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> My definition is someone who knows what a cpu is and has some basic
> understanding of how computers respond when you type something in. They
> aren't afraid that if they type the wrong thing the system will explode...
I met a computer trainer who said he had been making significant progress
helping an elderly and timid woman overcome her computer-phobia. One of
his favorite consoling phrases was, "don't worry about making mistakes,
the computer won't blow up!".
But alas! in the next class, she was typing and a large plume of dark
smoke started pouring out of the CRT. Evidently she was quite shaken by
the experience, and never showed up for another class.
Yes, this sounds suspiciously like an urban legend, and maybe the story
teller was exaggerating. By way of net-research, I'll poke around the
alt.folklore groups and archive to see how widespread a tale this is...
