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Why PHBs Fear Linux

Posted by michael on from the if-windows-is-the-answer-you're-asking-the-wrong-question dept.

Tin Foil Hat writes "Paul Murphy over at LinuxInsider examines the role IT text books play in business school curriculums and the misconceptions and misinformation that they present to students. If you've ever wondered why your PHB just doesn't get it when it comes to UNIX and Linux, this article is for you."

3 of 665 comments (clear)

  1. Re:If you've ever wondered why your PHB... by nametaken · · Score: 5, Informative

    "PHB: /PHB/ [Usenet; common; rarely spoken] Abbreviation, "Pointy-Haired Boss". From the Dilbert character, the archetypal halfwitted middle-management type. See also pointy-haired." Souce: http://www.catb.org/~esr/jargon/html/P/PHB.html

  2. Re:If you've ever wondered why your PHB... by Homology · · Score: 4, Informative
    i've heard either Pin Head Boss or Pointy Hair'd Boss..

    Actually, Pin Head is one of the main characters in Hellraiser. You may think that the that is proper comparision, but anyway, PHB = Pointy Haired Boss.

  3. "A Cup of Tea" for the PHBs by Doofus · · Score: 4, Informative

    A long time ago, I read a book by Paul Reps titled "Zen Flesh, Zen Bones", that includes a story, "A Cup of Tea", that is particularly appropriate given the material in this article. I reproduce the story here:

    A Cup of Tea

    Nan-in, a Japanese master during the Meji era (1868 - 1912), received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen.

    Nan-in served tea. He poured his visitor's cup full, and then kept on pouring.

    The professor watched the overflow until he no longer could restrain himself. "It is overfull. No more will go in!"

    Like this cup", Nan-in said, "you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?"
    The PHBs have had their heads filled so full with material, and are so unwilling/scared/unable to unlearn it, that their education becomes a liability. Corporations encounter the same kind of problem when they develop "core rigidities" and are unable to rapidly adapt to the ever-changing marketplace.

    Aside: someone has been kind enough to reproduce this story, along with a number of other excerpts from "101 Zen Stories", and they can be found here.
    --
    If the Government becomes a lawbreaker, it breeds contempt for law; ... it invites anarchy. - Brandeis