Description:
'A sophisticated user of personal computers. A power user is typically someone who has considerable experience with computers and utilizes the most advanced features of applications'.
I was just wondering how many true power users we have here based on the description above (not just with skinning) and how long have you been one if you are. Apparently I've been one for about 15 years now.
Most absolutly, unequivelently yes.
Over 15 years, I go back to the Trash-80's and Commie 64's
+ 5 years expierence on help desk with a Major ISP (not AOL-Hell).
w/ a degree in graphic/multimedia design, and several computer certifications, including A+ and N+.
yes I am, I'm about to finish computer science and been using computers for about 15 years :who's your daddy:
Yes undoubtedly...I'm been using computers as far back as I can remember.....that makes about 19 years now.. 
Originally posted by MageGuru@Jul 21 2003, 08:47 AMMost absolutly, unequivelently yes.
Over 15 years, I go back to the Trash-80's and Commie 64's
+ 5 years expierence on help desk with a Major ISP (not AOL-Hell).
w/ a degree in graphic/multimedia design, and several computer certifications, including A+ and N+.
A+ damn.... I took a look at that test recently and it asked questions about stuff I'd 100% forgotten about.... VESA and ISA *shudders* It's been so long since I've messed with it.
It's interesting to see the user skill demographic in here. I've been dinking with computers for about 20 years now but don't count my first five years as a power user as I was still in the 'getting to know it' stage back then.
I would guess we have a very diverse set of skills going on in here between the lot of us. :smartass:
personally, I think I'm very familiar with all problems that come up, and always know how to fix them. I've fixed/installed hardware on my computers and others' for a small fee. I also help (take advantage? 
) of older people who're not too familiar with computers in setting up home networks, installing hardware/software, and some other stuff.
I picked the third option.
I think Im an intuitive power user.
Ive had no formal training, yet I have done and can do the following without anyone showing me how to do any of it:
Ive set up over 20 business LANs, the largest interconnecting 3 servers with over 50 workstations, it was fairly secure, completely stable.
Ive built over 50 pc's.
I've spent an entire year working for Shell Petrochemical, creating files on a Unix based workstation and transferring and converting these files over to WinNT 4.0 compatible apps. I have no idea how I got that job, but I figured out how to do what they wanted in two days on the job and became pretty good at it.
Windows is my *****.
Without any training I was hired at an offshore oil company 8 years ago to do CAD work. In the past 8 years I've made close to $700,000 in CAD work for offshore oil and telecomm companies. Ive since taught myself to code in deisel and lisp, and Im probably one of the fastest draftsmen in North America.
Ive created about 10 websites, without having a clue as to what I was doing. One site was a business site based SQL...it still works, and the business is still going.
I set computer parts on fire about every 6 months. If that doesnt qualify me as a power user than at least it means Im a pyro, and should be given some room to pretend Im a power user.
:evil:
I guess I would consider myself a power user 
I've been around computers since I was born (1963). My father was one of the first computer programmers at Ford Motor Company. The first computer he worked on had a door!!! You actually walked inside.. and yes..those first computers had bugs...the kind with legs!!! But I've been playing with computers since about 1975.
My partner and I Used to design & manufacture I/O peripherals for the Apple II and II+ back in '77. Then the Taiwanese came out with cheaper stuff and we couldn't compete because we tended to use precision resistors & mylar film capacitors then. I mastered the 6502 machine language... then I got too lazy to switch to 8080 code. <_<
Coded complete payroll and corporate databases in Dbase II for the early IBMs and Apple Z-80 cards and trained people to create and use macros in Wordstar and Lotus 123.
I also used to write user manuals for programs and games during those times.
whats a computer?
It's that useless lump on your desk that looks like a telly but doesn't actually have any decent programming
yes indeed. im a computer engineering major and ive been messing with computers since i was 8.
****ie, hot dayum first one!
In some ways.
Ive been using computers a while (since I was 4), but im a pretty slow learner. That, and im lazy.
Originally posted by Taha@Jul 21 2003, 02:04 PMpersonally, I think I'm very familiar with all problems that come up, and always know how to fix them. I've fixed/installed hardware on my computers and others' for a small fee. I also help (take advantage?
I picked the third option.
With a face like that, why wouldnt the older folks trust you, hell I'd invite you for krumpets :canadian:
I'm a sofware developer, and I've 8 PCs at home from XT to PIII.
Once my girlfriend sad I am a crazy man who collect many sh##s... (like old PCs hm... )
My father is a software developer too like Jef's father, and he worked IN the computer like Jef's father.
:rule:
I know 7 programming language and I use computers from the middle of '80s.
What do you think I'm an expert computer user?
:shy:
crashed my first comp, by accident at age 12.
crashed the first mac i touched,
now tweaking macs, windows and *nixs.
taught myself java, then python, then perl(consequently lost interest in them).
only hardware from now on.
Yep,
Built tons of PC's, MCSA cert., Net + cert., A+ cert. some Unix.
Going for MCSE currently, work for a major international hotel chain (going nowhere with it though, cause I don't play the politics) fix pc's on the side.
Want to learn more about Mac's (cause of this site)
Want to buy a Mac (cause of this site)
Possible get certified as a Mac Trainer (cause of this site)
Experience for 8+ years, yep new compared to some, still getting the experience.
and no, I don't know everything about wide-based-enterprised companies.
I most definetly am a "power user"! Not quite as powerful as some of these other guys here, though, but pretty daymn powerful! I've been playing around with computers ever since my dad gave me his old 286 after he got that awesome 386...that was probably about a decade or so ago now...since then I've taken apart nearly every computer my dad or I have ever owned (which is a considerable number of peecees...), built my last 3 desktops from pieces (I've got a laptop now...), formatted and reformatted my hdds waaay too many times, and installed and uninstalled nearly every version of Windows since 3.11 at least a hundred times each...
I've never taken any classes or the like, never been certified in anything, but dang do I know my way around a Windows desktop PC! The only area where my "power" is lacking is in other OSs, but I'm beginning to learn! I work in a Mac (OS X) cluster at skoo (where I'm studying Computer Engineering, go figger ), and am toying with the idea of running *nix on my laptop... So basically, I've taught myself nearly everything I know about Windows and PCs, I'm (slowly) learning about Mac and *nix, and I've probably broken more computers than I've fixed...if that doesn't make me a power user (esp. that last one!) then I don't know what does!
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