no, i will not fix your computer

It seems to be a seminal geek complaint - “my friends and family are so annoying, every time something goes wrong with their computer, I’m called upon to fix their problems”. Sometimes using much less charitable language.

The free tech support I provide usually works like this:

• “providee” asks for something
• I tell them yeah, sure, I’ll get right on that
• I go and attempt to understand Haskell monads for a couple of hours
• “providee”’s request goes unfulfilled

Eventually (after a number of tactful and gentle reminders) the level of guilt builds to a point where I begrudgingly perform the service requested.

So I’m changing the attitude. I’m throwing out my T-shirt, and I’m going to help out the ones closest to me.

Because hey, I’d drop everything for a customer, so why not a flatmate or a family member?

And as a bonus, the amount of appreciation I receive for something as simple as upgrading Bill’s blog is totally disproportionate to the effort involved (but don’t tell him that).

P.S. I don’t actually own that T-Shirt, so it will have to be a metaphorical trashing…