Guess who is now a computor/smart phone genius?

Congrats! Ever since watching my grandmother place tape across all but two of the buttons on her TV remote, I've wondered what it's like for - if you'll forgive me - older people to come to grips with new technology. And I'm really curious about what banal things I'll suck at in the future :)

That's great to hear!  Mayy years ago, before home computers existed,  I met an old woman who was oddly proud of the fact that she still used a wringer washing machine and had never spoken on a telephone. I am reminded of her when people I know draw a line regarding new technology and will only go so far. There are things I haven't fully embraced,  but I haven't ruled anything out.

Thought I would add 2 more of my resent accomplishments. I learned how to check my land line phone messages and it was so easy to do that I might try doing it on my new smart phone next time. I also learned how to deal with a tec support company that is likely based in India. It was a little bit frustrating and time consuming but it all worked out. And now I have a new friend/Tec guy in India. Cheers! This post was edited by Nanoose at November 24, 2022 10:44 AM MST

It certainly isn't me! I've battled with confusers, coming to a sort of uneasy truce, since I was first introduced to them, at work, still in the era of Mickeysoft DOS! (About 1990). The PC I am using here runs on MS WIN-10.

I had a so-called "smart"-'phone a few years ago; found it heavy, bulky, waxed-jacket-pocket sized, almost impossible to use even for what should be its basic function - speech telephony. No instructions available. I sold it and bought a very basic, shirt-pocket sized instrument, 3G-rated whatever that means, not on the Internet but whose primary function is - and I know this is incredible but 'tis true - speech telephony, and text its second. Though a physically awkward second. It has one or two auxiliaries like a low-quality camera and a more useful alarm-clock.

It is by the way, a myth about ability with such things being related to age, assuming one still has all one's marbles. I am 70 but there are many people older than me, far more skilled with these things.

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Why do I want a telephone? Talking to people - mainly on my land-line 'phone. I use as few and as brief text messages as possible. 

Why do I want a computer? (Apart from chatting on here.) Spreadsheets, documents, reading web-sites of use to me, e-posts to and from friends.

I once also created a special, properly-ordered index for a CAD programme's nigh-on useless, on-line, alleged-manual, a pdf document; by doing something normally impossible with that file type (without special software available only on costly rental). I was able to copy its shambolic Contents pages to a 'Word' document for editing to make via 'Excel', a printable' version in proper alphabetical order. Purpose? So when I wanted to find what sparse information just might exist in the on-line Document Of A Thousand Pages, I could find topic's page-number easily and rapidly from my printed index.  

I was taught basic 'Access' database-building at work but its forecast need did not materialise. I tried pursuing it on my own for one or two potential hobby applications, but had to give up. I thought MS has now scrapped 'Access' but a quick look on-line shows no, it is still published.
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Oh, and CAD. (Computer Aided Draughting.)

I am not sure why "aided" unless you really are a top-flight expert with it! If not its middle initial ought be O, for 'Obstructed'.

For it places an extra skill barrier between conceiving and making the item, many times harder than that of manual drawing. I have learnt to use TurboCAD to a basic level, in orthographic mode only, but enough for my purposes - its isometric (3D) mode is impossible. I tried a free "Community Edition" of SolidEdge (which assumes always drawing 3D "models" first) but soon stalled and have not returned to it for at least a couple of months now.

If a programme is very hard to learn I take a break and try again maybe weeks later; but the breaks seem to become longer and eventually I meet my natural learning limit for it anyway.

Some researchers aver there is no theoretical limit to learning any given subject, but whilst I accept they are talking from very high professional levels of neurological and psychological research, I find that hard to believe. I think it is not necessarily our age in years that dictates our ability to use an over-complicated telephone or very advanced programme, but our talent for learning it anyway.

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For "smart"-'phones, even lower.... I hate to think how people like me might manage if commerce and state institutions force us all to choose between using these absurdly difficult instruments their way, or disenfranchisement and abandonment.

I'm glad I didn't first try using computers in the early 90's. I started in 2000 and by then computers were more simpler to use. Cheers!

Just re-read the OP.

You have or had a land-line, so did you not use the Internet by computer and broadband account?

(I'm writing this on a PC connected to the same line as my telephone. My portable 'phone is not really suitable for Internet use, although that is theoretically possible.)