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Why do people (mostly old) do this?

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dpearson said:
Lol, I've also heard people refer to their computers as CPUs.
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Or the whole computer is the hard drive and the monitor is the computer.

We had a department move buildings a few weeks ago and a woman who wasn't going to be there went to the new building the night before to put down tags for where she wanted everything. Keyboard on the movable tray, "hard drive" on the floor under the desk, and the "computer" on the left side.

I thought about grabbing a junked hard drive and making that happen but it wasn't my normal building to work in, I was just helping with the move.
 
Cogman said:
Skilsaw, no, Crescent wrench, holy cow yes. I never realized it was a brand. That's messed up. I'm going to have to question the name of everything now!
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Channellock.

Tool industry is littered with name brands that have just become a generic descriptive term.

edit: i should really read the whole thread before posting
 
Last edited:
boring thread needs more dog tiger
poor-bastard-1.jpg
 
hard_drive.jpg


middlehead said:
Or the whole computer is the hard drive and the monitor is the computer.

We had a department move buildings a few weeks ago and a woman who wasn't going to be there went to the new building the night before to put down tags for where she wanted everything. Keyboard on the movable tray, "hard drive" on the floor under the desk, and the "computer" on the left side.

I thought about grabbing a junked hard drive and making that happen but it wasn't my normal building to work in, I was just helping with the move.
Click to expand...
 
Rubycon said:
hard_drive.jpg
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Lol I love it!

I used to work on homework in my school's library right up to closing time. 10 minutes before midnight someone went get on the PA and say: "All computers will be shut down in 10 minutes. If you need to save your work, do so now."

When I first heard this I started to panic and thought they were going to send a network wide command that would turn every computer in the building off. I was so relieved when "shutting the computers down" meant someone going around turning the monitors off.
 
Oh yeah I remember that...

Code: 
shutdown  -s -f -t 0 -m \\c6ft7

dpearson said:
Lol I love it!

I used to work on homework in my school's library right up to closing time. 10 minutes before midnight someone went get on the PA and say: "All computers will be shut down in 10 minutes. If you need to save your work, do so now."

When I first heard this I started to panic and thought they were going to send a network wide command that would turn every computer in the building off. I was so relieved when "shutting the computers down" meant someone going around turning the monitors off.
Click to expand...
 
Cogman said:
I hear it all the time. Every MP3 player is a iPod. Every GPS unit is a tom-tom. Every PDA is a palm (I even heard this on NCIS.), Every browser is a google...

It seems that brand recognition has a problem. People don't know the difference between the products and so the name gets lost. I guess this is good for store owners when someone walks in saying "I want an Ipod" meaning "I want an MP3 player"
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I know the first one is common. My parents do that. The second one is not. The third is definitely not. And the browser is usually just, "huh?"

Tom-tom is so dead... Garmin or whatever is more likely.
 
How about "Zipper"?

I've got an old army jacket (M65) - the directions say to wax the "slide fastener". Don't think I've ever heard anyone call it that in my life.
 
Colt45 said:
How about "Zipper"?

I've got an old army jacket (M65) - the directions say to wax the "slide fastener". Don't think I've ever heard anyone call it that in my life.
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Zipper is weird. That's such a generic term. I've never heard of it being called a slide fastener.
 
Surely "Mp3 player" isn't accurate either. Its a 'digital music player'?

Not all digital music is mp3, so you're being almost as bad as those who call all DMPs 'ipods'.

Though these days I guess all current digital music players can play mp3s.

I suppose I have to mention the infamous differing significance of the brand 'durex' in the UK vs Australia? Even if its probably 20 years out-of-date now.

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Durex
 
dpearson said:
Lol, I've also heard people refer to their computers as CPUs.
Click to expand...

I thought that technically the 'system box' _is_ the CPU? Its what I was taught in school and I think that might still be the formal definition - you have a 'CPU' a keyboard and a monitor, and that's your computer.

Even if since microprocessors the term seems to have shifted its meaning.
 
Cogman said:
I hear it all the time. Every MP3 player is a iPod. Every GPS unit is a tom-tom. Every PDA is a palm (I even heard this on NCIS.), Every browser is a google...

It seems that brand recognition has a problem. People don't know the difference between the products and so the name gets lost. I guess this is good for store owners when someone walks in saying "I want an Ipod" meaning "I want an MP3 player"
Click to expand...

never heard of 'tom-tom' being used. Garmin or just GPS around here.

Most call their browser 'the internet'.

PDA = blackberry.


It's much like soda/pop all being called a coke though, only the overly anal will correct the branding.
 
JTsyo said:
It's bad for the companies in terms that if they don't protect their brand and it becomes an everyday term then they can lose control over it.

oh looks like it was covered on the first page.
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What's more annoying is when companies are allowed to trademark generic terms. i.e. don't even dare use "Monster" in your name. "Foot long" - how the hell is a common measurement & term a trademark.
 
DrPizza said:
What's more annoying is when companies are allowed to trademark generic terms. i.e. don't even dare use "Monster" in your name. "Foot long" - how the hell is a common measurement & term a trademark.
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well its becoming standard in some circles...

monster cable is a generic example of an over priced scam product😛

ex

"is xyz product any good?"

"no, its like monster cable"
 
So, given the premise of the OP and the outcome of this thread, I need to make a parody thread "why do people (usually, the younger generation) get indignant when you use company names as generic names?
 
DrPizza said:
So, given the premise of the OP and the outcome of this thread, I need to make a parody thread "why do people (usually, the younger generation) get indignant when you use company names as generic names?
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Subtitle: And get of my lawn, you whippersnappers!
 
alkemyst said:
never heard of 'tom-tom' being used. Garmin or just GPS around here.

Most call their browser 'the internet'.

PDA = blackberry.


It's much like soda/pop all being called a coke though, only the overly anal will correct the branding.
Click to expand...

False... Asking for a Coke when you're getting a Pepsi is overly stupid. "If you can pick me up some Coke while you're out at the store that would be nice."
"OH, ok."
*Comes home with Coca-Cola*
"WTF, I don't like Coca-Cola!"
 
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