probably been down the "same road" earlier in their internet experiences.They have the knowledge that I wish I had!I never took any classes or went to a tech. school or college.I'm just a middle-aged country boy.I'm fascinated by security and programs relating to that topic.Bad net experiences help a little also.They make learning about security and pc-protection a personal mission of sorts.Curiosity and a Google search can add to knowledge also.

[snowy]

Bethrezen

imo the desire to better oneself is to be admired and respected.........considered by me to be the best possible goal anyone could consider..........an anyone who thinks that the job is done...........has failed....an needs to begin again......its a goals that should never be accomplished....but instead takes a lifetime.....plus, very..very much self honesty...self-reflection....and enormous courage to be honest with one's self

Bethrezen.....its all in the state of a person's mind.....if a person thinks he can't....he wont! The word "can't " belongs in the dictionarys of fools.....an by making this post you just said to the world " I CAN""".........an I bet you will!
The world will move aside for the man who knows where he is going. Bethrezen decide where you want to be...then go there. An remember....the man on top of the mountain was not born there....he climbed there....he fell down a few times while going up....but kept climbing..
There is a website: <www.FreeED.> where you may be able to locate courses on many fields........just watch for the "cookies" go for it Bethrzen.......climb that mountain...its now nearly as high as it may appear.

Wishing you the best....

snowman

[FanJ]

{QUOTE-> quoting: cnm link=board=27;threadid=4745;start=0#31050 date=1036802704]
I was self-taught with the aid of a good manual. Listen, no offense I hope, but your spelling may have to improve a lot before you can get a job.. :)
<-QUOTE}

Cnm,

I would suggest to leave comment about someone's spelling out of it.
Looking at myself for example: I know my English is not that good; but would I like it when someone posted "hey friend, you got to improve your English a lot".......?

[UNICRON]

especially since most of us cheat and use IESpell ;)

http://www.iespell.com/

I am self taught regarding basic hardware and Internet stuff, corporate taught with database programming and university taught with everything else (mostly theoretical stuff but useful)

[Bethrezen]

hi all

thanks for ya answers and words of encoregment

as for my spelling yeah i know i have a problem its been somthing iv been strugling with my whole life as i have a mild form of dislexia however i always do my best to make sure that the content of my posts are spelt right and even though i have disadvantage i have turned it in to an advantage by makein it a driving forces to make me work harder and do better to prove my self not only to my self but to any who would question my abilitys

thanks for the link to iespell downloading now

[Scotcov]

Hi Bethrezen,
My friend, your post really did something to me. Some of us take for granted the gifts we have naturally, or in my case a mother who taught English and was always correcting my grammar and spelling.
Thanks for motivating us.

As to your question, I was fortunate enough to have a neighbor who runs an ISP here in Florida. He told me once that there is absolutely no privacy on the internet. So, I turned to Wilders. What little I know comes from my friend and these good people at Wilders.

[MickeyTheMan]

The more you learn, the more you realize how much more there is to know.
Much more important is to find out how and where to find help for answers if you ask me ! ;)

[Mr.Blaze]

;Di learn everything here at wilders lol only thing im missing in my vast arsenal of security if a hardware firewall 8)then it be top notch security for my pc yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh babyyyyyyyyyyyy :D

[Bethrezen]

hi all

Micky thanks for the offer

Unicron thanks for the lind to IE spell it works grate

Scotcov thoughts are kind words thank you

and all every one Else here at wilders keep up the good work and

thank you all for all the help and advice i have received since i became a member here

wilders rules !! :)

[pin]

i am just a young guy at 23.

i got a lot of help from a puter-fixer who also ran a bbs. he taught me a few things.

but when the big canadian bbs CRS was bought out by an internet company, i first got onto the WWW (much different from fidonet! hehe), and so i had to relearn everything by myself. i was on a small local isp that pretty much gave you access and nothing else.

i still remember using netscape navigator to read my email and scan newsgroups..

that was a long time ago it seems, and i've learned a lot (my learning curve is exponential), but i realize just how much there is to know!

forums have helped a lot lately, but most of my earlier experience came from friends. these days i check out security forums, and i'm trying to overcome the following hurdles:

making winXP do what i want.
protecting my personal information.
learning how to use linux!

=)

[root]

{QUOTE-> how did you aquire your computing skills ? <-QUOTE}

He he, I didn't. ;D

[FanJ]

Hi all,

First of all: we like to keep this a friendly place where everyone can post no matter what someone's skills are!
As I wrote: look at my English... ???

Well, where did I learn something about computers?
I started in the time when there were hardly any PC's.
You had to make punch cards for your Algol-program, trying to keep all those cards in the right order (don't let them fall on the floor.....), give them to someone else who got them read into that huge computer, and then you had to wait (and drink some cups of coffee) until you could find that huge list of paper in which you had to try to find out what went wrong......
Much later I got some education in system-analysis (mostly aimed at Cobol and databases on mainframes).
With respect to PC's: I think I learned my first lessons about PC-security from Steve Gibson (his site and forums at GRC); I guess I'm not the only one who learned these first lessons from Steve Gibson.....

[Pretender]

I've learned quite a lot by using the help options on programs, search engines, and forums and the more I learn the more I know how little that I really know. Being very inquisitve has helped me gain knowledge and not getting discouraged by those that think they know everything there is to know. I insist on being persistent in finding answers or solutions to the simple questions which sometimes turn out to be the most complex and, in turn, attempting to look at the most complex questions with the simplest (sp) of answers. bob

[Krusty]

{QUOTE-> quoting: MickeyTheMan link=board=27;threadid=4745;start=0#31229 date=1036863678]
The more you learn, the more you realize how much more there is to know.
Much more important is to find out how and where to find help for answers if you ask me ! ;)
<-QUOTE}

I agree with Mickey, well spoken man. I guess all of us are here learning more, those who knows more than others keep on learning more by solving peoples problems, am I right or am I right ?. I am doing the same anytime. Steve Gibson was the first teacher after I was hacked and cracked bad. Then I joined this gr8 community. Everyone of us is good at something; if not at computing then at something else. Internet security seems to be on our own shoulders. As far I know internet security is not inclueded in school systems.(should be ) I have got 2 courses for ms office and three different kind of computer driving license ( oh man what kind of merits :( still unemployed) but I need to know how to protect my privacy.

Ari

[pin]

yeah i didn't learn much at school, except basic word processing and typing, and some programming.

some basic courses on how to stay safe online would really go a long way i think. there shouldn't be any excuse these days for not having a highschool course like that.

hopefully in a few years this will be common practice in schools with average funds.

[Krusty]

I hope it too Pin, ´till that happens we keep on spreading this knowledge which appears to be an art ;)

[bubs]

1. Self taught so far - it started with having to teach myself to configure NT4 server for work with the aid of a book (wow that hurt!!!!!)
2. Picked a few good books off Amazon - the ones that are better written are easy to read, the badly written ones are horrible! (Can be a very expensive habit...............)
3. Always print off software manuals and learn them. (Buy ink cartridges and paper in bulk)
4. Hang around 'remainder' book stores - I picked up £200 of titles for £60 a few days ago, and have as a result discovered I might be able to coach myself thru MCSE(aaargh! :o) Be choosy - you can find some titles which are 'red hot' and incredible bargains, whilst some are completely obsolete.
5. There are other BBs - DSL Reports has a good M$ help forum, and a good networking forum. Its probably got all sorts of other good forums too, but I don't know them yet! Woody's Lounge (http://www.wopr.com/cgi-bin/w3t/wwwthreads.pl) is primarily focussed on M$ apps for biz use, but is worth a look (but not if you want good security tips LOL)

Hope that helps..........................


NO - I DO NO'T CLAIM TO BE ONE OF THE 'MORE KNOWLEDGEABLE!!!!!!!!' - I just cannot resist blabbing...

[Bethrezen]

hi all

well after reading all these posts it seams that most of what is known is self tough by reading and asking lots of question and tinkering

as i though :)

some interesting posts in response to this threed thanks guys and gals

[snowy]

Credit Where Credit Is Due


since the question in this post was first asked I have pondered it..............being very quick to say that I have next to no computer skills..nevertheless, for what I do know there were a few very special people along the way who came to my help and aid during the most trying times....
I often joke that I don't know how to turn my computer off....well, was not so long ago when I did not know how to turn a computer on..or off......to the following I give great thoughts of appreciation.

Paul.....Mr Wilders
Spy 1
Mickey The Man
Robert Kox

many others are well deserving of credit also...so very many....all greatly respected and just as greatly appreciated...

to all.....I extend my sincerest thank you....an I hope that in turn I have shown a desire to return what each person extended to me....that willingness to help all.


snowman

[nadirah]

I learned nearly almost evreything on my own. In my free time, i do my own private research on computers. i have been using computers for 6-7 years already so i am very familiar with everything including the hardware.

[AKA:snowman]

NADIRAH

An you are to complimented for your desire to improve your skills by self teaching yourself. You communicate very well. An some day you will be a very important person at whatever vocation you chose in life.

Good Wishes

aka:snowman

[Cochise]

I came into the 21st Century and bought a computer 2 years ago at the age of 68.....it was a goood idea at the time in my desperation to put the blizzard of bits of paper and notes that I had accumulated in the effort to cobble the whole of my family History together.....believe me Bethrezen, I didn't know a computer from a bicycle pump.....but now, with listening and learning and books from the Library I'am just beginning to be able to 'pump up a tyre'.....so my advice is to grab every bit of advice and knowledge from anyone you can lay your little sticky fingers on....bleed 'em white mate.

My only problem at the moment, and I bet I'm not alone, is remembering to-morrow what I learned to-day. ;D ;D

So go get 'em mate.

Cochise, 8)

PS. Oh! and being a Senior member doesn't mean I know a lot, it just means I've been here a long time. :-* And you'll have to go a long way before you find better knowhow and advice that's given with such a good heart on Wilders. HURRAH! The Team.

[dog]

{QUOTE->
My only problem at the moment, and I bet I'm not alone, is remembering to-morrow what I learned to-day. ;D ;D

So go get 'em mate.

Cochise, 8)

<-QUOTE}

LOL ... your not alone Cochise ... I have the exact same problem ;D ... sadly I'm no where near 68 ... I see so definite trouble up the road for me ;D

ps. remember the spam comment re: M$ CD, the last laughs on ME ... I'm getting that M$ Spam ... since that post I've already received 6 ... ROTF ;D ... That'll teach me.

As for computer skills ... I've got none ... what has gotten me this far is self taugh ... Glad to be getting a free education at Wilders' though ;)

dog - *puppy*

[Pieter_Arntz]

I made them up myself. ;D

Pieter

[dog]

{QUOTE-> I made them up myself. ;D

Pieter <-QUOTE}

You must have Pieter ... You are an Expert's Expert ...(that's my opinion anyway ... baised on what I've seen) ... your vast Knowledge is scary ;) ... if you said you'd invented PC's, I wouldn't even bat an eye. :) (Joking aside)

I wish you could donate me 1/10 of 1 % of what you know ... then I'd know something! ;D

dog - *puppy*

[Pieter_Arntz]

Hi dog,

As Mickey said before in this thread: all you really learn is how much there is left to explore.
Which is a good thing, because surprise will be lurking when you think you know it all. :lurking:

[Cochise]

{QUOTE-> LOL ... your not alone Cochise ... I have the exact same problem ;D ... sadly I'm no where near 68 ... I see so definite trouble up the road for me ;D

ps. remember the spam comment re: M$ CD, the last laughs on ME ... I'm getting that M$ Spam ... since that post I've already received 6 ... ROTF ;D ... That'll teach me.

As for computer skills ... I've got none ... what has gotten me this far is self taugh ... Glad to be getting a free education at Wilders' though ;)

dog - *puppy* <-QUOTE}

You ARE SO Right there dog.....I just realised what you said..... "Come to WILDERS for a free education"....that says it all.....God, I wish I'd said that...your right on the button dog my man....have a Cookie..... ;D

Cochise, 8)
PS. Soooo looking forward to those mails from M$......NOT!

[Peaches4U]

I learned "on a need to know basis" and still needing to know. However, my skills jumped tenfold when I found Wilders and a group of awfully nice people willing to take the time and effort to give me help when requested.

[nadirah]

You learn all the way from the very basic skill to the ULTIMATE skill. And things do get a bit difficult at times.

[bigc73542]

Took computer classes in college after that did a lot of tinkering with my friends computers. After not getting shot working on friends computers I took a two year course in computer repair. Have had my own shop now for eight and a half years. And there are still many years of learning to do. ;)

[nadirah]

wow bigc, i think u must be making BIG bucks since u have a shop!What u sell in your shop?

[Dazed_and_Confused]

I don't think I have any!

[bigc73542]

{QUOTE-> wow bigc, i think u must be making BIG bucks since u have a shop!What u sell in your shop? <-QUOTE}
I don't sell any preconfigured computers at all, I build custom comps on request. But my specialty is repairing sick and broken computers.

[nadirah]

bigc is like some sort of computer doctor. :D

[bigc73542]

{QUOTE-> bigc is like some sort of computer doctor. :D <-QUOTE}
I have actually been retired for quite a few years but I keep my shop for something to do and to keep from going stir crazy. And I meet a lot of real nice people just like here at wilders.

[SnowGuy]

Doctor BigC.....very impressive.....take two "chips" drink alot of "bytes" and shut-down for the night.........hey DOC......that about right LOL



****************


D&C

WHATS THIS!! I always enjoy your posts.....you under estimate your knowledge of pc's...........

[bigc73542]

{QUOTE-> Doctor BigC.....very impressive.....take two "chips" drink alot of "bytes" and shut-down for the night.........hey DOC......that about right LOL



****************


D&C

WHATS THIS!! I always enjoy your posts.....you under estimate your knowledge of pc's........... <-QUOTE}
take 500 MHZ of ram reboot and call me in the morning ;)

[Q Section]

Well it all started with this -

[Q Section]

The above is punch tape and then we moved to this - punch cards!

[SnowGuy]

LOL......ouch, says the computer...ouch LOL

[SnowGuy]

Q

as a kid we use to take those punch cards and roll them....put lights inside...staple......an hang on outdoor trees at Christmas.........its a wonder a fire didn't ignite....but none ever did.........

[bigc73542]

{QUOTE-> The above is punch tape and then we moved to this - punch cards! <-QUOTE}
I reconized the punch tape I just didn't want to admit I had been around that long. ;D

[SnowGuy]

Folks...my apology....I was OT on a couple of posts...sorry

[bigc73542]

{QUOTE-> Folks...my apology....I was OT on a couple of posts...sorry <-QUOTE}
I sure don't see any problem ;)

[nadirah]

Sick computer : Hey, doctor bigc, help me, i'm sick.

Doctor bigc: How are u feelin'?
Sick computer: I keep on rebootin non-stop. think i got the sasser virus.
Doctor bigc: Well, here is your medicine, its Norton Antivirus 2004!
Sick computer: Thx doctor bigC.

[Cochise]

{QUOTE-> Sick computer : Hey, doctor bigc, help me, i'm sick.

Doctor bigc: How are u feelin'?
Sick computer: I keep on rebootin non-stop. think i got the sasser virus.
Doctor bigc: Well, here is your medicine, its Norton Antivirus 2004!
Sick computer: Thx doctor bigC. <-QUOTE}

'NORTON'??? :o .......I would get a second opinion if I was you... ;D ;D

Cochise, 8) (Medicine Man) :-*

[dangitall]

The bulk of my computer skills came as the prize in a box of CrackerJacks!

On a more serious note, I started learning how to fix PC problems when I realized that I couldn't afford to be paying techs to fix all of my assorted ham-handed screwups. A couple of courses later, plus much personal experience, and my friends (yes, I do have a [very] few!) come to me with their problems. Am I a pro? No, I do these repairs and fixes for free; one of these years, however, when I can no longer do the more physical sort of work I enjoy, maybe I'll open up a shop of my own. Maybe.

[slammer_JvA]

It was, is, and guess it probably always will be a work in progress...

My first aquaintance was with a Tandy desktop puter (082 ? ? lol), learning the 'language' "BASIC" (early 80's...)
From there I learned some DOS; took courses in early officeprograms (Wordperfect a.o.);got a Database degree; before being 'launched' into the m$ environment (...)

In general I have to say that most 'skills' (especially with using windows...>:() were aquired by TRIAL & lots and lots of ERROR...

Besides that, I always keep my eyes open for new things to learn from anybody (especially people who are considered experts) and I tend to do that with an attitude of "the only dumb question is a question never asked".
Especially in computing, one person is never able to know everything about everything, so we all can benefit from each others skills and knowledge. Ask - ask - ask!
This is why I find this forum so attractive.

Regards,
Slammer