Garry said:
A plumber has turned up to Ed or Sarah's place.
Plumber: What's the problem?
Them: There's a leak in the thingey.
Plumber: The thingey? The THINGEY? You mean there is an effusion of
liquid from the D-ring grommet on the lower entry systrum? Why can't
people who drink water all day learn the right terminology! I'll come
back when you've got the jargon right.
There is an important difference between the scenario you describe and the
one here. The word "thingy" (AFAIK) has no set defined meaning in plumbing,
whereas "D-ring grommet on the lower entry systrum" does (for the sake of
argument). When working with computers, "download" has a definite meaning,
and "install" or "set up" has a completely different definite meaning.
When you use the word "download", you imply that you obtained something off
a remote medium, normally the internet. Microsoft do not make any version
of Publisher available for download, so if you have downloaded Publisher,
you have in general almost certainly broken the law (unless you obtained it
from a network installation source on a corporate network). If you have
"installed" or "set up" (not "setup", as that's a noun, but that's an
entirely different discussion) Publisher, then the possibility remains that
you have broken the law, but it would be completely unreasonable to assume
so.
You do not by any means have to learn all the computer jargon to use a
computer or even to ask a question, but it definitely helps to know the
basic terminology, and it is always good to learn from your mistakes when
they are corrected (no matter how they are corrected. If I had posted a
reply saying "you mean install, not download", and Sarah had posted nothing,
it is quite likely that you would have either ignored it, or taken notice,
said "oh, ok", and then forgotten it. Sarah's shock tactics mean that you
get all offended, and you have an emotional response associated with the
incident, so you are less likely to forget. Of course, if you're feeling
obstinate (like some people I know in real life are when I correct them),
then you will now go around and deliberately use the incorrect terminology -
I hope that's not the case).
