Give me my Computer Space!

[Magic069]

So I wanted to get everyones feedback on this. To see if I am alone or not.

I noticed today that I need my computer space. Meaning, it drives me crazy when someone insists on barging in and taking over my computer when they need something done, or want to show me how to do something. Most of the time when I ask how to do something, all I need to know is how to get there, meaning explain it to me using words. I don't need you walking over to my desk pushing me out of my chair (with me still in it) out of your way and grabing my mouse to show me how to do it. Then go on telling me every step of how you did it, again and again, like I am some type of moron that has never used a computer before, and you are deserving of some knowledge prize.

But then, I find myself thinking about it more. (After a calming Dr. Pepper.)

I often get asked to explain things to my parents on their computer. Tasks that have become second nature to you or I such as attaching pictures in an email, or buying airline tickets on Orbitz. When these questions come up what do I end up doing? With my mother sitting right there, I grab the mouse and do it. Sort-of hypicritical.

So I was wondering, does it bother you as much as it does me? Or is this just a pet-peeve of mine? Are you sort-of a hypicrit too?

 

[Pupik]

It gets to be annoying; most people at my work give me full reign of their computers, since I know quite a bit about what to do without actaully working in the IT department. However, I prefer to actually tell them step by step how to do something: Okay, click this, point to that, scroll down to the arrow, type this...et cetera.

Computers are hands-on; you can't really remember how to do things like that unless you see it for yourself. Otherwise, whomever's asking the favor from you will ask you again and again.

I also hate it when someone insists on grabbing my keyboard so they can check on something that's not work-related (read: surf the 'net). They can use their own login ID for that. But if it's pertaining to work, and they ask nicely, I don't have a problem with it.

 

[BMWteamPTG]

ive got my own comp at school. mostly everyone else has their own too. whatever their excuse would be to use mine instead of theirs is usually not good enough. so it drives me nuts when someone else barges in on my comp and me.

but i guess its hard not to "show" people how to do things sometimes.

 

[Flerbizky]

Which is exactly the reason we have 4 usable computers and 3 servers in a 2 people household...

 

[TheWizard]

All I have to say is: if you ask for help don't criticize the way people employ to help you.

I get asked by a lot of classmates to provide help in a lot of subjects and it drives me crazy when they question my explanation or the way I am showing them how to do stuff.

If you want help from me, don't question how I am helping you. Or don't ask me at all.

And sometimes showing the steps takes three and a half seconds. Explaining it in words takes three hours (A picture is worth a thousand words...).

I think it is more annoying for the person that's helping than for the person that's being helped (AFTER he/she asked for help in the first place).

The Wizard.

 

[GilesGuthrie]

Part of the problem is that it's incredibly frustrating to coach someone how to use a computer, because they never do it right, they're never fast enough. (My pet peeve is people who don't use keyboard shortcuts, especially when they use the mouse, rather than the TAB key to shift between form fields).

Also, when you're being coached, if the coach comes in and does it, (a) you probably won't derive any benefit from the experience, and; (b) it's a huge invasion of personal space.

But then I walked my Dad through something over the phone this morning while I was sitting on the lavatory, so it goes both ways...

 

[Ev0]

Trying to teach my parents how to do anything with any sort of electronic appliance is an exercise in futility. It took my mom years before she could program a VCR on her own; despite the fact she would record a show about once a week on average.

And my dad... lets just say he has a magical ability to make computers crash randomly.

Sadly, most people on my floor in residence aren't too great with computers either. I just had to lend a windows CD to a friend who just started deleting random folders in his windows directory before to free disk space....

And then there's the people who call me to help them run an installer...

In case anyone hasn't realized, I hate teaching people.

 

[Delirious]

I don't really have people pushing me out of my computer space...but when someone is asking me how to do something on their computer...THEY ARE USUALLY WAY TOO SLOW!

It drives me insane...

 

[Kylehnat]

My pet peeve is when someone is looking over my shoulder and says "there's a better/faster/nerdier way to do that". Thanks for sharing, but I don't remember asking you a god damned thing (to quote Samuel L. Jackson). Stuff like keyboard shortcuts. I use several of these frequently, but there is a whole host of them that I don't even know about, nor do I care to. If pointing and clicking really bothered me, I might learn how to close 3 windows, sign on to AIM, open Firefox, and run a virus scan with F8+left shift+ctrl+pg up. But guess what--the 2 seconds that are saved aren't really worth anything to me. Realistically, I would use these 2 seconds to show you how much I really appreciate the tip with a whole-hearted one-finger salute.

And I will behead the next person who says to me: "XP sucks; get Linux."

I DON'T WANT ****ING LINUX!!!

 

[Danny]

If my dad needs the computer to look at smutty emails, he always says "five minutes mate".

He's never just five minutes. Never.

 

[ExigeEvan]

I hate it how my little bro and sis (Okay, they are only 8 and 11 respectively) have to ask me about everything that pops up. Everything from Norton PF popups to some stupid pop-up on wwe.com.

I've even started teaching my 8yr old bro how to ctrl+alt+dlt when IE freezes and I've convinced my sis to use Mozilla.

I don't mind teaching, just not computers in the middle of TopGear/House/Rescue me/Scrapheap Challenge etc.

 

[G.T]

Part of the problem is that it's incredibly frustrating to coach someone how to use a computer, because they never do it right, they're never fast enough.

Exactly.

My Mum is always wanting to use the computer more often now as we have 3 on the internet. She looks at emails and sends them, maybe looking at the occational website, and even doing them can frustrate her sometimes. No matter how much I show her how to stuff, she forgets and still gets confused. When she remembers to do something, she does it so slowly... She is getting better though, and I let her get on with it. I never but in unless she does something very wrong. Better letting her do it so she speeds up herself instead of you taking over and her not getting used to it. Same thing for my brother, but he is certainly more computer brained.

My Dad has always been good to me. He explains things to me first, THEN comes and take over if I totally can't do it. I'll nevet interrupt what my Dad's doing though, it would be suicide. He's got a Father-Son thing on "I hate my son knowing more than me" on a subject he's an expert at.

Another thing that annoys me, my Dad, when he's looking, ALWAYS asks what I'm doing. I'm reading a news article or gone to a website he doesn't recognise, he asks "what are you doing, James?". I reply "just looking at this website". He replys "what about"? It just drives me nuts...

I hate it how my little bro and sis (Okay, they are only 8 and 11 respectively) have to ask me about everything that pops up. Everything from Norton PF popups to some stupid pop-up on wwe.com.

I've even started teaching my 8yr old bro how to ctrl+alt+dlt when IE freezes and I've convinced my sis to use Mozilla.

I don't mind teaching, just not computers in the middle of TopGear/House/Rescue me/Scrapheap Challenge etc.

My brother was like that. Zone Alarm every so often pops-up a message saying "connect so and so to the internet?" It would pop up 4 times a day and ask him every time to "accept" or "decline". In the end I just had to say "for heavens sake, just use common sense!" It seems to have worked.

 

[Jondot]

Nobody ever barges in on me

I'm the only one in the house with any clue about computers. Skype confuses my mum, and my dad doesn't even go near any computers. I've no idea why we have 3...

I do try and teach my mum, but i end up going insane

"But it's ringing, what do i do?" "They've gone all quiet!" "I think the wireless has broken again"

He's got a Father-Son thing on "I hate my son knowing more than me" on a subject he's an expert at.

That's what happens in my ICT lessons with my stupid teacher I'm ignored by a man who is incapable of inserting a table into Word.

 

[ExigeEvan]

nother thing that annoys me, my Dad, when he's looking, ALWAYS asks what I'm doing. I'm reading a news article or gone to a website he doesn't recognise, he asks "what are you doing, James?". I reply "just looking at this website". He replys "what about"? It just drives me nuts...

My Sister's boyfriend frequently asks what I'm doing. It bugs the hell out of me. It's not that I dislike the guy, I just hate being monitored.

 

[boombexus]

Give me my computer space! I need some too!

I guess my situation differs from most everyone that has posted here, but it's still a problem for me.

I have no other users on my home computer, but at work, it's a very different matter.

I work in a kitchen and I'm the Banquet Chef. I'm the #2 guy in the kitchen. Me and my boss, the Executive Chef, share an office and a single computer.
We work the same hours, relatively, however, he spends all of his time in the office on the computer while I spend the overwhelming majority of my time on the kitchen floor.
He monopolizes the computer. He tends to spend his entire day working on the computer and has now taken to sending me emails on pertainant operational matters rather than telling me directly.
This has become a problem.

Reason why this is a problem is that I can't check my email since he is always on the computer.

He'll come to me and say: "Why are you doing it that way? Didn't you get my email?"
All I can say is "No." and look like the idiot.
All I want to say is, "No, I didn't get your email because I don't have time to look at it since you are always on the computer. How the **** am I supposed to read my email when you are on the computer all damn day? You've seen me all day long, why didn't you just tell me directly?"

Of course I can't say this to my boss as I respect him very much. But hopefully you can see my conundrum.

 

[standard235]

Give him 5 across the face. May look like an ass but you might feel better.



Sigh and give thanks to one less ignorant person on Earth.

 

[ExigeEvan]

Why not just ask for another computer in the office? Even if it's just something to check your e-mails with.