What's a tech term you hate?

[imreloadin]

Dongle...

[Arika]

Bottleneck....because it's the most misused term i see on this forum because people hear the word and a very basic description of it and then immediately feel like they need to make a post here freaking out that their PC is somehow not performing right despite them not having any issues prior to them hearing the word

[Kisai]

46 minutes ago, LloydLynx said:

GNU/Linux just being called "Linux". Like boi, Linux is just a kernel. The full OS that most people use uses the GNU core utils on top of Linux.

Linux is Linux, yes it’s just the kernel, but it makes as much difference as calling all sugar-based candy “candy”

 

it’s still candy.

[Craftyawesome]

1 hour ago, NZgamer said:

I'd just like to interject for a moment. What you're referring to as Linux, is in fact, GNU/Linux, or as I've recently taken to calling it, GNU plus Linux. Linux is not an operating system unto itself, but rather another free component of a fully functioning GNU system made useful by the GNU corelibs, shell utilities and vital system components comprising a full OS as defined by POSIX.

Many computer users run a modified version of the GNU system every day, without realising it. Through a peculiar turn of events, the version of GNU which is widely used today is often called "Linux", and many of its users are not aware that it is basically the GNU system, developed by the GNU Project.

There really is a Linux, and these people are using it, but it is just a part of the system they use. Linux is the kernel: the program in the system that allocates the machine's resources to the other programs that you run. The kernel is an essential part of an operating system, but useless by itself; it can only function in the context of a complete operating system. Linux is normally used in combination with the GNU operating system: the whole system is basically GNU with Linux added, or GNU/Linux. All the so-called "Linux" distributions are really distributions of GNU/Linux.

No, Richard, it's 'Linux', not 'GNU/Linux'. The most important contributions that the FSF made to Linux were the creation of the GPL and the GCC compiler. Those are fine and inspired products. GCC is a monumental achievement and has earned you, RMS, and the Free Software Foundation countless kudos and much appreciation.

Following are some reasons for you to mull over, including some already answered in your FAQ.

One guy, Linus Torvalds, used GCC to make his operating system (yes, Linux is an OS -- more on this later). He named it 'Linux' with a little help from his friends. Why doesn't he call it GNU/Linux? Because he wrote it, with more help from his friends, not you. You named your stuff, I named my stuff -- including the software I wrote using GCC -- and Linus named his stuff. The proper name is Linux because Linus Torvalds says so. Linus has spoken. Accept his authority. To do otherwise is to become a nag. You don't want to be known as a nag, do you?

(An operating system) != (a distribution). Linux is an operating system. By my definition, an operating system is that software which provides and limits access to hardware resources on a computer. That definition applies whereever you see Linux in use. However, Linux is usually distributed with a collection of utilities and applications to make it easily configurable as a desktop system, a server, a development box, or a graphics workstation, or whatever the user needs. In such a configuration, we have a Linux (based) distribution. Therein lies your strongest argument for the unwieldy title 'GNU/Linux' (when said bundled software is largely from the FSF). Go bug the distribution makers on that one. Take your beef to Red Hat, Mandrake, and Slackware. At least there you have an argument. Linux alone is an operating system that can be used in various applications without any GNU software whatsoever. Embedded applications come to mind as an obvious example.

Next, even if we limit the GNU/Linux title to the GNU-based Linux distributions, we run into another obvious problem. XFree86 may well be more important to a particular Linux installation than the sum of all the GNU contributions. More properly, shouldn't the distribution be called XFree86/Linux? Or, at a minimum, XFree86/GNU/Linux? Of course, it would be rather arbitrary to draw the line there when many other fine contributions go unlisted. Yes, I know you've heard this one before. Get used to it. You'll keep hearing it until you can cleanly counter it.

You seem to like the lines-of-code metric. There are many lines of GNU code in a typical Linux distribution. You seem to suggest that (more LOC) == (more important). However, I submit to you that raw LOC numbers do not directly correlate with importance. I would suggest that clock cycles spent on code is a better metric. For example, if my system spends 90% of its time executing XFree86 code, XFree86 is probably the single most important collection of code on my system. Even if I loaded ten times as many lines of useless bloatware on my system and I never excuted that bloatware, it certainly isn't more important code than XFree86. Obviously, this metric isn't perfect either, but LOC really, really sucks. Please refrain from using it ever again in supporting any argument.

Last, I'd like to point out that we Linux and GNU users shouldn't be fighting among ourselves over naming other people's software. But what the heck, I'm in a bad mood now. I think I'm feeling sufficiently obnoxious to make the point that GCC is so very famous and, yes, so very useful only because Linux was developed. In a show of proper respect and gratitude, shouldn't you and everyone refer to GCC as 'the Linux compiler'? Or at least, 'Linux GCC'? Seriously, where would your masterpiece be without Linux? Languishing with the HURD?

If there is a moral buried in this rant, maybe it is this:

Be grateful for your abilities and your incredible success and your considerable fame. Continue to use that success and fame for good, not evil. Also, be especially grateful for Linux' huge contribution to that success. You, RMS, the Free Software Foundation, and GNU software have reached their current high profiles largely on the back of Linux. You have changed the world. Now, go forth and don't be a nag.

Thanks for listening.

[Gix7Fifty]

Future proof

 

[Bombastinator]

4 hours ago, caincha said:

I hate when people ask me how long does the battery last. Not a term, but a peeve…?

I usually reply: it depends on usage but here is the battery count and battery health percentage. And usually ignore if they insist…

It’s because they’re not finishing the sentence.  Most of the time they are actually asking “how long does the battery last on average during normal use?”  More or less “how long can I expect to be able to do stuff before I have to tie myself to a wall socket?”

[Shammikit]

3 hours ago, NZgamer said:

Don't know why, but I just hate the term "gaming rig"

I hate it when people say Battle Station more than gamin rig

[caincha]

6 minutes ago, Bombastinator said:

It’s because they’re not finishing the sentence.  Most of the time they are actually asking “how long does the battery last on average during normal use?”  More or less “how long can I expect to be able to do stuff before I have to tie myself to a wall socket?”

Your 'normal use' is likely to be very different from mine or anyone else for that matter.

A person who uses the laptop for FB or Office will have different 'normal use' than someone who uses it for video editing and rendering. And I had people with high specs laptops that would likely be used for FB and had people with low end laptops asking about video editing so it can vary by a lot and is always best to not assume anything or you might end up with a problem you did not ask for.  

[Dylanc1500]

Frequency for transfer rates, for example using 3200 Mhz instead of 3200 MT/s.

[Murasaki]

7 hours ago, ShrimpBrime said:

FUTURE PROOF -

 

Oh yes I hate this one the most. 

 

IT WAS BLEEPING OUTDATED WHEN YOU BOUGHT IT!!

Um well if i say my build is "future proof" it would mean it will last me a fair amount of years without needing to upgrade anything whatsoever. Am I using the term wrong or?

[Skiiwee29]

7 hours ago, ShrimpBrime said:

FUTURE PROOF -

 

Oh yes I hate this one the most. 

 

IT WAS BLEEPING OUTDATED WHEN YOU BOUGHT IT!!

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ THIS... I cringe and want to scream and yell every time I see this term. 

[OCNewbee]

armored beast <-- gaming computer...

For god sakes, its a freaking computer...you are not Conan the barbarian.

 

another one

Q: what kind of computer do you have?

A: i7

Q: OMG, that is so fast~

[LogicalDrm]

• Bottleneck, because people don't still understand what it means.
• Gaming in any product name (and people who ask about "gaming RAM" or "Gaming CPU" or "Gaming mobo")
• Positive/negative pressure
• PCMR
• TDP, another term that people use without understand what it means
• lag, when used to describe ALL problems with games
• "hot air rises" bs

 

PS. Futureproofing and being outdated is imo not same thing. Everything is outdated once you take it out of the box. Futureproofing, or how I understand it, is to leave yourself options when upgrading. Probably the term itself is too overused, or misunderstood, like bottlenecking. Maybe I should too be using "upgradatibility" instead.

[Arika]

4 minutes ago, LogicalDrm said:

Futureproofing, or how I understand it, is to leave yourself options when upgrading.

The most common use of "future proofing" i have seen here is:

"What can i buy right now that will be able to get x fps in ALL games for the next n years, so i don't have to upgrade?"

[NineEyeRon]

Bottleneck

[LogicalDrm]

39 minutes ago, Arika S said:

The most common use of "future proofing" i have seen here is:

"What can i buy right now that will be able to get x fps in ALL games for the next n years, so i don't have to upgrade?"

Yeah, that means its one of those terms that people don't really understand. Same with all questions about what performance hardware that hasn't been released will give. Or how demanding games will be in next 5 years. Do these people think if anyone on random tech forum would know, they would tell? Thats guaranteed billionaire idea.

[YoungBlade]

10 hours ago, LloydLynx said:

GNU/Linux just being called "Linux". Like boi, Linux is just a kernel. The full OS that most people use uses the GNU core utils on top of Linux.

Oh dear. And here I was planning to put down "GNU/Linux" because the name "Linux" is much easier to use, everyone knows what you mean, the kernel is the single most important piece of an OS, and there are, in fact, versions of Linux that have hardly any GNU utils.

[RollinLower]

2 minutes ago, YoungBlade said:

Oh dear. And here I was planning to put down "GNU/Linux" because the name "Linux" is much easier to use, everyone knows what you mean, the kernel is the single most important piece of an OS, and there are, in fact, versions of Linux that have hardly any GNU utils.

FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT!!!

[Guest]

4 hours ago, Murasaki said:

Um well if i say my build is "future proof" it would mean it will last me a fair amount of years without needing to upgrade anything whatsoever. Am I using the term wrong or?

Ok, so future proof means that it's something that will not become obsolete.

 

AMD released Zen2 but was already in the manufacturing process of Zen 3. 

 

So your chip was essentially obsolete at purchase time. You future proofed nothing.

[Murasaki]

4 minutes ago, ShrimpBrime said:

Ok, so future proof means that it's something that will not become obsolete.

 

AMD released Zen2 but was already in the manufacturing process of Zen 3. 

 

So your chip was essentially obsolete at purchase time. You future proofed nothing.

Well everything will always be eventually obsolete so.. it makes no sense. Thats why I use the term the way I described.

[Beerzerker]

7 hours ago, Shammikit said:

I hate it when people say Battle Station more than gamin rig

That's because a "Battle Station" sounds more like a bencher's rig.
You know, ready to go to war with any and all others....

THIS is a true battle station - In this pic the action had just ended so she was retired from battle....
For now.


 

[Guest]

Just now, Murasaki said:

Well everything will always be eventually obsolete so.. it makes no sense. Thats why I use the term the way I described.

A water proof watch will always be water proof. If it spent 20 years on a shelf, you can put that watch into the water and it will still be water proof. 

 

When dual cores where released for the first time, everyone said the same thing. My dual core is future proof. Until like a year or two later when quad cores where released... the same conversation was held. Well that didn't last very long either.

 

If it's future proof, it must last all of future time to pass. 

Bullet proof glass can stand 100 years and still be bullet proof. 

Your PC, not so much so. 

 

But humans have a hard time to imagine long term. That bullet proof glass will still be bullet proof after you hit old age and died. 

[Ya_Mi]

Solid State Drive because it doesn't spin

[Guest]

12 minutes ago, Beerzerker said:

That's because a "Battle Station" sounds more like a bencher's rig.
You know, ready to go to war with any and all others....

THIS is a true battle station - In this pic the action had just ended so she was retired from battle....
For now.


 

Awesome!

 

Here's mine in Battle in slow mo!

 

 

[freeagent]

How awesome is that??

 

I want to try lol.. there is a Praxair 2 blocks from me.