Have you made your wife/girlfriend a "computer widow"?

[djsroknrol]

The title says it all...

I got into an arguement with my "better half" yesterday about how much time I spend on the computer these days. With building 2 new rigs, fixing 3 others and my time here on the forums and my usual E-mail, I can see where she's comming from, but alot of it is nessasary...

What does everyone think?...has anyone here created a computer widow?....any juicy horror stories anyone would like to share?

[aysiu]

While the vast majority of members here are probably hetero males, don't forget that some Ubuntu users may have left husbands/boyfriends as "computer widowers," too.

[djsroknrol]

Aysiu,
you are so right, and I don't mean to leave anyone out or sound sexist..So I stand corrected, and invite anyone of any sex to chime in....:)

[John.Michael.Kane]

Since i'm single i don't have the issues you all got with computer widows.

[K.Mandla]

Since i'm single i don't have the issues you all got with computer widows.
Amen to that.

[Skia_42]

I am a family widower. I'm 15 so I am still living with my family, I always get complaints about I spend to much time in front off that damn computer. The complaints stop fairly quickly though, whenever something goes wrong on a computer I am the one that fixes it.

[K.Mandla]

I am a family widower. I'm 15 so I am still living with my family, I always get complaints about I spend to much time in front off that damn computer. The complaints stop fairly quickly though, whenever something goes wrong on a computer I am the one that fixes it.
Amen to that too.

[Slicedbread]

I imagine that if you are using Ubuntu, you do have internet access but spend more time on it (configuring/troubleshooting/other) than just browsing myspace and downloading music.

[Skia_42]

I imagine that if you are using Ubuntu, you do have internet access but spend more time on it (configuring/troubleshooting/other) than just browsing myspace and downloading music.
I suppose for some people that is true. I know that I spend most off my time with email/forums/news/myspace/music doing day-to-day tasks. I am curious now as to how most users spend their time...

[tribaal]

My girlfriend definately is a computer widow.

:(

Sad but true.

- trib'

[OffHand]

I suppose for some people that is true. I know that I spend most off my time with email/forums/news/myspace/music doing day-to-day tasks. I am curious now as to how most users spend their time...

A thing called work ](*,)

In my spare time I like to drink away the troubles from work.

[Titus A Duxass]

My wife is really happy, she gets to watch her DVDs on our MythTV HTPC while I bugger about upstairs building a GiantDisc server for her music.

When I am not on my computers I am normally away on business.

So sometimes we see each other!

[Derek Djons]

I'm single yet again. But that has nothing to do with computers :) I'm 100% work-a-holic and always find or make time to do it all within 24 hours.
So even if I would have a girlfriend again it wouldn't be a problem for me. I manage :)

[beercz]

Sometimes for me it is the other way round.

As I am in the IT industry, I work all day with computers. When I get home in the evening, I 'dabble' a little bit, then just want to watch TV, have a beer etc. and not mess about with computers.

My wife, who is not in the IT industry, can spend an entire evening on her pc.

However, whenever it goes wrong or she doesn't understand something, who does she ask? (She is a Windows user).

[swamytk]

my wife was a computer teacher in a school before we get married. she use to teach students only M$ OS and applications, since that is the only syllabus in india (recently started changing..). She did not know anything about Linux then. During the period between engagement and marriage, she had called up me asking my help to fix a problem of IE hangs (as usual..!) in her boss's pc. Over the phone I helped her to remove around 7 to 8 malware/adware/XXX/.... and set right the problem and asked her to install firefox. Then I told her proudly that I did not have all these problem since I use OS based on Linux.

After marriage she had no other option but to use linux (Ubuntu) for browsing,listening music, image viewer,etc. since I have Ubuntu only PC at home. She is very much impressed with Ubuntu now.

net result: she allows me to work at my ubuntu for long hours with loving advice to take care of health also

bottomline: let the M$ user face problem, help them to sort out the issue temporarily and utlilize this opportunity to introduce alternative linux way.

[adam.tropics]

Not yet, but should she come betweeen me and my computer I will definitely consider making her a divorcee!

[bonzodog]

Yup she is DEFINATLEY a computer widow. She nicknames the computer 'the mistress', and I told her when I met her that it was a condition of our relationship - "Love me, love my computer".
She still married me though, and is willing to let the computer be an active part of the relationship.

I even moved house just so I could get broadband, which she willingly accepted.

computer geek to the max, me.

[adam.tropics]

I even moved house just so I could get broadband, which she willingly accepted.


Excellent!

[TecnoVM64]

Well, I don't have atm, but with I tried it with my old gf, she wanted me to STOP talking about anything related to computers.
Anything about Linux was forbidden, her computer had Windows XP and all she did was argue all the time because she couldn't send those annoying "winks", nudges, and other gae things that the msn messenger comes with.
Next time I get a girlfriend I'll make sure that she can AT LEAST show a little bit of interest on my interests (duh) ](*,)

[kinematic]

well...first of all my girlfriend converted me to linux ;)
and the computer will never be as important as her.
if you spend all your time in front of the pc that's basically what you're telling your partner....the computer is more important than you.
and if that's what you do by the means of your actions(spending all your time on the pc)you're a pretty sad person and you need to get a life ;)

[djsroknrol]

well...first of all my girlfriend converted me to linux
and the computer will never be as important as her.
if you spend all your time in front of the pc that's basically what you're telling your partner....the computer is more important than you.
and if that's what you do by the means of your actions(spending all your time on the pc)you're a pretty sad person and you need to get a life

You're absolutely right kinematic...but if part of it is actual work, for pay?...it takes an understanding partner as well...


She nicknames the computer 'the mistress'

funny bonzodog..that's what mine calls it...but I see her on her's a lot too, and I don't call it that...;)

[Adamant1988]

My fiance is not a computer widow... never will be. While I do spend almost all of my free time on the computer, I don't consider my time with her 'free time'. Free time is when I'm alone without having to deal with another human being.

Besides, she would never allow me to make her a computer widow...

[der_joachim]

If I were very dishonest, I would say that I am more of a TV widower. The truth is different. I rarely watch TV, but like watching movies or series on DVD and generally watch them with my girlfriend. She watches more TV than I do, while reading a magazine or something. She has her own laptop and I have my gaming rig and we spend time on our computers separately. My girlfriend *is* a Guild Wars widow, though. :)

[adam.tropics]

well...first of all my girlfriend converted me to linux ;)
and the computer will never be as important as her.

I think I'm going to be sick! (just kidding)


if you spend all your time in front of the pc that's basically what you're telling your partner....the computer is more important than you.
and if that's what you do by the means of your actions(spending all your time on the pc)you're a pretty sad person and you need to get a life ;)

Sir, you have us all wrong! We are actually saying simply that the computer is more important... for now, but when we have slain the evil Gates Double Glazing company's plan for world domination, then of course, she'll be right back up there, top of the list. We do this in the hope that future generations don't have to. We're doin' it for the kids!

[Lord Illidan]

My parents are always shouting at me for spending too much time on the computer, hehe!

No girlfriend yet, though...if I get one, she'll have to live with linux.

[cstudent]

I have become quite skillful at tuning my wife out and just saying "uh huh" at the appropriate time. But when she really gets fired up about just seeing the back of head (I have a corner computer desk) I usually just pick up my laptop, walk into the living room, sit down in my easy chair and keep on hacking. That seems to satisfy her. It's kind of like choking up on the leash to make your dog mind. ;)

[Skia_42]

My parents are always shouting at me for spending too much time on the computer, hehe!

No girlfriend yet, though...if I get one, she'll have to live with linux.

Don't bother with a gril friend it isn't worth it... As to your parents, if you do most of your computer stuff after 11 no one will be up to bother you.

[Stormy Eyes]

My wife's more likely to be a Final Fantasy widow than a computer widow when FFXII comes out. When I got married I decided that I wouldn't be the guy who ignores his woman in favor of some game or the computer or what's on TV. That's why I dumped Gentoo and started using Ubuntu.

[hizaguchi]

Well, I live over an hour from work, and I work 9 hours a day. That's 11. Throw in 8 for sleep, 1 for all meals combined, 1 for vital activities like shower, toilet, brushing teeth, etc, and 1 more for assorted other timesinks like mowing the yard, helping out around the house, and walking the dogs and you're at 22. That leaves me 2 hours a day. I spend about 1 of those messing with the computer and checking email and reading interesting sites (slashdot, forums), and I spend the other with her. You could say I spend half my free time staring at a computer screen, so I widow my wife... or you could say I'm human and I take an hour a day to do something I enjoy for myself. Which is correct seems to depend on the mood.

Weekends are a different story. I generally spend a few hours on the couch tinkering with my laptop on Saturday, but most of the weekend is shopping or watching movies or something like that.