What Are Your Wierd PC Habits?

[Tarryk]

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NEXT ON SPRINGER: OCD AND THE TARRYK'S WHO HAVE IT
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Okay, so using the definition loosely, I take back what I said in my journal: I guess I DO have pet peeves. But they're more like OCD issues, I think. Those wierd little oddities, in this case about one's style of presence on a computer and the internet, that make it strange to sit down at someone else's system.

During a conversation with Xtrophic, I realized some things that I've always done on the internet that I've always taken for granted. I always assume others do things the same way because 99.999% of the time I'm only ever at my own system. Then you see someone else's way, and go "woah...how do you deal with that?" -- and later realize they'd say the same thing to sit down in front of your system.

So here's a couple of mine:

* Winamp clock: I can't stand it when people have a forward-moving timer on their Winamp (or any other media player). I don't care how much time has elapsed, I want to know how much time is LEFT. It always makes me chuckle when I see that on other people's systems. I'm like "what's that telling you? Nothing! Here. *click* Now it shows you how long until the song is over, and now it's useful information." -- 99% of the time people hate it when I do that to their system, hehe.

* Login/Logout: This is one that I'm discovering is a true oddity of mine. I have this problem with "floating logins". If I log into a web site, I need to have definitive closure when I'm done. These forums, for example. When I arrive, I log in, I browse and post and reply, then I LOG OUT when I'm finished. Very few people do that anymore, I'm learning. They click the "keep me logged in" or "remember me" button everywhere they go on the web. That's the one Ultimately Avoided checkbox to me. Not for security reasons as much as a mental complex over a comfort zone. It's like looking through a bunch of file cabinets for different things and not closing them when you're done. I need to know that my name is no longer listed as logged in, and that the session is done and over with when I am. For every login, there is a logout. Nice how I just turned a 'net persona oddity into some zen thing, eh? LOL yes, I'm wierd.

* Linear Progression: I watched my friend browse through different gaming web sites once, and was in awe at how many internet windows & tabs she ended up having open. If I'm done with a window, I close the window. The internet is browsed in a linear fashion to me. It's often such a fiercely set comfort zone that I don't even like to click links that people send me in chat. I'm in chat now, I will be on the web later. If I click that link, I won't see chat. This is beyond my comfort zone (granted that I still DO click them usually, because that excuse doesn't hold up when I get the occasional "omg you have to see this link" nonsense, but it's not comfortable to me so I view it very fast, and I immediately close the window when I'm done). -- edit: but there are many occasions still where (and some of you might remember me doing this to you) I'll say stuff like "I'll check that link out later, I'm a bit busy right now." 99% of the time I am busy with something else, but the comfort level still plays a role in that reply.

* Ctrl-C paranoia: here's another totally wierd one. I've had enough occasions--even though they ARE rare--where I finish typing something like a forum post and when I hit send I realize my session has expired. That is no longer a worry, because for the past few years I have rather obsessively selected my entire post and ctrl-c'ed it before hitting the send button. And in the case of REALLY long posts that I do a sentence at a time (like this one during work hours), I always do it in Notepad while logged off from the forum.

* Another Ctrl-C obsession: I have to use Ctrl-C. Right click and selecting "copy" doesn't work for me. Something in my brain says it didn't work. I dunno, it's crazy. I must always Ctrl-C to copy, and Ctrl-V to paste. There is no mouse involved aside from selection and cursor placement. (Oh yeah that comes with a tip for those that might not have known, to avoid annoying mouse-edits: ctrl-leftarrow and ctrl-rightarrow will move the cursor 1 word in either direction. And in forums ctrl-backspace will delete the entire last word typed, but that one doesn't work in Notepad. These are obsessively-used keystrokes of mine.

* No Tabs Except for Alt-Tab: I do like firefox, and I do use firefox, but I'm still stuck that those browsing tabs are a trillion times more annoying than simple windows taskbar functions. Primarily because of the previously mentioned "linear browsing" that I do. Rarely more than 2 web windows are ever open, and also because I need a functional alt-tab. I'm aware that in firefox you can probably hit ctrl-tab to achieve the same effect, but I just can't create a new habit there. Thumb-and-ring-finger alt-tabbing, I'm a freakin' ninja with that. Easier to use new windows instead of new FF tabs, and that way I can also alt-tab through ALL software that I have open (which is never very much, which is probably why it's easier for me to do it this way than it is for others who argue the point of firefox tabs with me--more than 3 things open and my brain screams "Clutter! Close some of this s*&#!").

So anyway, there's some rambling explanations of my oddities of PC presence. Got any of your own? I wanna hear 'em! Help me validate that I'm not the only one with wierd-ass computer habits!

[Maar]

my most obsessive PC habit: the functional desktop


Personaly, I can not stand to have a desktop cluttered with icons and shortcuts. this does not mean that I don't have anything on the desktop, quite the contrary. I always have documents and files on the desktop, usually its something that has just been downloaded and not checked/sorted, or a document I'm in the middle of working on. when a project is complete, ALL related documents/files are removed from the desktop and put into a folder tucked away on the network, or deleted completely.

it's my personal belief that the desktop is a workspace, and should be used for easy access to my work. I cringe when I see other peoples desktops, usually cluttered with crap, or every file they have worked on in the past year, no organization.



about the only thing that botheres me more than icon clutter, are wallpaper images that are not properly sized or cropped. this USUALLY happens when someone gets it into their mind that they are a good photographer. Amatuer pictures of their childrens weddings or their family pets, skewed and deformed across the background. oh god the horror.


ok I'm done rambling on now.

[Boinky]

Maar, you'd cringe at some of my desktops then. My desktop is where icons go to die (and by die I mean be set and then stay there till my hard drive bursts into flame) course I have 3 computers at home so the desktops are kind of like a core sample from the earth - they show a progression in time.

And Tarryk, I stay logged onto every site that lets me that I frequent. It doesn't register you as being there just by keeping you logged on when you return far as I know. Anyway look at it like this. Imagine these sites are your local conveinence store sorta that you go to all the time. The clerk knows you there. When you walk in he might even call you by name. That's being logged in when you visit these sites. Not being already logged in is walking into the store next to your house and the clerk behind the counter who's your sister's husband for the last 25 years says "And who are you then?" If at all possible when going back to a place that had better know me as my feet have burned tracks in the doorstep I wanna be recognized without getting a questionaire first.

And as for browser windows open, as long as it doesn't make my computer blow up I will keep as many windows open and minimized as I feel the need at any certain time.

And yes CNTRL-C & CNTRL-V rock!

[Vallikat]

I have only a few quirks...well regarding the computer anyway.

When I reboot, I re-open my programs in the following order: IE, outlook, Spider Solitaire (explained later), Yahoo (always invisible - explained later) and ICQ (same and same). I don't have them starting up automatically because of a number of problems that I've had with this beast in the past. It's best to just let me do them one at a time and make sure we're all alright.

I always have Yahoo and ICQ open and invisible. It is the extremely rare occasion that I will show myself as available on either one. I became overly cautious when I developed a few...let's say, undesirable... relationships, that lead to me not wanting to be seen as being online. However, I still keep this practice despite the fact that it has been years since I've been bothered. I don't even know why I even bother to open or use either one any more. But I still do.

I must have Spider Solitaire going at all times. It's a function of my ADD. I don't have enough to keep my mind occupied without having this game to play. It could be anything of mindless inconsequence. I just chose Spider Solitaire and stuck with it. Anyway I get too easily bored to function without it. I play when I'm zoning. I play when the chat slows. I play when I'm waiting for a site to load or a download to complete. I play when I'm waiting for a /tell response. I have to have something to constantly keep me going.

For the same reason as above, I no longer use long dance scripts. I have one that is, I think, 2 minutes long, that I use almost exclusively. I found that if I had a long dance script going I would zone out and not be able to pay attention. I have to keep pressing the button or my attention falters.

I generally have 3 IE windows open: GSP forums, AO forums/google/weather, general surfing. If I open a new window, I'm not obsessive about closing it right away, but I will close it pretty quickly.

I'm a packrat here as much as in real life. You never know when you might need something. I have shocked myself at some of the old crap I've located on this thing...yet, I didn't delete them.

Let's see, I keep myself logged on here, AO, and a few other forums. But there are others that I don't. It's really just a matter of pure laziness. If I'm going to be checking with any frequency, I want to stay logged on.

Oh and always CTRL-C, CTRL-V and even CTRL-P. It's easier since my hands are on the keyboard already.

I believe that is all of my weirdness.

[Lauri]

Lurking
I'm a huge lurker. Most know that I'm generally not automatically talkative, and thus this leads to my lurkness. If I frequent a forum regularly, it's usually always open in a Firefox tab.

The same goes with IRC, I don't say much. There's this need that I definitely have to keep myself informed, though.

MMORPG Sites
I have the habit of keeping tabs on these, period, whether I play or have played or never plan to play <insert game here>. See above.

Programs
- I use Windowblinds. I'm a customization addict, 'kay.
- I refuse to use any winamp skin besides classic. Being a DJ, this is like the most readable skin ever. Ironic considering the above.
- I HATE mIRC. I have to be in the minority here. xchat 4 evar.
- Photoshop is usually always open unless I'm doing something processor/memory intensive, already.

Oh, and URL is pronounced "EARL".

[Talidro]

I share 1 habit Lauri. I lurk alot. I dont spam, and I try to not post totally useless junk, but Im always reading forums, and sites and stuff to check for new posts or content updates hehe

[Tarryk]

VERY interesting habits here, a couple of which I hadn't seen before. Good stuff.

Oh and Boinky, you sounded like you were pleading a case for why I should "convert" to floating logins. Keep in mind that this thread isn't preaching what people should do, it's what wierd illogical things you do and why. As for the issue of staying logged in, no it doesn't keep your name there permanently on a floating login, but it does for 5 to 10 minutes after you've left and let's itself time out. That's actually a nearly seperate pet peeve I have, because sometimes I'll see someone whom I need to speak with online here and send them a PM, then I have to wait 5 minutes to realize that they left 10 minutes before. That's just one of a dozen barely-logical "reasons" why I can't stand leaving a site without logging out thoroughly. I have a hangup about it, it's a crease in my sleeve that I NEED to iron out or I can't wear the shirt.

[Vallikat]

it's a crease in my sleeve that I NEED to iron out or I can't wear the shirt.

Wait...You own an iron?

Ok now you've really freaked me out.

[Jugsmalone]

Well as for me i guess the only pet peeve i have isd i dont know anything and i hate when Tygress uses my PC she is left handed I am not and she hates it when i yell up to her to come fix something ......useually somethng stupid like a window i opened and have not a clue how to close it ...as you can see as far as the computer goes I am lucky i can find my way around Rubika and belive me that took time just to learn to walk without getting dizzy...but God i love this game

[Talidro]

it's a crease in my sleeve that I NEED to iron out or I can't wear the shirt.

Wait...You own an iron?

Ok now you've really freaked me out.

LOL I literally fell out of my chair laughing when I read that.

and to prevent a total hijack here on my part, another wierd habit I have with my pc is that I have to have everything exactly, perfectly set up. Keyboard has to be in a certain position, monitor at certain angle, chair has to remain in the grooves it made in my carpet. Im kinda anal about that kinda stuff lol But what makes it so wierd, is that I am only that picky about my pc, and the desk it sits on. The rest of the place is a cluttered mess.

[Boinky]

Yeah well sorry for how that came out sorta. I just can't imagine doing it that way. Between these forums, my guild's the official AO forums and a few other related ones I must make 50+ separate stops per week easily, and if I had to login every single time I'd be tearing my hair out. It's somewhat like "ease of use" but probably closer to laziness. Would I not have to worry about being robbed I'd leave my door unlocked & then it'd be that much quicker to enter when I got home.

I can sorta understand maybe why you like to login as you go to the forums. It's kind of like a ritual announcing to the site "I have arrived" and then logout to say "And now I leave you". And it does suck seeing somebody's name if you want to get ahold of them and them being gone. Like somebody online who went afk & especially didn't note that with /afk.

[Mummu]

well, lets see:

auto hiding taskbar at the TOP.

firefox with atleast 6 tabs, if I get a link I open it.

for some time i used only custom fonts noone could read, until after 6 new installations i got too lazy to put them back in.

I use mIRC instad of xchat casue its easier to modifie, but I use xchat from linux and if my conection is frelled up, cause xchat connects no matter what.

in all sort of gaming related forums I stay logged in, just not on sites that bear somewhat important informations.

ctlr c/v only in photoshop, in ever text program ( is use mainly scite and notepad) i prefere shift del/ins/ins.

I tend to have multiple conversations at once: AO ( guildchannel, 2 tells, nrpb), icq (2), jabber (1 or 2), irc (watching (thanks to the highlight function) 3 channels, talking in two others) while reading 4 forums ans posting in 2 others, oh and right now I m editing some of the pictures I took yesterday from the Kiel week (they ll be soon at http://www.uni-koblenz.de/~limburg/pics ... el2005.htm )

[Metalynx]

15+ windows opened..and I use most of them over the time of my session.

Inability to minimize a window with a keystroke..got to click the cliky thing.

no more then 4-6 icons on desktop. I hate icon clutter with a passion that near unholy.

When I download ANYTHING...it gets dropped onto my desktop..where I manually move elsewhere and unzip it.

A favorites menu in IE that rivals the Library of Congress. I favorite everything..and then consiquently cannot find it again (put them in seperate folders?? what??)

A obsession with that littel taskbar in your lower right corner. I hate redundant programs. If im not using it..it gets closed down. I hate thse annoying icons for sound, quicktime etc etc. Blah.

Lastly..Every PC I ever touch looks the same (desktop) much tot he anoyance of someones pc im borrowing. I cannot stand Windows XP "standard" start menu..must be windows classic.

[Mivat]

My quirks:

First of all: touch my comp, fiddle with the settings or change anything at your own peril. I WILL go ballistic.

- My monitors must be clean at all times.
- Icons on the desktop ordered after what they are (games, graphics-progs, internet-progs etc.)
- MSN always online, custom status set representing what my current status is
- Deactivated the bubblegum-GUI that XP uses (always use the plain 2k-GUI)
- Winamp in old-school mode, opera skinned (the original skin looks like hell)
- I go bing-tilt if I find any processes that's not supposed to be there. (spam/spy/ad/malware, virii etc)
- Tab-a-holic in opera. 6 to 7 windows up at all times.
- always have mIRC active (set up with a fair amount of scripting, running a blacklist (auto-kickban-list) from hell (yes, I am utterly BOFH when it comes to IRC, and will blacklist toplevel-domains, Class B/C IP-ranges and single users faster than you can say spam )

[Visarxa]

Hahah, mivat's a freak!

my comp habits are fairly simple- i fucking hate tabbed browsing, irritates the crap out of me that i can't find out how to turn it off in the new version of nutscrape. i keep my desktop clear and fairly organized, and i try to keep my bookmarks limited to only stuff i actually do go back to a lot, so i've got about 40-50 comics bookmarked, maybe a dozen other websites, like blogs, news, game sites, etc.

when it comes to other people's comps, i just love to change their desktops to clown or animal porn. i just think it's funny. i also love sending people instant messages at the max font size with the words "buttsex" in em, on the off chance that they'll be at work, or a school computer lab, and someone will see "buttsex" in huge letters on their screen. that's funny.

[Jairyn]

OMG You use Nutscrape? The newest Nutscrape was such a hideous pile of garbage... which is sad considering it was built on FF.

Anyhow, I missed this topic first go round..

Desk is a mess, Computer shit is ALWAYS in the same spot. FF Opened when reading something. Most of the time instead of browsing somewhere else when I need to, I'll close FF and restart it.. Annoying yes, but habit.

Tabs are my god.

XChat over mIRCrap anyday of the week.

Windows Taskbar at the top, XP Themed to look like OSX (FlyAKiteOSX is another of my gods. Mmm I love this theme)
Very little on my desktop, other than frequently used apps.

And yes.. Tarryk the forward counting clock in Winamp pisses me off too.. WTF good is it anyhow?

[Visarxa]

Hey, nutscrape may be bad, but it's no IE, that's for sure. that program SUCKS. plus, i use a nutscrape email, and remember BUYING a boxed version of nutscrape 1.8, way the hell back in the day when the internets were new.

[Tacz]

If it counts... I use a windowblinds skin on my PC, so noone besides me can ever figure out how to work my PC, haha.

[Boinky]

/me goes and rigorously trains in windowblinds so as to be prepared for the day he meets Taczs 'puter!