The magazine for nerds, Computer Weekly, has hit back at its readers' image as hopeless geeks who spend their free time writing shareware and surfing the internet.

The magazine surveyed 2,000 IT workers and found that their lives involve very little by way of popping round to friends' houses after work to fix computers.

Instead a profile emerged of professionals who control the £40bn spent by UK businesses last year on IT equipment and services.

One third of those surveyed cited their families as their primary interest outside of work, with only 7% listing computers or the internet.

Less than one in 10 were excited about cutting edge technology, a traditional hallmark of nerdiness.

Karl Schneider, the editor of Computer Weekly, said:

"The image of the young, pallid, pizza-eating propeller-head returning to a scruffy room every night to surf the internet is totally removed from reality."

Nearly all of those surveyed said they were proud to tell friends that they work in IT, but 58% admitted that the profession still had a geeky image.

Maybe someone should tell that to the popular programmers' website, Slashdot, whose its proud tagline "news for nerds" cannot be helping the situation.

Useful links
Computer Weekly
Slashdot