I really don’t think I could. Not that this has ever been an issue, because I’ve either had ultra-non-techie bfs who have only needed to be lent my laptop occasionally, or I haven’t been living with them. Or I didn’t then have a home computer, or whatever.
But if I set up shop with a bf, and we were both regular internet/computer users, there’s no damn way I could share a computer. Even if he was a Mac freak too. I would rather permanently share a toothbrush than a computer.
I would also want my own ISP, and quite probably my own phone line (if we were both heavy users). If we could get permanent broadband then a home network would be fine.
But my laptop is my personal space. I don’t even use it 24/7 or surf the web that much from home. It’s just mine mine mine, and I’m closer to it than to my own underwear.
And as for couples I know that share FREE web-based email accounts… that to me is like being grafted to your partner like a conjoined twin…
Two computers networked, one phone line. Not his and hers computers as such, though. We still have to manage with 56k dialup, since we live in the boonies, where ADSL has not yet been “rolled out” (what do they think it is, pastry?).
Bandwidth is an issue. “Oi, are you f—ing downloading something enormous?” I’ll frequently ask, as the SDMB, UnaBoard or Brunching slow to slime mould pace.
No way in the world I could share an email account! Ack!
Next month, when we move, I might find myself temporarily sharing my iMac with KKBattousai. (I’m shipping mine over; he’s going to build himself a new PC.) And the prospect doesn’t bother me at all. If anything, the sight of him using an iMac will be a source of endless amusement for me.
I have some things on this computer that I’d consider personal, such as correspondence with friends, my ICQ message archives, and things I’ve written. But there’s little on there that he doesn’t know about, or that I would be ashamed over him finding out about or reading.
This isn’t to say that I’d let anybody wander in and use my machine. Quite the contrary. Forget about sharing a computer with my mom… jeez, I get nervous if she’s even in the same room as me while I do stuff on the computer. And I can’t type to save my life if someone is watching me.
I think it’s just a matter of him being lucky enough to not trip my discomfort/paranoia alarms.
I draw the line at e-mail accounts.
Thankfully my spouse hates computers and will only use them if she has to write something for work or if she has a serious Tetris jones. She occasionally emails people from our shared account, but for the most part it’s my domain.
Now when my toddler gets older, all bets are off. She’s already shown an interest in computers and will probably be a machine hog. Hopefully by then we’ll have broadband and I can set her up on our old computer.
You could use a hot-swappable hard drive (e.g., a FireWire external) and each have your own environment untrammeled by the other. Put your applications on the internal drive, I guess, but all the prefs and stuff will be on the removable that you boot from.
My roommate uses my computer more than I do, since I get most of it taken care of at work. I have an email account, with a separate address set aside for her.
Now, work is a different computer. This is my domain. I don’t stop other people from sitting down at my desk if they need to, but boy do I get ansty when they do. Not for any real reason, just territoriality.
And istara, did I misread you, or did you say you keep your laptop in your underwear??
Wll it depends on whether your PC is an applicance or a personal living and working space. Mine is the latter. Complete, fairly powerful net ready PCs can be had few hundred dollars (even notebooks) if you shop around on Ebay or some clearance sites like www.computergeeks.com or www.ubid.com. I finally got separate PCs for the kids and most of the fighting went away except struggles for the telephone line (until we got cable internet) . Granted my rec room looks like mission control but that’s not always a bad thing
My SO and I share our home computer. We basically only use it to play games though (Pimpwar and Mobfather rule!!) But we both have our own e-mail accounts… not that there’s anything to hide but, just like snail mail, if it’s mine… I wanna read it first!
Share a computer? My husband and I have had separate computers networked together since before that was even remotely common (6+ years). We have back-to-back L-shaped computer desks in the largest room in the house for our computer room. We share our DSL service, of course, using a router, but neither of us is inclined to ever get on the other’s computer. It’s about as weird as if I were to sit at some stranger’s computer.
I actually got into a huge fight about this with my boyfriend a little while ago.
You know what he did? He rearranged my start menu without my permission! Man, I almost killed him. I let him use my computer, okay, but it’s my computer. It fels like such an invasion of my personal space.
When we eventually move out together, you better believe he’s getting his own.
I own my own computer; Gunslinger does not. If, once we move in together, he really wants to go buy himself his very own computer he can do so but I really don’t care. Since this is my computer I expect to be the final authority on how everything is set up, but he can use it all he wants and I’ll give him a folder on the hard drive and everything. It’s fine with me. I used to share the home computer with everyone else in my family, and he shares his home computer with everyone in his family, so I don’t think it’ll be an issue.
However, no matter how much I love and trust him, if I ever catch him reading my email he’ll get an ass-whupping. It’s not that I have anything to hide; it’s the principal of the thing.
Why not just set up multiple user accounts? What’s yours is yours, what’s mine is mine, and you can’t see any of my stuff unless I give you privileges to do so.
I share with the Lady Vor. You can set Mozilla shortcuts to launch with a specific profile, so we each have our own separate email accounts, bookmark lists, etc.
I have no problem sharing knowledge, but my PC’s are mine. The few times I’ve shared, the other person changed things, a personal no-no for me. I like to tweak my systems to be just a certain way. In time this became an active dislike of other people using them. I have some personal things on them as well, things I do not want shared. I also have confidential data from work on them. All in all, it’s just better for me to have my own and let them have their own, even buy it for them if that’s needed.
Currently, living with a friend and his family, we have a home network and sharing certain directories is fine, as is giving them access to the DSL circuit, no problem with that whatsoever, as long as it is understood that if I need the full bandwidth (which does happen occasionally), they have to get off or they will be dropped, after a warning, of course…
I need my computer for work and so does my wife - so we have 2 desktops. IF one goes down then we have a laptop that could stand in or we share until it’s working.
As for email - we both have multiple accounts so that’s really not a problem
For the most part our computers are our own but neither of us really mind if the other uses theirs as long as it’s not when they need it. Also we would rather use our own.
We don’t change each others settings - the default settings are basically the same i.e. **open each folder in it’s own window ** display full MS DOS name - I Hate when these are the other way - Hate! Hate! Hate! and don’t hide extentions either.
I do the maintance on both (well all 3) so occationally some new icon pops up on my wifes computer - she askes me about it - I tell her and she decides to either use it or put in in a pile of icons that she will never use and doesn’t really want to see but knows I need them for maintance.
