REALLY Annoying Misconceptions

[Princess Marzipan]

I work tech support, and I am bombarded with stupidity on a daily basis.

I have reached the breaking point on one particular matter: the word "download." Without quoting or looking at an actual definition, the act of "downloading" is retrieving data from an outside source.

Apparently, everyone and their mother uses the word "download" when they should be saying "install." Each time this happens, I come closer to murder.

Anyone else hear things a lot that make you want to punch the person who said it?

[Marbas]

When people who don't know what they're doing say: "I know a lot about computers".

What I really hate, is when my PC modding friends think they're the computer gurus of our generations. It really is starting to annoy me. Even though their solution to every problem is either: More RAM, Better Video card, or reboot the computer and try again, they still think they have any idea what they're doing when they don't.


For *#$@s sake they don't even know what a shift-register is!

[robinberghuys]

People thinking the Netherlands are

* part of Germany
* part of Scandinavia
* an imaginary country
* where Michael Jackson lives
* a place where everyone is high on pot, xtc and all other drugs; doctors kill babies and where any kind of social structure is absent

Luckily, I haven't met a lot of those people.

Also, people thinking everyone in the US is a crazy, sue-all, fat, ignorant-of-the-world dumbass.

[Jesse]

Ladies thinking that, just because I am a guy, I automatically want to have sex with them.

[Vaniver]

Ladies thinking that, just because I'm gay, it's still ok to hit on me. Repeatedly. After I ask them to stop.

[Phenriz]

Ladies thinking that, just because i hit on them i want to have sex with them.

i mean come on, mirite?


but srsly, People thinking that just because i know how to operate and fix "computers" (by this i mean nearly all hardware and many windows issues) that i(seemingly by magic) know how to use every function of every piece of compatible software in existence. ever

[warhorse]

A friend of my parents asked me to take a look at their computer. It was acting up so they shut it down and didn't want to turn it back on because they "didn't want to burn out the memories."

I have no idea what that means. I don't know why non-technical people try to speak like they know what they're talking about. I'd rather they admit ignorance than make a fool of themselves.

Next time I go to the doctor I'll tell them that I didn't want to take any painkillers because I didn't want to over lyse my synapses.


Along these lines, I hate when people refer to their desktop computer tower as a CPU. It is even worse when it comes from someone with a degree in CS!

[Belial]

Along these lines, I hate when people refer to their desktop computer tower as a CPU.

I do this on occasion, when I don't catch myself. It's how it was taught in the computer classes back in elementary school, so it's burned into some deep, fundamental part of my brain that emerges when I'm not paying attention.

It seems odd to call a non-tower-shaped box a "tower" though. Like the ones that lay flat. What the hell do you call that?

[Jesse]

It seems odd to call a non-tower-shaped box a "tower" though. Like the ones that lay flat. What the hell do you call that?

Conquered?
Poor architecture?
Urban legend?

[Vaniver]

What the hell do you call that?

A case.

[Phenriz]

It seems odd to call a non-tower-shaped box a "tower" though. Like the ones that lay flat. What the hell do you call that?

This is the reason i just refer to all computers as a "box" or "machine".

People tend to confuse box often but i like to say the word, box is a fun word.

[Belial]

A case implies the....well, the case. Not the sum-total of the case and the components inside it.

[Fantastic Idea]

People from high social castes in third-world countries thinking they can treat me like a servant-girl just because I'm little, female, and unmarried.
(Hello, bitches, this is the U.S., and I'm an Administrative Assistant, not a chambermaid. No. I. Will. Not. Change. Your. Sheets.)

[MFHodge]

I was also taught that the "box" is called the CPU. I really don't see a problem with it. The central processing unit contains the processor, RAM, power supply, etc. Works for me.

[Vaniver]

A case implies the....well, the case. Not the sum-total of the case and the components inside it.

But, if the extra specificity is ever required, you'll refer to that component directly (you wouldn't say "the tower" instead of "the motherboard"). Otherwise, case (or Phenriz's suggestions) would convey the information required.

[edit]I mean, a tower is just a variety of case. The components are just inside the tower. The sum total is a "computer."

[Tractor]

but srsly, People thinking that just because i know how to operate and fix "computers" (by this i mean nearly all hardware and many windows issues) that i(seemingly by magic) know how to use every function of every piece of compatible software in existence. ever

F'ing a Cotton, f'ing a.
I dread the question "So work with computers, right?" and its variants.
*headdesk*
I should really start charging people like that. I'll let you decide if I mean $ or with a rhino.

@warhorse - At least when they pretend to know, they say amazingly stupid things and we can all make fun of them behind their backs.

[Twasbrillig]

...high on pot, xtc and all other drugs

People who say 'xtc' rather than ecstasy.

[Marbas]

...high on pot, xtc and all other drugs

People who say 'xtc' rather than ecstasy.

Alright, if you want to get unnecessarily pedantic:
People who say ecstasy instead of MDMA.

[Fantastic Idea]

...high on pot, xtc and all other drugs

People who say 'xtc' rather than ecstasy.

Alright, if you want to get unnecessarily pedantic:
People who say ecstasy instead of MDMA.

People who talk about recreational drugs without offering to share with the class.

>_>

<_<

[Twasbrillig]

...high on pot, xtc and all other drugs

People who say 'xtc' rather than ecstasy.

Alright, if you want to get unnecessarily pedantic:
People who say ecstasy instead of MDMA.

People who talk about recreational drugs without offering to share with the class.

>_>

<_<

People who use obscure emoticons, or excessively use common ones. Also, I hate ppl whu typ lk ds. It's just stupid. Also, "lol" is not a word to be vocalized. Ever.

[edit] Wait, wasn't this supposed to be about misconceptions? Now it's just 'People who annoy us'. I suppose the 'lol' thing is a misconception, though.

[robinberghuys]

...high on pot, xtc and all other drugs

People who say 'xtc' rather than ecstasy.

Um, that's not really a misconception, but I am ever so sorry!

[Twasbrillig]

...high on pot, xtc and all other drugs

People who say 'xtc' rather than ecstasy.

Um, that's not really a misconception, but I am ever so sorry!

It so is!

[Tractor]

[edit] Wait, wasn't this supposed to be about misconceptions? Now it's just 'People who annoy us'. I suppose the 'lol' thing is a misconception, though.

Way to derail the thread Twas.

How about people who think they know what a thread is about, but are actually confused and derailing things?

[Phenriz]

Misconception: Just because i play video games inherently means i must still live at home in my mother's basement. (in reality i moved out 4 years ago when i was 19)

[bigglesworth]

Tractor's avatar has a serious misconception over what is food.

[Tractor]

Tractor's avatar has a serious misconception over what is food.

Dude, skiiers are totally edible. They taste like cat...err...I mean chicken.

[Alcari]

F'ing a Cotton, f'ing a.
I dread the question "So work with computers, right?" and its variants.
*headdesk*
I should really start charging people like that. I'll let you decide if I mean $ or with a rhino.

I did. It works. Of course, can't charge family, and mine is extra digitally-challenged. I love charging less then the people whose job it is to fix them and actaully work faster and better.

Also, the BOX consists of the CASE, holding the drives, powersupply and motherboard, on which is clamped the CPU.

People thinking the Netherlands are

* an imaginary country
* where Michael Jackson lives
* a place where everyone is high on pot, xtc and all other drugs; doctors kill babies and where any kind of social structure is absent

We're not? Uhoh...


Misconception: Nerds have no friends, girl/boyfriend or social life.

[warhorse]

I decide the word used to describe the enclosure depending on the context:

case = the enclosure itself e.g., "my cat sleeps on my case"
box = the software on the computer e.g., "Linux box"
computer = the case and everything in it as a whole e.g., "I'll bring my computer to the LAN party"

[tendays]

What the hell do you call that?

"Computer" ?

(I wouldn't say the peripherals like screens, mice or keyboards are part of the computer, except when they are physically attached, like laptops, some macs and some old amigas (and connected by a cable doesn't count as "physically attached"))

(I could be wrong though)

EDIT: Spelling

[the Cow]

What the hell do you call that?

"Computer" ?

(I wouldn't say the peripherals like screens, mice or keyboards are part of the computer, except when the are physically attached, like laptops, some macs and some old amigas)

(I could be wrong though)

Was there an Amiga with the screen built in?

[OCR]

I think the horizontal PC's were originally called desktops, while the tower looking PC's were called towers/workstations. As the proud desktop died out, we ended up calling towers desktops so we wouldn't feel so bad. Not too sure on that though.

my favorite misconception: WEP makes your wireless network secure! Why do routers even ship with WEP?

[tendays]

What the hell do you call that?

"Computer" ?

(I wouldn't say the peripherals like screens, mice or keyboards are part of the computer, except when the are physically attached, like laptops, some macs and some old amigas)

(I could be wrong though)

Was there an Amiga with the screen built in?

No. I was thinking of the amiga 500 or 1200, where the keyboard was part of the computer.

[Belial]

What the hell do you call that?

"Computer" ?

(I wouldn't say the peripherals like screens, mice or keyboards are part of the computer, except when the are physically attached, like laptops, some macs and some old amigas (and connected by a cable doesn't count as "physically attached"))

(I could be wrong though)

Hmm. I usually use "computer" to refer to the whole shebang, peripherals and all.

[tendays]

Hmm. I usually use "computer" to refer to the whole shebang, peripherals and all.

My reasoning is that when I say "I bought a new computer" (assuming desktop), it doesn't imply that I replaced keyboard, screen, mouse. It does however include (IMO) the case, motherboard, hard disk, optical drives, etc.

Same if I say "my computer has problems/doesn't work".

I admit it's a pretty weak argument, though.

[Bondolon]

I work tech support, and I am bombarded with stupidity on a daily basis.

I have reached the breaking point on one particular matter: the word "download." Without quoting or looking at an actual definition, the act of "downloading" is retrieving data from an outside source.

Apparently, everyone and their mother uses the word "download" when they should be saying "install." Each time this happens, I come closer to murder.

Anyone else hear things a lot that make you want to punch the person who said it?

Like you, I have to give a lot of tech support. Whenever I do, the people I'm talking to don't just use "download" to mean install, they also use it to mean copy over (as a camera "downloads" its pictures to the flash memory), or just to move a file on the computer, as in, "You said I need to download it from one part of the computer to another? How do I do that?" But that's not all. "USB" is any cord coming out of the computer, apparently, and regardless of function. The tower is "the CPU" and a hard-drive is "Memory". "The computer's almost out of memory, I think."

edit: As for the above discussion, I'm pretty sure a vertical box is a tower, and a horizontal box is a desktop. In any case, you could just call the box the "computer" itself, since the monitor, keyboard and mouse are all just peripherals. Necessary peripherals, given, but they aren't "the computer".

edit2: xtc is a pretty common abbreviation for Ecstasy, which is NOT MDMA. MDMA is a pharmaceutical that can be taken for recreation purposes (and often is), but Ecstasy is MDMA mixed with some other drug. If you are taking MDMA alone, and you call it Ecstasy, you are incorrect.

edit3,apparently: Wiki disagrees with my Ecstasy thing, but I think that's because the article is inaccurate. Almost always, when one buys Ecstasy, it's MDMA + (Speed / Heroin / etc...), and not MDMA alone. I remember having long talks in high school about the urban legend of the guy who just took MDMA, and how it sucked and stuff. It's probably inaccurate, but it illustrates my point.

edit4: To feed this behemoth of a post more, http://www.ecstasydata.org/ mostly agrees with me, but there are plenty of pills on there that are just MDMA. I suppose I'm getting too old and too out of the drug scene to be as knowledgeable.

(> " )>

[elminster]

@Bondolon: MDMA is the pure chemical. Ecstasy is generally what people call it in pill form, which is almost always mixed with other things. In the pure powder form, alot more people refer to it other than ecstasy.
No particular rules, although everyone knows ecstasy, so its interchangeable. Although people will almost never call a pill mdma.

On the Tower/computer/box/cpu/etc ive had that problem quite a few times, so i just try refer to it in what ever another person says it is.

Also, its all to common that people think that people who know about computer's know how to fix like everything. That so so untrue though.
Then again ive had a number of people offer me money for fixing their pc, even if it was as a favour. Mainly because many people get terriblely irritated by it, and either dont know what to do, or dont want to spend the cost of their pc fixing it.

[EvanED]

My votes:

computer : depending on context, either just the case+guts or, more commonly, the case + guts + peripherals, at least the base ones like monitor, keyboard, and mouse; maybe speakers depending on context. For instance, if someone said "I'm bringing my computer over for a LAN party", I would expect them to show up with at least the main box, monitor, keyboard, mouse, and maybe speakers.

desktop : again depending on context, either just the horizontal case thing or, more commonly, the whole computer (for either definition of that). However, a "desktop case" is, to me, almost always just the horizontal form factor.

tower : I don't use this much, but either the case+guts or a vertical case.

CPU : the processor. I'd never use that term to refer to the whole shebang.

box : some combination of a computer plus maybe the software. Something like "Linux box" or "Windows box" definitely includes the software.

And copying pictures, say, from a camera to your computer can be called downloading.

[the Cow]

The use of CPU to mean the portion of the computer (including case and guts) that performs math is historic and refers to the period before personal computers, when an entire computer was comprised of many boxes full of guts, but only one did math.

[Rodan]

I've never heard of calling that thing a tower... I've always known it as the computer. Then I have the monitor, the speakers, the mouse, etc.

[Mother Superior]

Annoying misconceptions:

The Da Vinci-code is good.

Family Guy is as good or better than The Simpsons.

Star Trek is the epitome of Science-fiction.

Being cynical is the same as being emo.

Spelling is only important in school. (especially this one. But especially the first one)