Is there a word for someone who is a regular computer user but not an expert?
Solution 1:
You could call her a casual computer user.
Casual
(1) : feeling or showing little concern : nonchalant (a casual approach to cooking)
(2) : lacking a high degree of interest or devotion (casual sports fans, casual readers)
(3) : done without serious intent or commitment (casual sex)
(Merriam-Webster)
Someone who's casual about something does it but is not really passionate about it. In contrast, a computer nerd or geek uses computers and is passionate about them as well.
Solution 2:
computer-literate
adjective
(Of a person) having sufficient knowledge and skill to be able to use computers; familiar with the operation of computers.
ODO
There's also
computer-savvy
The March 2008 edition of the Oxford English Dictionary added computer-savvy as a subordinate entry under computer so it is recognized; @ermanen graciously provided the definition which I didn't have access to:
Computer-savvy
having a thorough practical knowledge of computers
[OED]
The adjective definition
savvy
adjective
: having or showing perception, comprehension, or shrewdness especially in practical matters
Examples of SAVVY
She's a very savvy investor. He is savvy about computers.
Merriam Webster
Solution 3:
I'd use "power user" -- it implies that a user is skilled but not enough that they would be considered a "super user" or system administrator
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_user
Solution 4:
I've always thought the word user itself, without further qualification, expresses the concept "uses the computer regularly and is adept at doing what she has to do or wants to do on the computer, but has no interest whatsoever in its hardware or software innards, nor in allowing it to take over her life".
In the same way the user of a mowing machine is perhaps adept in doing what they have to do, with no interest in its innards.
One could perhaps say end user, to rub it in.
Solution 5:
Aggregating a couple of the answers, I think there is a spectrum here and the right phrase depends a bit on the exact skill level and perhaps even the context you use it in:
- Computer literate implies someone who is competent in basic usage scenarios (doesn't require handholding usually), but is not necessarily an expert user. This person probably understands little if anything that it happening under the covers. Contrast it with the widely used computer illiterate
- Computer savvy implies someone who is competent in both basic usage and a wide-range of advanced usage scenarios. Again, this person's proficiency is not about understanding what the computer is doing but rather in understanding how to make it do what they want.
- Power user to me implies one or two paths of expertise. This could be someone who is not just good, but is expert at molding software to their will. This could also be someone who understands enough about what's happening underneath (kernel level, services level, or even hardware level) that they are not the logical conclusion of the user but rather someone who has enough knowledge to generalize to new situations well.
I think this is a highly subjective area though, and this is just what these terms mean to me with both a technical support and software development background.