[GreenKeys] Glass Operators

[tony j. podrasky]

Hey OM's;

OK - I _SHOULD_ have prefaced my comments about
Glass Operators with "doesn't not apply to the guys that
are in this news group". I know that some of the folks
must feel snubbed. I'm sorry.

I realize that not everyone has the space for a Teletype
machine, or maybe a spouse that can appreciate the music
a model 15 makes while it types away.

The comments are directed at the 1980's (and forward)
GOTTA HAVE IT RIGHT NOW!!! generation. You know, the
people who want to take something out of a box and have
it do everything on its own. Don't open the manual and
look at it for goodness sakes - that's for dweebs!

Last year I retired from the computer industry. I worked
on the high-end super computers and dealt with computer
scientists and other people who thoroughly knew the
intricacies of the machines. These were machines that cost
millions of dollars and were used for very special applications.
These people were demanding, but easy to deal with because anything
you would tell them to do, they would do. If they didn't understand
why you wanted them to do something they would ask why, and when
you would explain the reasoning behind what you told them, they
would comply.

Hewlett Packard bought my company and in the last couple of years
I was exposed to the low-end computer user community. I don't
know how the customer engineers can deal day in and day out with
people who are, for lack of a better word, clueless!

How about:

  o People who put the tower on the floor and turn it on and
    off by kicking the power button. Don't do a SHUTDOWN for
    goodness sakes - because you have to click the mouse on
    the START icon, the LOGOFF icon, and then the SHUTDOWN icon!
    Then complain about how long it takes the computer to come
    up because it says it's checking the disk for errors because
    it was improperly brought down.

  o People who put the tower on the floor and WRAP IT IN BLANKETS
    because the cooling fans are too loud.

  o People who, after you tell them TIME AND TIME AGAIN *NOT* to
    open any e-mail that is from someone you don't know, *OR* has
    a suspicious title like "this is great!" "you're gonna love
    this" "can't wait to meet you" etc, do so anyway and then
    have a fit when they get a virus and you tell them that fixing
    that is covered under their maintenance agreement.

Me: What seems to be the problem?
Luser: The computer is super-slow.
M: When did you notice this?
L: While I was reading my mail.
M: :-/
M: What was some of the Subjects?
L: One was from my mom about her sister.
M: And...
L: One was from my daughter about visiting next month.
M: AND!!!
L: One was from some guy named asdf at localhost.com about
    "yu may hav a virus - ran this prgram now!"
M: Sigh.....

Anyway, I am a Linux bigot - but after dealing with the
home computer people I have a whole new respect for the
engineering that goes into Microsoft products. I used
to think that MS products were junk - and that they had
a bunch of idiots writing code - but after seeing the
caliber of people they write products for, well I just
about have to bow down to them.

I have a hilarious e-mail about

  "what the helpdesk would be like at GM if the people
   who bought their cars were as clueless as the people
   who buy computers"

LIKE:

Owner: I was driving my car and it just stopped.
Helpdesk: On the dash board is a gauge with an "E"
           on one side and an "F" on the other. Do
           you see it?
O: Yes.
H: Where is the needle pointing?
O: Below the "E".
H: You need to go to your local gasoline vendor and
    purchase more gasoline.
O: %&*($)#)!!!! - I just paid $20,000 for this car -
    what do you mean I need to spend more money!

AND:

O: I'm in my car and it isn't doing anything.
H: Can you be a little more specific?
O: I want to go to the store.
H: OK - what happens when you put the key in the ignition?
O: Ignition? - what's that?
H: The place where you put the key to start the car.
O: ??? Look I just want to go to the store!
H: Well - you'll have to start the car to drive it.
O: Drive it?
H: Do you have a driver license?
O: Driver license? listen: I paid ALOT of money for this
    car and expect it to take me to the store! What
    kind of a rip-off operation is GM anyway?

If I get a couple of requests to post it, I will.

Again, to the folks who are Teletype-less, I'm sorry
if I offended you.

73,
W6ESE - tony
NNNNZCZC
-- 
Tony j. podrasky | Oh somewhere in this favored land the sun is
                  | shining bright. The band is playing somewhere,
                  | and somewhere hearts are light. And somewhere men
                  | are laughing, and somewhere children shout - but
                  | there is no joy in Mudville - Mighty Casey has
                  | "struck out"