Women vs. Computers.

[Regine]

Don't make me get out generalizations about men.......


So - your sample of about 200 women at 1 college is enough to overgeneralize about all the women in the US?

 

[unxpurg8d]

Feel free - but you're still stuck with the point that the skills/interests of 200 or so users in computer labs are hardly indicative of the entire female population.


(Btw, the fact that they're using the computer labs in the first place is probably something that you should consider when making this sweeping generalization. I never went near the computer lab in school and neither did my other female friends - we all had our own computers, most of which were homebuilt. The average female user is someone YOU obviously don't have much contact with.)

 

[thereds]

go ahead make all the generalizations you want.

 

[Regine]

<< I never went near the computer lab in school and neither did my other female friends - we all had our own computers, most of which were homebuilt. The average female user is someone YOU obviously don't have much contact with >>


Exactly - same here. The only time I ever set foot into a lab is when my class meets there. And most of my friends all have their own computers in their rooms, and they also never go to computer labs. A lot of girls I know use their computers to watch movies, for music, to play games, as well as all the other stuff you said women do on the computer.

 

[Pretender]

I have to agree, most of the computer labs I see are either men, or women doing &quot;boring&quot; stuff (chat, email, solitare). Turning this into a demographic of all women doesn't work, because most computer labs are underpowered and restricted, and the real geeks (men and women, if there is such a thing as women geeks) would rather compute at home.

 

[Pretender]

Next question - how do you ask someone their email address if you don't know if they have a computer?

 

[SmiZ]

There are female power users, there are male power users. I would estimate that the percentage of men power users to total men is higher than female power users to total females. I think that is all thereds is trying to say. I don't know how you can dispute this. Sure the females on this bored are better than most with computers and there are programming/hardware/whatever female guru's out there, but most females use their PC's for generic use.


When you look at the entire population of computer users though, most people only use them for word processing, chat, email, and solitaire. Take a quick survey of people you know, even just acquiantances, I'd be surprised if anyone on this bored knew a large percentage of hardcore computer users. Of the let's say 1000 people I've met since I started college (three years ago), I know maybe 15 people I would say are really good with computers. This ratio would be much lower if I weren't at a technical school, or much higher if I were a CS or CE major.

 

[Prodigy^]

I think a big part of it is women's fear for infringing on male territory...like, if they make a newbie mistake, will the guys laugh at me, and such...Personal computing started, as with anything technical, with geeks, and true geeks = men. Hence, it started as a male community, and girls never got a say in anything or learned much about it.

that's the generalization, but of course there are a few exceptions. like you toolgirl

 

[unxpurg8d]

Smiz, there YOU go.... using the word &quot;most&quot;. How in the world do you know what &quot;most&quot; women use their computers for?????????


Did you kids take a special class on the fine art of generalization or something!?!?!? ARGH.

Your estimate that the percentage of male power users to total number of male users vs female power users to total number of female power users MAY be correct, but that doesn't negate that it's merely that - YOUR estimate. NOT a fact.

I'm not arguing that at all, btw. That is probably a fair guess. That is NOT what thereds says in his initial post, however, and it's not the stance he's defending. I can definitely see why you'd think he needs you to translate though, if that is all he was trying to get across.

 

[gunf1ghter]

I think my own experience with this subject might be helpful.

My girlfriend and I both work at the same place (and even in the same workgroup). She is an extremely competent communications engineer who regularly helps install and fix ATM network issues. She is regarded as one of the most knowledgeable people in the group.

We recently bought for her a Sony VAIO 800XL PC... you know, the one with the little micro tower and flat LCD screen?

That sucker cost 2200 buckazoids. I tried explaining that she could easily buy/build a MUCH MUCH better computer for that amount of money.... but she wouldn't go for it because she likes the way the Sony looks... who cares that it has a PIII800 and only 128 Megs of RAM? Not her.

She likes the flat screen... I tried pointing out that the flat screen was available seperately (she could actually get the super sweet Viewsonic for $1000) but again, no dice.

So what does she use the PC for?

chatting.

email.

web surfing for romance and relationship web pages which she then emails me asking my opinion on, driving me nuts.

Well, OK, I finally taught her how to burn MP3's, she thinks that's kind of cool.

Anyway, I am afraid that our friend TheReds might be more correct than he knows.

 

[unxpurg8d]

Oh. Well. Pardon ME. I feel soooooooooooooooooooo silly now. If Gunfighter's girlfriend only uses HER computer for chatting, email, and the like that MUST be what the rest of us are doing. Drats. How presumptuous of me to suggest that being female I might have a little better idea of what women actually spend their time doing with their computers.


I'll just turn mine off now, take my shoes off, and wander off to the kitchen to look for a nice cookie recipe or something.

 

[Missus]

<<So - your sample of about 200 women at 1 college is enough to overgeneralize about all the women in the US? >>

You go girl!!!


I have a female tech here at work that would like prove you wrong...

I may not be a geek... But I am not ignorant either...

 

[SmiZ]

unxpurg8d:

I love your posts and enjoy reading them more than almost any others on this BBS. You are correct that my and others' generalizations are only based on our own personal experience which is in no way encompassing or conclusive.

There is no statistical data that I am aware of on the topic of what females do on a computer. Maybe the male species should do a little more book work in the hopes of better understanding exactly what is going on inside all of those pretty heads.

The only other option avaliable to us is to generalize which is wrong, ignorant, and usually foolish. Generalizations are everywhere, we all face them on a daily basis. People think I'm dumb because I'm a football player or a geek because I can build webpages. Regardless of whether it's right or not, it's a fact.

I think the very fact that I put MOST in front of my generalizations makes them a little more PC. I would never say &quot;Women can't use a computer like a man&quot; because I would be run out of town, or stabbed in very painful areas.

How about I say this: &quot;In my limited experiences, MOST of the women I know do not use their computers for the same things I do. Does anyone else notice the same thing in their experiences?&quot;

Hopefully that's a little less offensive.

 

[unxpurg8d]

LOL Smiz - THAT is exactly what I was looking for, a reasonable qualification of the generalizations. (Whew, try saying THAT five or six times fast.)



Btw, since you've been such a good boy YOU can have a cookie when I'm done.


RIGHT after I get done trying to locate a 400w power supply for my @!#@!$!%% computer that I've overloaded with too much goofy stuff just 'cause it looks cute.

 

[Prodigy^]

unxpurg8d

you're acting way outta line here. gunf1ghter told about his own gf and how she's seemingly a good example of a woman using a computer - they go with whatever the salesmen tell them is good and buy something that's way too powerful for what they're really gonna use it for.

well excuse me for saying this, but that's *often* the truth, like it or not. if the description doesn't fit you, say so, instead of saying that gunf1ghter is a liar and is generalizing. i love hearing stories about girls using computers in a cool way, so why don't you tell us about how geekish you are?

 

[unxpurg8d]

Prodigy, please feel free to point out where I even vaguely suggested Gunfighter was a liar.

He said &quot;Anyway, I am afraid that our friend TheReds might be more correct than he knows&quot;.

I was addressing the fact that his girlfriend is hardly the appointed representative of the entire female population, and that his basing HIS opinion of women's computer usage/capabilities on one woman is no more valid than thereds' basing it on 200 or so.


By the way, when you start paying my bills then I'LL start taking into consideration what you think is or isn't &quot;way out of line&quot; in regards to my behavior.

 

[Ladi]

I gotta say I know plenty of MEN who also buy computers (and other things) because sales tells them they're good. So lots of people buy iMac-y computers...and lots of people buy stainless steel cases if they can find them...it's just aesthetics there. I have a lovely (and pricey) laptop...I'm sure I could've built something much more powerful, BUT I wanted a laptop for its portability and damned if I'm gonna complain about a 15&quot; LCD. Some people buy Macs or prebuilt computers for the idea of &quot;plug it in and it goes&quot;...I know that as much as I enjoy playing with hardware, it's annoying to have to spend 2 hours fixing something just so I can turn my computer on.

Many people, both male and female, who work with computers on a daily basis don't exactly feel the compulsion to come home and do the same tinkering on their own machines. If you spend 6, 8, 10, 12 hours a day fixing other people's tech problems, do you really want to come home to a computer you have to kick around to make it work?

And 200 people in ANY circustance is not a good sample...there's double that logged into just these forums at most times of the day. In a computer lab, it's even worse since you're not watching people use their personal machines. I've been known to drop in a computer lab just to pull up AIM and track somebody down (helpful when SOMEONE *cough*xan*cough* doesn't like answering the phone)...that doesn't mean that all I do with my computer is chat...

I definitely agree with unxpurg8d here...making generalizations is no good. Even using specific examples isn't great unless you take examples from a wide sample. gunf1ghter may have his story about how his GF uses her personal computer...and if xanathar came around OT much anymore, I bet he'd have an entirely different story about how I use my computer.

~Ladi

 

[gunf1ghter]

wow.... sorry if I ruffled feathers here.

My GF is quite &quot;cute&quot; by most standards and that's simply how she uses her PC.

just passing on the first hand example.

take it at face value.

is there some cute chick out there coding C++ and building a box from scratch to whoop up on UT? Probably. Maybe in Tibet or something.

J/K

 

[hopefloats]

Reading through this thread I?ve learned that women use computers to chat (ICQ, AIM), write papers, game (Q3, Solitaire, Diablo II), email, research, web design, code, graphic design, watch movies, music and make a living.

How about some stories about how guys use computers in a cool way that women don?t? How do guys productively use computers in ways that women don?t?

 

[unxpurg8d]

Ummmmmmmm. Okay. What in the world does her appearance have to do with ANYthing as far as her computer usage goes?!


Oh. I get it. All women who enjoy computers and are knowledgeable about them are NOT &quot;cute&quot; by your rather faulty inference.

You have to excuse me - I just put on a little extra mascara and my IQ slipped several notches.

 

[Yeeny]

How do guys productively use computers in ways that women don?t?

Why, porn and self love silly.

Seriously though, what is up with the stereotyping of women on this board lately? While I am certainly no computer geek, I have seen several women post here who could put some of you boys to shame. Mainly I am thinking of Jenniz and Ladi, but I know there are several others. What you use a computer for is not determined by sex, but by what interests you. And if I want to use mine to surf the net and chat, it is certainly not merely because I have boobs, thank you. It is because that is what I enjoy doing. Comprende?

 

[Zenmervolt]

I think it's probably just an extension of a common male personality trait that makes guys so much more hung up with computers in general. I suspect that computers are like fast cars or any other gadget that we men &quot;must have&quot;. If I were to hazard a guess, I would say that women see the computer as more of an information appliance (web browsing / chatting / &amp;c) and as something that can make life a little more convenient. Guys seem to be more centered on how fast their computer is and how it works, for most women it's enough to know how do do something, knowing why what you do does what it does is less realavent that it is for men. I think computers and cars are a good comparison in this regard, a lot of guys I know have what could be considered a &quot;relationship&quot; with their car, and put a good deal of effort into understanding it and maintaining it. Most women that I know, however, see a car as a method of getting from point &quot;A&quot; to point &quot;B&quot;, and while a Nissan Maxima SE may be more fun to drive than a Civic DX, they generally don't care as long as the car looks decent and runs well. I think it's traceable to a difference in the way men and women percieve a machine like the computer. Of course I'm talking out of my @ss here as I have no psychological information whatsoever, and this is just the opinion of a layman.

Zenmervolt

EDIT: Before Unx sets in on me, this is limited to my personal experience with my friends and family, I do not claim total knowledge of the entire US female population.

 

[Prodigy^]

hehe you're funny unxpurg8d

actually appearance has something to do with it, as it's a *fact* that very few good looking girls are heavily into computers and such stuff, whereas people often picture female computer users as less good looking, or how to say it, if you know what I mean. sad thing is that it's true

 

[thereds]

Anyway, I am afraid that our friend TheReds might be more correct than he knows.

I knew I was right.

Thank You Gunfighter.

 

[unxpurg8d]

LOL Zemmervolt, you evil sneaky little creature!!! I totally missed the edit! Nice disclaimer!

I suppose you'd check my hormone levels if I said I not only know quite a bit about maintaining my own car, but that I've replaced my own brakes, fuel injectors, pulled the engine (with help ), and various other stuffffffff.







(Honesty makes me add that I HAD to learn how to do this stuff 'cause I bought an '81 Fiat Spider based primarily on its &quot;cuteness&quot; factor and the darn thing fell apart at the most inopportune times. For instance, while driving along discussing a pretty new paint job with my male passenger the idiotic brakes totally went out. Argh. LOL)