Colloquial Computer Terms That Annoy

[Afasoas]

There are some computer terms that's really annoy me when they are misused. One good example has to be screen.

What does screen really mean? Oh there's a fault with it? Is it plugged in? Turned on? Oh, you didn't mean the monitor, you meant the desktop/window/dialog box?

 

There must be some others out there...

[David Martin]

screen? that is so interactive stuff can run when I am not connected.

ctrl-A D

[rusky]

Coming from a technical background, there are loads!

"Doesn't boot" - In what way, there's no POST or Windows doesn't load?

[arry_b]

"My disk is full so I need to buy some bigger memory".

[Wobbly John]

I'm afraid me & WJ junior take responsibility for calling PCMCIA cards, "Pick & Mix" cards. 

[arry_b]

"DVD Disks"
"DAT tapes"
"DIMM memory modules"

[Pickled Onion]

screen  (skrn)
n.
7.
a. Electronics The phosphorescent surface on which an image is displayed, as on a television, computer monitor, or radar receiver.
b. Computer Science The information or image displayed at a given time on such a computer monitor.

[David Martin]

screen  (skrn)
n.
7.
a. Electronics The phosphorescent surface on which an image is displayed, as on a television, computer monitor, or radar receiver.
b. Computer Science The information or image displayed at a given time on such a computer monitor.

man screen

[Pickled Onion]

"ping" when used like "can you ping me the output..."

"floppies" - the 90mm variety that were anything but, more appropriately called "stiffies"

But the best one I once had from an IT bod: "Can you take a dump and send it over" 

[Jaded]

I can't find my google.

[David Martin]

The internet is broken.

[Polar Bear]

"?..

But the best one I once had from an IT bod: "Can you take a dump and send it over" 

Fond memories of analysing a dump at three in the morning.   

[Hello, I am Bruce]

I inboxed you.

[MattH]

I'm afraid me & WJ junior take responsibility for calling PCMCIA cards, "Pick & Mix" cards. 

Ah, you mean Personal Computer Manufacturers Can't Invent Acronyms, or Pretty Complicated May Cause Intense Anxiety? (I remember spending many happy hours building a PCMCIA interface using Xilinx FPGAs to allow a portable thermal imager to use flash memory cards).

Anyway, one that gets me is when people say "Hard Drive" when referring to the system case.

Or saying "screensaver" when they mean wallpaper.

[dasmoth]

People Can't Memorize Computer Industry Acronyms

[Wombat]

I'm afraid me & WJ junior take responsibility for calling PCMCIA cards, "Pick & Mix" cards. 

Anyway, one that gets me is when people say "Hard Drive" when referring to the system case.

Yes, that, in spades.  Those same people seem to think the monitor is "the computer" and the enormous box of tricks is the "Hard drive"  They then go on to say their Microsoft isn't working...

[Kim]

"floppies" - the 90mm variety that were anything but

Yes they were.  They just came in a hard case.


How about "USB" to refer to a USB flash drive, and "Bluetooth" to refer to a bluetooth headset?  Those bug me immensely.

[Feanor]

The internet is broken.

It might have got left in the pub, and it's battery has run down.   It's surprisingly small.

[Ham]

"floppies" - the 90mm variety that were anything but

Yes they were.  They just came in a hard case.

...there was an ill fated movement to try to call them crunchies, though....

I'm afraid me & WJ junior take responsibility for calling PCMCIA cards, "Pick & Mix" cards. 

Anyway, one that gets me is when people say "Hard Drive" when referring to the system case.

Yes, that, in spades.  Those same people seem to think the monitor is "the computer" and the enormous box of tricks is the "Hard drive"  They then go on to say their Microsoft isn't working...

From the confession stack: back in the early 80's I was at an architect's practice and we were early adopters of IT - z80 PC/M first then twin floppy IBM DOS, then in '83... the PC XT. As ever, everything had to be run from the C> prompt. The secretaries were very decorative sloane ranger types. It was a source of silly amusement to me when I named the disks "hardon" (well, they were hard drives) and trained the girls to tell me they had trouble with a hardon.

[rusky]

The internet is broken.

Ask them if they typed "google" into Google. That breaks the internet!

[Kim]

The internet is broken.

Problem with things like that is they start to get used ironically by those in the know.  This is amusing, but I'm sure it perpetuates the sloppiness.

[vorsprung]

The internet is broken.

Problem with things like that is they start to get used ironically by those in the know.  This is amusing, but I'm sure it perpetuates the sloppiness.

The Internet can be broken in a meaningful sense.  For example, if the UK backbone system gets it's knickers in a twist then the UK Internet is broken.

IT people are famously pedantic and many words and phrases are ridiculous overloaded with multiple meanings depending on the context like the example "screen" above

So if non IT people get it wrong sometimes it is not at all surprising and only bothers pedants.  That is to say, the IT people.

[Jurek]

From my sis:
"The Internet, it's massive, you know".

[Jaded]

They then go on to say their Microsoft isn't working...

In my experience they are usually right when they say this.

[fuzzy]

Help Desk.....