---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In case you're not a computer person, I…"
description: "\"In case you're not a computer person, I should probably point out that 'Real Soon Now' is a technical term meaning 'sometime before the heat-death of t..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b7/scott-fahlman-66535_cases_in-case-you-re-not-a-computer-person-i-s_1835335.png"
---

#  In case you're not a computer person, I should probably…

![“In case you're not a computer person, I should probably point out that 'Real Soon Now' is a technical term meaning 'sometime before the heat-death of the universe, maybe'.” quote by Scott Fahlman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b7/scott-fahlman-66535_cases_in-case-you-re-not-a-computer-person-i-s_1835335.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b7/scott-fahlman-66535_cases_in-case-you-re-not-a-computer-person-i-s_1835335.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b7/scott-fahlman-66535_cases_in-case-you-re-not-a-computer-person-i-s_1835335.png)

> “In case you're not a computer person, I should probably point out that 'Real Soon Now' is a technical term meaning 'sometime before the heat-death of the universe, maybe'.”

Scott Fahlman

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

“Real Soon Now” humorously denotes an indefinite future, possibly before the universe ends.

**In simple terms:** A joke about an unspecified far‑future time.

Key Takeaway

Don’t take vague timelines literally.

Themes

humor time future technology communication

Mood

lighthearted reflective

Type

humor cautionary

When to use this quote

- project planning
- deadline setting
- software releases
- long‑term forecasting

Key Concepts

hyperbole relativism uncertainty

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you differentiate jokes from serious timelines?
- When does humor hinder progress?

A Different Perspective

Jokes can obscure real deadlines, leading to procrastination.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Computer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computer/) [Computers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computers/) [Heat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heat/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/)

## Related quotes

> [“Just know that whatever you invest your time doing, you'll become that real soon.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terraine-francois/just-know-that-whatever-you-invest-your-time-doing-you-ll-become-that/)

[Terraine Francois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terraine-francois/)

> [I won't be a problem ,as long as you do not press my button ,however I feel you and me are going have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mrcountry/i-won-t-be-a-problem-as-long-as-you-do-not-press-my-button-however-i/)

MrCountry

> [“You’re going to realize real soon that when I say you’re mine, I mean it. We’ve been dancing around this for way too long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-sloan/you-re-going-to-realize-real-soon-that-when-i-say-you-re-mine-i-mean/)

[Harper Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-sloan/)

> [When I wrote my fictional novels, they always had a starting point of something real. Those images that are not real are exactly the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/when-i-wrote-my-fictional-novels-they-always-had-a-starting-point-of/)

[Karl Ove Knausgard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/)

> [I hope I never get to point where I'm not real, where I'm pretentious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-evans/i-hope-i-never-get-to-point-where-i-m-not-real-where-i-m-pretentious/)

[Sara Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-evans/)

> [It's kind of like when you look at yourself in the mirror and you say your name. And it gets to a point where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-chbosky/it-s-kind-of-like-when-you-look-at-yourself-in-the-mirror-and-you-say-3/)

[Stephen Chbosky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-chbosky/)

> [Hip-hop from the beginning has always been aspirational. It always broke that notion that an artist can't think about money as well. Just so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-z/hip-hop-from-the-beginning-has-always-been-aspirational-it-always/)

[Jay-Z](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-z/)

> [“The problem with chameleoning your way through life is that it gets to the point where nothing is real.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/the-problem-with-chameleoning-your-way-through-life-is-that-it-gets/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [The real focus needs to be on political action to stop this runaway train, real soon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-calvin/the-real-focus-needs-to-be-on-political-action-to-stop-this-runaway/)

[William H. Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-calvin/)

> [I've been talking to people all over the country, city council members, grassroots leaders, party leaders, members in Congress - and you know what?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-ellison/i-ve-been-talking-to-people-all-over-the-country-city-council-members/)

[Keith Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-ellison/)

> [Yeah man, I was ready to take it to hip-hop ... We could put the sh\*t on wax, man. And that coulda - But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soulja-boy/yeah-man-i-was-ready-to-take-it-to-hip-hop-we-could-put-the-sh-t-on/)

[Soulja Boy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soulja-boy/)

> [Boy, you better pray that I bleed real soon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tori-amos/boy-you-better-pray-that-i-bleed-real-soon/)

[Tori Amos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tori-amos/)

> [“hold on to 16 as long as you can. changes coming round real soon, make us women and men.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mellencamp/hold-on-to-16-as-long-as-you-can-changes-coming-round-real-soon-make/)

[John Mellencamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mellencamp/)

> [U R feeling down &amp; so am I wid u NOT around. Hope U get back in D swing of things real soon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/butterfly-kisses/u-r-feeling-down-so-am-i-wid-u-not-around-hope-u-get-back-in-d-swing/)

Butterfly\_Kisses

> [When I went to visit this rice cake plant, I hadn't realized how the rice cakes were made. As soon as I saw the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-belling/when-i-went-to-visit-this-rice-cake-plant-i-hadn-t-realized-how-the/)

[Keith Belling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-belling/)

## More by Scott Fahlman

> [If you want a language that tries to lock up all the sharp objects and fire-making implements, use Pascal or Ada: the Nerf languages,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-fahlman/if-you-want-a-language-that-tries-to-lock-up-all-the-sharp-objects/)

Scott Fahlman

> [Common Lisp is politics, not art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-fahlman/common-lisp-is-politics-not-art/)

Scott Fahlman

> [If you are always pressing the envelope, you will suffer many paper cuts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-fahlman/if-you-are-always-pressing-the-envelope-you-will-suffer-many-paper/)

Scott Fahlman

Explore all 4 Scott Fahlman quotes

## More Cases quotes

> [The time that one gains cannot be accumulated in a storehouse; it is contradictory to want to save up existence, which, the fact is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/the-time-that-one-gains-cannot-be-accumulated-in-a-storehouse-it-is/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/)

[Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/)

> [I'd always have grease in at least two places, in case the umpires would ask me to wipe one off. I never wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaylord-perry/i-d-always-have-grease-in-at-least-two-places-in-case-the-umpires/)

[Gaylord Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaylord-perry/)

> [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/)

[Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/)

> [You gonna take the case?" It's not a case. It's a missing person. Sort of." You're gonna have a devil of a time finding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-evanovich/you-gonna-take-the-case-it-s-not-a-case-it-s-a-missing-person-sort-of/)

[Janet Evanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-evanovich/)

> [I think we've all had enough of Coltrane saxophonists. There's a case of someone ruining a generation of saxophonists, as Louis Armstrong may have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bley/i-think-we-ve-all-had-enough-of-coltrane-saxophonists-there-s-a-case/)

[Paul Bley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bley/)

> [Every wife ought to answer for her man. If the husband be engaged in a seditious club, or drinks mysterious healths, or be frugal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/every-wife-ought-to-answer-for-her-man-if-the-husband-be-engaged-in-a/)

[Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/)

> [The world around us is an increasingly hostile and sinful place. Occasionally that splashes onto us, and perhaps, in the case of a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-world-around-us-is-an-increasingly-hostile-and-sinful-place/)

[Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/)

> [If you followed the media you'd think that everybody in Africa was starving to death, and that's not the case; so it's important to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/if-you-followed-the-media-you-d-think-that-everybody-in-africa-was/)

[Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/)

> [ \[As in the case of\] alcohol prohibition, illegality has driven organized crime, sent countless people to jail, and killed many thousands. Repression does not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-branson/as-in-the-case-of-alcohol-prohibition-illegality-has-driven-organized/)

[Sam Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-branson/)

> [He emphasised basic truths: you are not dying yet, you have to live your life until you are. Underpinning them was the belief that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/he-emphasised-basic-truths-you-are-not-dying-yet-you-have-to-live/)

[Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/)

> [Athletes at all ages are bigger and stronger than ever before. And they are being encouraged - sometimes even incentivized, as we recently learned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naveen-jain/athletes-at-all-ages-are-bigger-and-stronger-than-ever-before-and/)

[Naveen Jain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naveen-jain/)

> [Each Act of Parliament intended to address harassment and discrimination has faced objections on the basis of 'you'll never be able to prove...' and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-field/each-act-of-parliament-intended-to-address-harassment-and/)

[Tim Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-field/)

> [The Cheney team had, for example, technological supremacy over the National Security Council staff. That is to say, they could read their e-mails. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wilkerson/the-cheney-team-had-for-example-technological-supremacy-over-the/)

[Lawrence Wilkerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wilkerson/)

> [If you want good behavior, don't pay on a commission basis. Our judges aren't paid so much a case. We keep them pretty well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/if-you-want-good-behavior-don-t-pay-on-a-commission-basis-our-judges/)

[Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/)

Browse all 6,420 Cases quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "In case you're not a computer person, I should probably point out that 'Real Soon Now' is a technical term meaning 'sometime before the heat-death of the universe, maybe'.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Scott Fahlman"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-fahlman/in-case-you-re-not-a-computer-person-i-should-probably-point-out-that/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Cases"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-fahlman/in-case-you-re-not-a-computer-person-i-should-probably-point-out-that/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b7/scott-fahlman-66535_cases_in-case-you-re-not-a-computer-person-i-s_1835335.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b7/scott-fahlman-66535_cases_in-case-you-re-not-a-computer-person-i-s_1835335.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b7/scott-fahlman-66535_cases_in-case-you-re-not-a-computer-person-i-s_1835335.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“In case you're not a computer person, I should probably point out that 'Real Soon Now' is a technical term…” — Scott Fahlman",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Scott Fahlman",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-fahlman/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "In case you're not a computer...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-fahlman/in-case-you-re-not-a-computer-person-i-should-probably-point-out-that/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-fahlman/in-case-you-re-not-a-computer-person-i-should-probably-point-out-that/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
