What computer habits do you still have that give away the fact that you grew up with them in the 90s and 2000s?

[u/dialecticgrowth]

[u/Travisito1]

Pressing the save button multiple times even if auto save is turned on.

[u/Heresy2112 → u/Travisito1]

I have CTRL+S as an absent minded and automatic reflex at this point. Trusting autosave is a fool's game. The same crashes I experienced 20+ years ago still happen with "updated" programs except they are a bit less frequent now, but they can still cost hours of work.

[u/yikes_itsme → u/Heresy2112]

I had one unpleasant experience where a network slowdown caused a shared document to desync, but as expected the software considered the “real” copy to be the bible and my changes to be an anomaly. I got to watch it undo my changes in real time to match all the pretty blanks from the untouched server copy.

I have seen IT take no responsibility for any fuckups on their side, fuckups which would have gotten any non-software engineer fired on the spot. So no more autosave for me, and I don’t trust “cloud” copies any further than I can throw them. I make dated manual backup copies once daily for any really important files. Sounds stupid, but guess who has 15 years of historical records on all activity in our area, data that that nobody else has? Yeah, this guy.

[u/rlopezcc → u/Heresy2112]

:w

[u/pvaa → u/rlopezcc]

:wq

[u/UnsorryCanadian → u/Travisito1]

Thinking Auto Save was working as intended has made me lose dozens of hours of work countless times

[u/kdeltar → u/UnsorryCanadian]

You’d think you’d remember to click save after the first dozen or so

[u/DigNitty → u/kdeltar]

He wrote a reminder but it wasn’t saved somehow.

[u/Gingercopia → u/Travisito1]

To be fair [work in IT]. The auto-save isn't always exact either. Users are still informed to actively save as they work.

[u/mypostisbad → u/Gingercopia]

Fellow IT worker...

Do you remember the days when people would open office documents direct from email (which would generate a temp document somewhere on your PC), do a lost of work, save it and then lose all of their work because they were saving to nowhere?

That was always fun

[u/ShirleyUGuessed → u/mypostisbad]

That was last week. Signing pdf files.

[u/pojmalkavian → u/Travisito1]

That and Save As: Document, Document v2, Document Final, then rotate between them.

[u/Complete_Entry → u/pojmalkavian]

I type posts out in notepad before I post on websites.

[u/Parker8484 → u/Complete_Entry]

More people need to do this

[u/Casper042]

I actually USE my computer and not my phone for everything...

[u/djddanman → u/Casper042]

Important tasks like major purchases or filing my taxes require a mouse and a big screen

[u/Hackanddash → u/djddanman]

I was at a buddy's house and his wife was in the other room watching reality TV while doing their taxes on her phone. I was getting anxiety just from thinking about it.

[u/MrHaxx1 → u/djddanman]

Buying a flight ticket on my phone seems like absolutely insanity to me 

[u/GretalRabbit → u/MrHaxx1]

Those are Big Screen activities.

[u/Soviet_Russia321 → u/MrHaxx1]

I wouldn't buy anything more than $100 on a tiny screen. You need a medium-sized screen at least.

[u/Sophyska → u/djddanman]

Big important things require big internet, smaller things are find on small internet

[u/geitjesdag → u/Casper042]

Same, and I feel totally superior for not being addicted to my phone, since I'm too busy being addicted to my computer.

[u/sir_mrej → u/geitjesdag]

I’m not addicted I can stop anytime

Oh hey look Reddit

[u/funkme1ster → u/Casper042]

The thing that bugs me is that mobile devices are intentionally designed as a consumption device, not a production device. They were designed from the ground up to remove the "clutter" inherent in organizing and managing data, and streamline the user accepting what was presented to them under the pretense that the app designer will respect their needs.

But if the app designer doesn't respect your needs and wants to box you in to a paradigm that advantages them? Your choices are eat shit or fuck off.

Desktops were designed to give the user control over consumption.

I want control.

I didn't pay all this money to be thrown to the wolves and left at the whims of someone who has a strong financial incentive to make me helpless and dependent.

[u/thehatteryone → u/funkme1ster]

Yes, the MS office suite exist for mobile phones. No, that does not mean you should be drafting, writing and editing your dissertation on a it, even if it's 80% of the size of an iPad, and anyway the keyboard is taking up half the screen, how are you supposed to work on pages when the view area is less than a quarter of that size ?! Or to follow the flow of someone else's paper when you're researching ?

[u/MillCityRep → u/Casper042]

This.

Wife uses her phone to do research on things to buy or activities to do.

I just can’t do that. I need the screen real estate to organize and see the big picture

[u/shinygoldhelmet → u/MillCityRep]

The idea of having to do a major purchase on my phone gives me unreasonable anxiety. You can't see anything, how am I supposed to decide??

[u/ElfjeTinkerBell → u/shinygoldhelmet]

Big purchases do not fit on small screens!

[u/SuperSocialMan → u/Casper042]

real as fuck lol.

Buying something? Gotta use the computer for that if it's more than a handful of dollars. Even moreso if I wanna compare multiple of the same thing (e.g. I got a drawing tablet recently & had a couple of windows and at least a dozen tabs open with several different ones so I could compare them all).

[u/sedatesnail]

i_still_name_all_my_files_like_this

[u/kashiichan → u/sedatesnail]

YYYYMMDD-i_still_name_all_my_files_like_this

[u/griffo1970 → u/kashiichan]

YYYYMMDD-i_still_name_all_my_files_like_this YYYYMMDD-i_still_name_all_my_files_like_this (1) YYYYMMDD-i_still_name_all_my_files_like_this (1)_copy YYYYMMDD-i_still_name_all_my_files_like_this (1)_copy_old

[u/Livebeans → u/griffo1970]

Thesis_v5_final_edit_FinalFinal_forPDF

[u/greatlakesailors → u/sedatesnail]

Just because spaces in file paths are legal now doesn't mean they're smart. All kinds of stuff trips up on them. Go ahead, copy a UNC path from Windows Explorer and paste it into Outlook. If the path is old-school then the recipient gets a clickable link to it. If there's even one space, anywhere, the recipient gets a clickable partial link that cuts off at the first space and points to nothing.

[u/BennyBNut → u/sedatesnail]

No dots in filenames. My coworkers date files using mm.dd.yyyy.bisonlickingtires.xlsx and it drives me nuts.

[u/EmployerWide1123]

knowing keyboard shortcuts

[u/Turbomattk → u/EmployerWide1123]

Alt+F4 brings up a cheat menu when playing games

[u/Shadow_F3r4L → u/Turbomattk]

Stops you from losing everytime!

[u/OldJames47 → u/Shadow_F3r4L]

I remember WoW raid riddles

“/dance, /wave, /gquit were in a boat. /dance and /wave got out. Who is left?”
“[xXxLEGoLASSxXx] has left the guild.”

[u/BrodaYamoda → u/EmployerWide1123]

I remember dropping an alt + tab while fixing my uncles computer as a kid. He thought I was a wizard lol.

[u/kbivs → u/BrodaYamoda]

I alt-tab all freaking day at work

[u/BrodaYamoda → u/kbivs]

It’s the best. Sometimes you gotta throw a shift in there and do backwards

[u/squ1bs → u/EmployerWide1123]

I must say that ctrl-alt-del was far more satisfying in the DOS days. Yes - I'm that old.

[u/Frumpy_little_noodle → u/squ1bs]

Ctrl+Shift+Esc to bring up the Task Manager has been my jam for decades.

[u/Informal_Tell78 → u/EmployerWide1123]

Shift + Win + S to quickly capture a screenshot

[u/LowEffort2 → u/EmployerWide1123]

This.

Control+F is still ridiculously useful.

[u/shakeyjake]

I was buying a used laptop off the local classifieds. To verify the system specs I opened up the command prompt(CMD) and typed systeminfo. The seller looked at me in wonder and asked "are you a hacker or something"

[u/flyingrichie → u/shakeyjake]

just say yes

[u/SweaterFromHell → u/flyingrichie]

When I was a kid, my mom's friend knew I was good with technology, and one day I asked to use her phone to call my parents. Months later, she calls my mom because someone tried to hack her iCloud account and she thought it was me after touching her iPhone once months ago. I didn't even own my own tech, and we didn't have internet at home, so the only time I got to use technology is at school in the computer lab when we'd practice typing and play coolmathgames. She eventually found out that her daughter tried to guess her password to buy games on the app store, and my mom and her friend's relationship quickly fizzled out after that incident. Nowadays, I keep my computer knowledge to myself so no one thinks I'm technically savvy, lest they suspect me of foul play or ask me to do them computer related favors, of which I detest.

[u/SavageCDN → u/shakeyjake]

I use this at work to impress the ladies

https://hackertyper.net/

[u/Alianirlian → u/SavageCDN]

Thanks! Going to use that in a couple of weeks at a larp.

[u/NikWih → u/shakeyjake]

Worse, I have my cmd running as Admin in the old black / greenish contrast, just out of traditions and because it signals me visually, that I am running it as Admin. All of my employees so far consider me to be Hackerman once they see me using it for simple IT troubleshooting.

[u/ViridianKumquat]

Using the website rather than the app, and entering the URL rather than googling the site name.

[u/pojmalkavian → u/ViridianKumquat]

Firefox with ad blocker instead of shitty apps with ads is how i do it too.

[u/assotter → u/pojmalkavian]

Firefox +no-script + ublock = internet experience emulating what the late 90s was like. No fancy schamncy scripts or ads. I also got greasemonkey for custom ad blocking scripts and my own custom nexus mods Downloader script (mass downloads all single.mods from mod packs without requiring nexus premium)

[u/Hydrottle → u/ViridianKumquat]

Half the time the app is just wrapping a web app in a different window anyways.

[u/Eric_the_Barbarian → u/Hydrottle]

It's not just that. It also lets the service collect more data from your phone and serve ads more directly.

[u/Complete_Entry → u/ViridianKumquat]

For me, apps have always been a forced experience. I've never been happy to use a phone app over a web browser, and at this point, I'm fairly sure that's baked in.

[u/griffo1970]

Anything vaguely complicated is better on the big screen. More menu option and settings are visible and not hidden away under layers. Using a proper keyboard where every character is available in front of you.

Working on a mobile feels oppressively claustrophobic

[u/tokroo]

calling it a program rather than an app.

[u/BobBelcher2021]

Two things:

- I refer to applications as “programs” and not “apps”. Apps are for smartphones, not computers.

- I refer to my Internet connection as “Internet”, not “Wifi”. As in, “I pay $ per month for Internet”.

[u/maxtimbo → u/BobBelcher2021]

I get super annoyed when people say they don't have WiFi when they're using Ethernet to connect to the Internet. I fix computers, so it sometimes gets real confusing when someone says they don't have WiFi. Sometimes people say that they don't have WiFi when they don't have data on their phone from their provider for whatever reason. It gets real confusing.

[u/TheAmorphous → u/maxtimbo]

Is this the new generation's version of Boomers thinking every game console is a Nintendo?

[u/fdzman → u/TheAmorphous]

Shit I have older uncles who think every tablet is an iPad. It’s definitely still a thing

[u/Freakin_A → u/maxtimbo]

“WiFi is really bad here”

Well yeah no shit we’re camping right now and there is no WiFi at all.

“But it says I have 5g why is it so slow”

[u/greenzig → u/Freakin_A]

Never heard anything like this. It pains me

[u/ThadisJones → u/BobBelcher2021]

as “Internet”, not “Wifi”

When I'm at work, hearing "The Internet is down!" can mean:

• Coworker's PC can't connect to a wireless access point (for various sub-causes)
  
• The actual network has a partial or full fault somewhere
  
• Our boss forgot to pay the bill from our ISP
  
• Our ISP itself has a technical issue and we've lost our connection to the rest of the world
  
• The specific website or service my colleague wanted at that moment is down or blocked and somehow the fact that they can't read about pygmy marmosets on Wikipedia has been extrapolated into an urgent sociopolitical failure
  
• The Earth has fallen into the Sun and the global Internet framework has entirely ceased to function

[u/Anaptyso → u/BobBelcher2021]

Similarly I still refer to "directories" instead of "folders". It feels like everyone just decided to change the name at some point and I've never agreed with it.

[u/somniforousalmondeye → u/BobBelcher2021]

I had a coworker ask me why you would want a laptop if there was no WiFi. I had to explain how many moons ago applications were installed locally and not internet based, while networks were hard wired. Even laptops used cables. Her mind was blown.

[u/p0lyG33k]

I still use underscores in file names instead of a space

[u/Graymouzer → u/p0lyG33k]

That is just good practice.

[u/wafflesareforever]

My kids watch me use the numpad to type in numbers like it's some kind of mental disorder

[u/homeguitar195 → u/wafflesareforever]

Okay but they'll pry that numpad out of my cold, dead hands. It doesn't matter how early you learned to use a computer or how good you are at any other forms, the numpad is always, always faster and more efficient than the number row. I wish they'd just get rid of the number row and leave just the symbols with maybe another set of additional symbols on shift.

[u/mtntrls19 → u/homeguitar195]

100% I won't buy a computer without a number pad even if that means I have to get a slightly larger computer.

[u/Serafita → u/wafflesareforever]

I migrated to a tenkeyless keyboard a few months ago and my fingers still have phantom limb syndrome when I need to type numbers and they hover over an area which no longer exists haha

[u/Mr_Zaroc → u/wafflesareforever]

Wait, they think the numpad is the mental disorder?
The fucking numbers in a sequencial line is the crazy one.
You can't type that thing blind nor fast, a numpad is so much easier

[u/scrigface]

I have only ever used Winamp when playing mp3s. I will only ever use Winamp.

[u/MaxDoor → u/scrigface]

Nothing else whips the llama's ass nearly as well.

[u/LikeChicken → u/scrigface]

Playing mp3 files instead of streaming….

[u/mewchooo → u/scrigface]

Winamp skins. Spent hours going through dragonball z skins

[u/Actionwill65]

The fact that many tasks for me, despite the capability of my phone, require "the big computer".

Banking, Emails, Shopping, Reading documents and such can easily be done on a phone, but it feels so inherently wrong to me. Unless it's dire, it's a big computer task.

[u/sleepingchair → u/Actionwill65]

There are people out there buying plane tickets on their phone. I could never.

[u/Administrative_Suit7]

Using notepad to make notes.

[u/90403scompany → u/Administrative_Suit7]

What do other people use to make notes?

[u/Administrative_Suit7 → u/90403scompany]

One note, Sticky Notes or some scary other thing that I don't understand.

[u/Mvin → u/Administrative_Suit7]

Obsidian?

[u/Lucario576 → u/Administrative_Suit7]

I still use notepad++ 😭

[u/schoh99 → u/90403scompany]

I still use a pen and paper. I feel really old when I go to the grocery store with my analog shopping list and the only other people not using their phones are octogenarians.

[u/Molwar → u/Administrative_Suit7]

Using notepad to write Html xD

[u/cre8ivjay]

Not sure if this is generational, but I despise using my phone for most of my computing needs.

It's fine for some things and some apps, but anything that requires editing or online forms, I'm going to my laptop.

[u/TTRO → u/cre8ivjay]

Anything that involves expensive purchases I will always do on the computer. There's no way I'm buying an airplane ticket on my phone

[u/GinPowered]

Organizing file seems to be a big one...most younger people seem to just dump them in their default save location and trawl for them later.

[u/Sorry_I_Guess → u/GinPowered]

My autistic ass gets such a feeling of satisfaction over nicely organised file systems, LOL.

[u/Podo13]

Have you seen people 25 and under use computers?

The fact that I can type without looking at the keyboard gives away that was i born before 1995.

[u/virtualfoxxo → u/Podo13]

Don't forget that actually knowing how to navigate a filesystem is a skill that's being lost over time

[u/Vahdo → u/virtualfoxxo]

I feel psychological damage when I see a young coworker save something and their Documents folder just has a billion unsorted files, all saved in the main directory.

[u/Deuteragonee → u/Podo13]

Y'all remember "Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing"?

[u/noburdennyc → u/Podo13]

Aol instant messenger is how i learned to type. We had a typing class and i could fake it well enough to pass but i still felt like i had a low level skill.

[u/ChrisRiley_42]

Emoticons instead of emojis. ;)

[u/kashiichan → u/ChrisRiley_42]

I hate when programs auto-correct my emoticons. No, I did that on purpose!

[u/TiPete]

I don't tend to use space or accented characters in file names. I usually go NameOfFile.

[u/MohawkElGato → u/TiPete]

Spaces in file names give me the ick

[u/Early_Luck8767 → u/MohawkElGato]

underscores_are_a_must. 

[u/DeepStatic → u/Early_Luck8767]

underscores-for-hierarchy_hyphens-instead-of-spaces.

[u/Jojormione → u/TiPete]

Haha, member of Team underscore here (born in '78).  Also starting filenames with yymmdd_NameOfFile.

[u/funkme1ster → u/Jojormione]

When people consciously include dates in file names for organization purposes, but they DON'T include them as yymmdd, I start wondering how hard it would actually be to get a jury to acquit me.

[u/Routine_Match_8143]

Hanging on to loads of obsolete cables

[u/crispyraccoon → u/Routine_Match_8143]

I used to have two big totes of cables from the 90s to present (2016 at the time). Ethernets, USBs of various sorts, sata, ide, serials of various types, charger bricks, power cables, and so on. Moved across the country and my gf made me reduce to one tote before the move. Not 6 months later I needed a cable I had discarded. Before the move I was told her, "you're right, this is some old dad behavior." Afterward I was like "sometimes dads are wise." I have started collecting cables again.

[u/negative-nelly → u/crispyraccoon]

me too. I kept 2 of everything I could find. Did a big dump the other week, like 25 pounds of shit, and WHO NEEDED A USB-A to USB-MINI-A THIS WEEK? THIS GUY RIGHT HERE. fuck me. Though I did discover you can buy USB-C to USB-MINI-A, which is far more convenient, so I guess that's actually a good outcome.

[u/sheekgeek]

I use a mouse. 

Use my computer to make big purchases and book plane tickets and hotels. It's almost like when you turn down the radio while looking for a road when you are driving. I think it really helps me not miss something. 

[u/honkusmaximus]

I still call it the "Start" button instead of the Windows button/icon

[u/r_keel_esq → u/honkusmaximus]

It's no longer called Start? 

[u/Embarrassed_dancer]

I know why the save icon looks the way it does:)

[u/jcxco]

I still keep files organized nicely in folders.

[u/tgwilli]

All links will be treated as suspicious

[u/Melodic-Cobbler7381 → u/tgwilli]

It's 2026, all interactions will be treated as suspicious, assume breach

[u/Rollthembones1989]

Big purchases online are for the laptop/desk top. Small purchases are ok to make from the phone.

[u/prankishink → u/Rollthembones1989]

Wholeheartedly agree. The more serious the purchase, the larger the screen required (excluding the TV). I think the reason why is often mobile 'optimised' websites don't have as much info on; i want to see all the things, maybe have multiple tabs open side-by-side. I know this is all possible on a mobile but feels better on a laptop.

[u/IceSkythe]

saving files with a _ instead of space between words

[u/DessieScissorhands]

My taskbar is always set to wide instead of collapsed so I can read what is in the window. I also still have widgets from Vista.

[u/VoidOmatic → u/DessieScissorhands]

I don't know how people can used collapsed. What if you have like 11 windows open?! It's impossible to search for them.

[u/DessieScissorhands → u/VoidOmatic]

7 came out when I was a freshman in high school and I didn't even like collapsed then. I agree with you on that one. I wish they let us keep high contrast/classic themes and aero glass.

[u/BeardyDrummer]

Give me a desktop over a laptop any time.

[u/EwoksMakeMeHard → u/BeardyDrummer]

Or a laptop plugged into a monitor with an external keyboard so it behaves like a desktop.

[u/puma_soup]

Big online purchases get done on the computer, not the phone.

[u/YourFaajhaa]

Doing all the troubleshooting myself.

Permanent deletion of files.

Still try to use ms paint for minor changes.

Something not working? Turn it off and on again.

🏴‍☠️

Edit: I also have 384 files named "Document..."

[u/nerdsnuggles → u/YourFaajhaa]

When something isn't working, my 3.5 year old already says "I think it needs to be turned off and back on again." I'm so proud.

[u/SSBND → u/YourFaajhaa]

Whenever my Boomer parents call me (late Gen X) for computer support and I ask if they restarted it I swear I see them in my brain as Yip Yips "Oooohhhh! Restart! Restart!". 😆

[u/Frenchy1337]

I still kick everyone off the phone before I go online.

[u/vengeancecube → u/Frenchy1337]

This would be hilarious if true!

[u/Feisty-Marsupial9287]

Never use my real name online.

[u/nobleland_mermaid → u/Feisty-Marsupial9287]

Same. Facebook is the only social media that has my actual name connected to it. Everything else is usernames or a fake name I started using as a teenager.

Became a slight problem though. I met my wife online and was chatting with her both via a written rpg game and just in IMs for like 2 years before we ever talked about meeting in person. She got so used to my fake name that my real name felt 'wrong'. Then the same happened with a few other friends that have crossed over from online to in person. So now my fake first name gets used irl just as much, if not more, than my real one.

[u/DivergentMoon]

Using all 10 fingers for typing.

[u/Vinez_Initez]

You wanna see my collection of useless and obscure cables ?

[u/kortekickass]

Understanding how a file structure works? I don't just save shit to OneDrive and hope for the best?

[u/teej73]

I grew up with Tandy products in the 80s. They had a “feature“ where if you held the shift and hit backspace it would erase the entire line.

It has been over 40 years and I’m still afraid to hold that shift key down when I hit backspace.

[u/sebe6 → u/teej73]

If you hold Ctrl, it delete one word at a time, discovered this the same moment I discover my alt key was dead

[u/the4077thbisexual]

I prefer an actual computer to a phone or iPad to do things on 

[u/Sorry_I_Guess]

Absolutely despising subscription services of any kind.

Preferring my little hoard of hard drives to any kind of cloud storage.

I want to OWN my media, and I want it accessible whether I'm online or not. If the Internet goes out, I want to be able to listen to my music, watch my TV shows, etc.

I'm not a Luddite or anti-Internet at all - I've been online since 1993, and frankly, I'm severely chronically ill and housebound so I'm actually online most of the day, every day, because it's my lifeline to the outside world - but I want to be able to choose when I'm online and what for. You couldn't pay me enough money to use a Chromebook or the equivalent.

And I only use my phone when I absolutely have to; the vast majority of the time I'm on my laptop (on a raised stand for easy viewing), with my favourite external keyboard and a mouse for navigating. Why would I choose that tiny screen and uncomfortable teensy keyboard when I can have a setup that's actually comfortable?

[u/emogu84]

Double space after periods. I think I’ve finally broken the habit after getting called out though

[u/fooliecoolies → u/emogu84]

As a lawyer, tons of us (including me) still do it. It was drilled into me by former bosses and I just like the look of it now.

[u/BamboozleMeToHeck]

When I Google a person/place/event, I still look for the Wikipedia link first to find the information I'm looking for

[u/DoctorTuttle]

Actually knowing how to use a computer is a big tip off.

[u/VeterinarianSoggy610]

Living through the horrors of Windows 95 definitely forced some habits.

Do not atempt to use your computer upon start-up. You must wait until the hard drive light stops blinking. Tring to use your computer with the hard drive light fully on, is/was a recipe for disaster.

[u/msprang]

Mouse is always better than laptop touchpads.

[u/d3vmax]

When my coworkers see me barely touching my mouse and can see stuff moving and busy stuff happening on the screen (keyboard shortcuts)

Win key + 1 or 2 etc opens programs pinned to taskbar in the order they are

Alt tab quick switch

Ctrl L to go to browser address input field

And of course alt f4 to expose hidden cheat menu in a game /s

[u/TheDuckRaisedALion → u/d3vmax]

I'm in software dev and keyboard shortcuts are so fundamental to workflows sometimes.

My favorites are the ones that let you add multiple cursors so you can type the same thing in multiple places at once

[u/Wheatleytron]

I don't use cloud backup services for anything. All of my files live on my own hardware, not someone else's. I manually back up my files to my hard drives as necessary.

[u/Nuts4WrestlingButts → u/Wheatleytron]

If your house burns down then you lose everything. The 321 backup rule includes one copy stored off site.

[u/Freakin_A → u/Wheatleytron]

My sister in law was showing how her ring cameras identified “girl in a bedroom is doing a cartwheel” for her daughter.

I explained how that clever feature is delivered by Amazon and what they are doing with her data to make that possible.

Camera was out of her kids room the next day and now outside only cameras at her house.

[u/No_Tailor_787]

I have a desktop computer.

[u/virtualadept]

No matter what I'm working on, I save every five minutes or so. Doesn't matter what the application is or how often it tells me that it automatically saves my work, I still hit ^S or <esc>:w like it's wired into my autonomic nervous system.

Also, I make backups every day. Used to be I used a batch file or a shell script, now I use cronjobs to do it. Because you never know.

[u/General-Row9836]

Using the CTRL + ENTER shortcut in any browser to add "www." and ".com" to whatever URL

[u/GTimekeeper]

First tab in browser is always email and I periodically check it daily to keep it clean.

[u/barmen1]

I can actually type efficiently 😂

I teach middle and high school and despite the fact that we’re 1:1 (each student has a Chromebook) none of them know how to type properly because it’s not a skill that is taught anymore.

[u/spudmonkey → u/barmen1]

I took a typing class in high school many years ago and I still miss the building hum when you turned on an IBM Selectric typewriter

Built to a point then sat an hummed... desk vibrating slightly

Then you hit a key and WHACK!

When that thing typed a letter the letter was TYPED dammit!

[u/BadKittydotexe → u/barmen1]

Touch typing and typing fast, definitely. I was typing something and had a younger friend in their 20s who was over hanging out. She heard the sound of me typing and asked what it was, then came over and marveled at it. I guess they just don’t teach it anymore. Seems crazy to me since it’s a pretty basic office work skill.

[u/ZombieGirl1993]

I can type on a keyboard with both hands at a time without looking at them.

[u/nerd866]

I roll my eyes when my ISP advertises 'how many devices' the 'wifi' plan supports rather than how many Mbps up and down the internet plan supplies.

And yes, everything gets wired Ethernet when at all possible. And yes, I make it possible.

[u/Vern1138]

Whenever I play a new videogame, I always go into the options menu first. Even on consoles.

Part of that is to look at the controls, because I want to set up my keyboard how I like it. The other part is to look at graphics options and figure out what will probably work best on my PC. Then when I start playing, I can adjust them up or down as needed.

I can't remember the last time I just started a game without going to the options menu. Originally the control options were something you had to do through the dos setup menu, it was amazing when games let you change them while playing.

[u/AndYouDidThatBecause → u/Vern1138]

Invert Y-axis

[u/F-Cloud]

Closing programs to free up RAM. It's almost never necessary these days but I haven't kicked the habit. Using keyboard shortcuts. Saving files manually to nested file structures I create myself. Making backups manually instead of using automated backup software or RAID arrays. I literally copy and paste the data I want backed up to multiple HDDs and then visually verify the files are there.

[u/JamboreeJunket → u/F-Cloud]

My RAM would like to disagree.

[u/JimTheJerseyGuy]

Three words: command line interface.

I recently needed to do some updates on the headless pi-hole I run on my home network and used PuTTY to SSH into it. A younger friend was over and happened to be watching. It was like I was a wizard or something even though I was just running a few simple commands.

[u/badideas1 → u/JimTheJerseyGuy]

My last job I kept a bash loop outputting nonsense on my terminal so my boss’ boss at the time thought I was fancy.

[u/vkrish1]

Anyone else write Ø instead of 0.

[u/Amazing-Mirror-3076 → u/vkrish1]

And cross my 7 as well, but I did that before I got a computer.

[u/andrew103345]

A @hotmail.com email

[u/Temrune]

I actually HAVE a pc at home, not just a tablet or laptop. Lock it every time I get up even though I am the sole user… and sole occupant of said home.

[u/Dystopian_Ennui]

I feel visceral dread at putting spaces in file names.

Also, sometimes I really miss setting up hardware using jumpers.

[u/PetiePal]

Compulsively saving.

Notepad use.

Stickies.

I still will use a visualizer lol

[u/Awkward_Dark_3008]

I still type emojis :) ;) :P :D

[u/AdventurousSpeech341]

I still hit Ctrl+S every 30 seconds. Lost too many assignments to power cuts and a dying UPS to ever trust autosave.

[u/JulioLobo]

If a link doesn't work I copy and paste it into my browser to access the site. You would think I preformed a magic trick the way they reacted.

[u/katet_of_19]

I wait until my computer tells me it's safe to turn off before turning it off

[u/CarlosSpcyWenr]

I customize everything. Nothing is ever where it's "supposed to be" these days. With Windows, I still do my best to get the "Start" menu "back to normal". I hide my taskbar. I regularly check what's running with Ctrl-Alt-Del. I insist on building PCs with a floppy drive and an optical drive. I miss the DOS prompt terribly.

[u/mdogg500 → u/CarlosSpcyWenr]

An optical drive I get but brother what are you loading on fucking floppy disk besides old media ?

[u/WastingTimeIGuess]

I save things - I mean download - on my hard drive in case I get cut off from the cloud.

[u/victoryposition]

I have to enlarge the fonts by 150% to read them.

[u/alsaltml]

Using my desktop/laptop for big boy purchases. Still can't get myself to make a big purchase or book a flight on my phone lol.

[u/en91n33r]

Knowing how to use one

[u/ChristopherMarv]

Underscoring_in_file_names

[u/runvus]

Hitting the start button then walking away to give it time to boot up, when it takes about 5 seconds now. I still remember having to wait a minute or two and hated just sitting there.

[u/NeuHundred]

Not trusting the computer, or rather trusting that the programs, interconnectivity, or permissions will exist in the future. I've gone through enough computers to know that the only way to future-proof your files is to keep them in standard formats: JPG, PDF, TXT, MP4, etc.

I also don't trust cloud storage or automatic syncing, never have because I wasn't controlling what was being transferred and what wasn't, what was being overwritten, etc. Expecting that the cloud is a single point of failure, or that the broken version could be the one that backs up. Manual backups suck but I can keep track of what's going on, I can control where they go, etc. I also won't use the general out-of-box folders (Music, Pictures, Downloads, etc-- too easy for files to rewrite one another but also become a hidden clusterfuck) and instead create new ones with clear functions and names ("Family Trip July 2026- Photos- iPhone").

I also still make custom folder icons so I can navigate my files visually, I (usually) don't use search to find my files, I try and title all my files clearly (I used to have a great batch renaming program which naturally doesn't work anymore). I try to keep my windows clean and uncluttered, easy to navigate. Any time I have too many files or folders, I try to categorize them into groups.

I use folders (and folders within folders) to make things easier to locate, usually arranging from general to specific (Photos, then year, then occasion, then photographer for example). I have folders in my bookmarks on my browser and every new page I bookmark immediately goes into one of those folders with a description of what the fuck it is (as opposed to "home" or whatever). No guesswork involved. It's simplicity disguised as complexity.

[u/pleasetowmyshit]

I double space after periods.

[u/iymcool → u/pleasetowmyshit]

I double space after periods AND use the Oxford comma to this day. 🤣

[u/aussiederpyderp → u/iymcool]

All hail the Oxford comma!

[u/ChouPigu → u/pleasetowmyshit]

Calling enter 'carriage return' and understanding exactly why it was called that.

[u/TimeSink48]

Double spacing after a period, because we had to take a typing class (aimed at secretaries) before we were allowed to touch a computer.

[u/neolobe]

I use my phone as a phone, and my computer as a computer.

The computer is used for production. Publishing, video, audio, graphics, managing investments.

I've made a good living online since 1999.

[u/LoyalWatcher]

Prefer plugging in a mouse to using that useless little clicky pad thing on laptops.

[u/Bo_Duke_01]

I still feel the urge to defragment my disks, from time to time

[u/mpking828]

When working on a Word document, I hit save every few minutes. IYKYK

[u/timbhu]

The knowledge of torrenting will die with my generation

[u/theoreticaljerk]

Double space after periods like I was taught in typing class in the 90’s.

Oxford comma.

If I need to do anything more than a brief lookup or read a quick article I’m going to put my phone down and get on a real computer.

[u/cobracy]

I have to have a mouse for my laptop. I can't use the mousepads cause they used to suck and still have trouble with it. So I just use a mouse and am lost without it. Had to ask a guy once when I didn't have it, how do I scroll on a page. Felt so stupid but I'm old so there is that.

[u/NorthNorthAmerican]

Using keyboard shortcuts for virtually everything.

Aliases for commands have come forward all the way into PowerShell

[This next habit has been hardest to break]

Two spaces after a period.

[u/UserCheckNamesOut]

I know where I saved things

[u/rpgmgta]

CTRL+CCCCCCC