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I see you've never worked a helpdesk. :)

(Depressingly, yes. PEBKAC is the most common diagnosis and people get really angry about it.)

What technicians don't realize is how often PEBKAC is located at the programming station.

Developers surprised by users lacking a mental model of the operating system, who follow HIGs without understanding why they exists, or who never see how their applications are used, are prone to build applications that kill by a thousand paper cuts.

It doesn't help that people skills are moved to a separate discipline and not taught as part of the essential CS curricula.

For those curious:

PEBKAC == "Problem Exists Between Keyboard And Chair",

means you, the user, are the cause of the issue, not the hardware or the software

For those who prefer a slightly more pleasant looking acronym, there is also:

PICNIC == "Problem In Chair, Not In Computer"

I like that better. That said, imagine the office:

— "It's PICNIC again, guys"

— groans all around

We had PICNIC back in the day in the UK too, plus "ID ten T" often went on the notes.

ID10T

some car mechanics say that it is a problem of the piece/part located between the driving wheel and the driver's seat.

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