The Most Basic Of Skills

This one made me literally walk away from my computer. Seriously, I was so dumbfounded that I had no words. Where do I begin?

So the other day I was asked to use a program that I maintain to create some sample files for a client using their data so they can have an idea of what sort of data gets returned. Simple enough request. Get it all the time. This little program returns regular old text files named in a variety of ways, but they can all be opened in notepad, which is the most basic text file reader known to man since DOS's "edit" command.

They didn't tell me where to send the files, so I got them all made up and send them to the people in charge of this client's account, and asked if they wanted to send the files or should I and to whom. Where I lost all my words was the response I got back. It read (word for word): "I am unable to open the files. Can you send them to (so-n-so) directly?"

This person cannot open a basic text file. Every program on the planet can see the contents of this file. You can use any word processor on any platform. You could put that file into Unix and still open it. You can open that file and read it in nearly every program that can open a file without any issues at all (well, not Paint, but why would you even try?). The file type is so basic, most email programs won't even block it, and this person can't open it.

We live in a computer age where opening programs is a part of daily life. I could send this file to my phone and still open it to see its contents. Heck, I could probably text it, and still be able to crack it open. How is it possible this person could not open the files?

I would say it takes all kinds, and I'm sorry, but this is the type of person who would get better reception from a potato than a satellite dish.

Ugh.