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Only 39% Curse At Their Computers?

netbuzz writes "That's what we are to believe based upon a survey of 14,284 individuals conducted by security vendor Avira. That survey found that 39 percent of respondents 'cursed or yelled at the computer out loud.' And no computer is needed to calculate the implication: 61% of those participating in the poll believe themselves to have never once uttered a profanity or raised their voice in the direction of a malfunctioning machine. Are the majority of us genuinely possessed of such remarkable self-control? Or might some of these self-reported stoics be exercising a bit of selective memory?"

33 of 286 comments (clear)

  1. Alternate Theory by causality · · Score: 2

    61% of those participating in the poll believe themselves to have never once uttered a profanity or raised their voice in the direction of a malfunctioning machine. Are the majority of us genuinely possessed of such remarkable self-control? Or might some of these self-reported stoics be exercising a bit of selective memory?

    I have an alternate theory: maybe they're just a bunch of liars, answering with "what they think would sound better" instead of answering with the truth since the issue itself is unimportant. Little white lies, if you will.

    --
    It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education. - Einstein
    1. Re:Alternate Theory by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Or maybe some people know the computer wont be fixed by yelling at it. A kick is usually more effective.

    2. Re:Alternate Theory by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      I have an alternate theory: maybe they're just a bunch of liars, answering with "what they think would sound better" instead of answering with the truth since the issue itself is unimportant. Little white lies, if you will.

      I fucking agree. Although some of us never swear at the fucking computer and are telling the truth, goddammit. Some of this shit that does happen to this box is caused by some asshole who's coding like some dipshit.

      But, I have a lot of fucking control and never swear - well, the occasional "damn!" *looks around* Good! No one heard me!

    3. Re:Alternate Theory by nzac · · Score: 2

      I have an alternate theory: maybe they're just a bunch of liars, answering with "what they think would sound better" instead of answering with the truth since the issue itself is unimportant. Little white lies, if you will.

      Half of all research that gets an article published in the news (my local news anyway) has the same problem but its valid science for consumers. Slashdot polls are probably just as accurate as research like this.

    4. Re:Alternate Theory by Suki+I · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Or maybe some people know the computer wont be fixed by yelling at it. A kick is usually more effective.

      I never compute within reach of a loaded shotgun just for that reason.

  2. Only 39% curse at their computers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    The rest administer severe spankings.

    1. Re:Only 39% curse at their computers by ObsessiveMathsFreak · · Score: 4, Insightful

      No, they cower in paralytic fear when something goes wrong, or else call for help. The idea of the computer somehow defying or frustrating them is an alien a concept to someone who regards the machine as some kind of supreme authority on the task at hand.

      --
      May the Maths Be with you!
  3. "PC Load Letter?" by FyRE666 · · Score: 4, Funny

    What the fuck does that mean?

  4. 1st post by rwise2112 · · Score: 3, Funny

    I would have had 1st post, but f*#$%$%^^ing computer stopped me

    --

    "For every expert, there is an equal and opposite expert"
  5. That depends by anom · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I don't really curse at my computer per se, but I certainly curse those responsible for building/developing crappy hardware/software. I have probably never said "Dang you computer", but as for "Dang you Microsoft!", well...

    1. Re:That depends by digitalhermit · · Score: 2

      The most recent curses I uttered were at Microsoft for disabling the ability to change the background in Windows 7 Starter. It's just f*ing ludicrous that they took away that option.

    2. Re:That depends by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I don't really curse at my computer per se, but I certainly curse those responsible for building/developing crappy hardware/software. I have probably never said "Dang you computer", but as for "Dang you Microsoft!", well...

      That's funny. Every time I try to get Linux to work on my hardware, something doesn't work right. So I always find myself cursing the freetards responsible for that mess. Then all is better when I put windows back on there. Just the act of formatting with NTFS makes me feel better at that point.

      Then a couple of years later, one of you lusers convinces me that all the problems with Linux are fixed. Then the entire process repeats. The community goes out of its way to convince the new luser that it is his/her fault rather than the fault of Linux or its developers.

      All you have to do is make a simple edit to your xorg config for your model of video card. There is a howto article right here at the top of Google. Here, I've even put a helpful link to the page (sort of). I actually took the time to setup a lmfgtfy link and linked to it instead. Oh that discrepancy in the howto guide? Well that part doesn't apply to your model of video card. Here's another lmfgtfy link. Sound not working right? Volume not increasing logarithmically? Well, blame your hardware vendor.

  6. Self-Control by whois_drek · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Are the majority of us genuinely possessed of such remarkable self-control? Or might some of these self-reported stoics be exercising a bit of selective memory?

    Just because the submitter has a temper and a foul mouth doesn't mean everyone does...

    1. Re:Self-Control by hedwards · · Score: 3, Interesting

      As Mark Twain pointed out in his autobiography, everybody swears, it's just a matter of whether they use the conventional curse words or not. An old lady saying "oh dear" in a particular way is definitely swearing, it's just covered up with a different choice of words.

  7. and this is news for us at /. ...really? by hesaigo999ca · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Could we have better more compelling stories being posted please, other then my dog ate my homework, so I had to find a story quick to meet my boss's column deadline.

  8. Proud to be ... by Factionguru · · Score: 2

    .....a fucking Statistic!

  9. Yes, but by elrous0 · · Score: 2

    How many hate it in our hearts?

    --
    SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
  10. Re:Linux by DrgnDancer · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I curse at Linux. All. The. Time. Just becasue it is a somewhat more stable and secure OS does make it completely stable and happy. Nor does it prevent hardware problems from manifesting in ways that make you convinced something is screwed up the OS (until you dig deeper). For that matter it doesn't prevent me from making typos or misremembering commands or options that cause the computer to something other than what I intended. Indeed, thanks to the fact that I work far more in Linux than Windows, I probably curse it far more as well.

    --
    I don't need a million points of light, just two points of multi-mode fiber and a 10 Gig-E router.
  11. I've changed over the years myself by Rosco+P.+Coltrane · · Score: 4, Interesting

    When I was younger, I used to swear and curse and destroy keyboards when I faced something frustrating. Not so much when I coded, because if something goes wrong with your code, more often than not it's your fault and you can correct it. No, the real frustration comes when trying to work with Windows, or some other piece of software with idiosyncrasies that drive you up the wall.

    Nowaways, I don't swear or bang keyboards anymore. Instead, I just sit in front of the screen, and I let this feeling that I'm probably gonna be there, wasting my life away for hours once more, sink in my stomach.

    I mean, reinstalling Windows or restoring your backups because the stupid hard drive crashed, or configuring a stubborn driver, or trying to share a stupid printer from Win 7 to XP, ... it's just like an itch you can't scratch isn't it? You just gotta do it and you know it's gonna take fucking longer than it should. What's the point of becoming angry on top of that hey...

    In short, now that I'm older, the anger has turned into quiet desperation.

    --
    "A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
  12. Re:Not at the computer by gstoddart · · Score: 4, Funny

    If I'm alone, I'm quiet because what would be the point? The computer's not listening.

    Are you *sure*?

    --
    Lost at C:>. Found at C.
  13. Self control not required by sanchom · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Why would one need self control to not curse at a computer? Some people are just quiet. Some people are just not emotive. Some people realize that yelling at a computer is kind of silly. It's not like there's this urge to yell and curse that we have to hold back like a sneeze.

  14. Re:It's been 12 years by Eudial · · Score: 2

    The thing is, when you use Linux and it doesn't work, it's usually pretty obvious that the source of the fault is none other than yourself (unless you use ubuntu, that distro does enough crap behind your back for something to be the computer's fault), so shouting at the computer because your Linux system isn't working is a lot like shouting at the grocery store because you forgot to put the milk in the refrigerator when you got home.

    --
    GAAH! MY PRINTER IS ON FIRE!!! PUT IT OUT! PUT IT OUT!
  15. Re:Linux by MobileTatsu-NJG · · Score: 4, Funny

    Yeah, the other 61% use Linux.

    So... what, they say 'frak' or 'fsck' instead?

    --

    "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)

  16. Re:Really? by schnikies79 · · Score: 2

    I never yelled, cursed or even spoken to my computer. I don't tend to speak to inanimate objects.

    --
    Gone!
  17. Does talking dirty count?... by kwolf22 · · Score: 2

    Since installing Ubuntu, my computer certainly looks a lot sexier... Now I curse at it for pleasure - not for pain! Yessss... That's just how daddy like it... Now post my comment you filthy little....

  18. Re:I have a Mac by KiloByte · · Score: 2

    ... and a pretty beach ball!

    --
    The creatures outside looked from Alt-Right to Antifa; but already it was impossible to say which was which.
  19. Re:Which computer? by bennomatic · · Score: 2

    Well, even as an Apple fan, I've got to admit that the only programs worse on Windows than the Office suite are Safari and iTunes. I'm amazed that ANYONE puts up with them.

    --
    The CB App. What's your 20?
  20. Re:Linux by Mitchell314 · · Score: 2

    Switching from Windows to Linux just shifts the cursing reserved for the OS to the drivers.

    --
    I read TFA and all I got was this lousy cookie
  21. Re:Linux by Beardo+the+Bearded · · Score: 5, Funny

    I am a military contractor and I work with sailors.

    I have access to, and have used, military-grade profanity with regards to:
    1. specifications that make no sense whatsoever,
    2. hilariously optimistic decisions w.r.t. scheduling or personnel,
    3. conflicting instructions that could cause fires, and/or
    4. requirements dependent on physics that are not available in this universe.

    I also use normal profanity in the middle of conversation because that's what's expected sometimes.

    Nevertheless, on my personal time I tend to just reason with the machine.
    "Look, it's me. I can get my tools and force you to work or you can just make it easier on the two of us and you can go back to looking at schematics on RoboNet."

    It frightens me somewhat that that method works with reasonable reliability. This has even worked on machines that are new to me, which makes me wonder if I have a reputation amongst machines, which in turn makes me wonder if I am medically unstable.

    Nevertheless, nothing shuts down my profanity filter faster than working with Linux.

    --

    ---
    ECHELON is a government program to find words like bomb, jihad, plutonium, assassinate, and anarchy.
  22. Re:I have a Mac by Beardo+the+Bearded · · Score: 5, Funny

    Mac users don't swear at their machines because their mouth is full of Steve Jobs' cock.

    --

    ---
    ECHELON is a government program to find words like bomb, jihad, plutonium, assassinate, and anarchy.
  23. Re:Not at the computer by Rand+Race · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The point? Fear.

    If the computer does not fear you it will fuck up all over the place. You must let it know, firmly and forcefully, that you are quite capable of bashing it to microscopic bits. I walk into a god damned room at my work and the computers just start fucking working. Because they know... THEY KNOW that it is I, Baron Randolph Rackovitz, who encompasses their doom!

    --
    Insanity is the last line of defence for the master diplomat. But you have to lay the groundwork early.
  24. Re:Linux by MobileTatsu-NJG · · Score: 4, Funny

    How do you pronounce fsck?

    We're talking about Linux users, here. Pronouncing words requires human interaction.

    --

    "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)

  25. Not the computer by jmv · · Score: 2

    I don't swear at the computer. I swear at the idiot who wrote the [OS,application] that just crashed or misbehaved... unless it's me.