You can go down the path of the Script Kiddie, Fandom, Techno-Fandom, Programmer, Uber-User or Hacker.
Script Kiddie pretty much excludes being any good at the other paths, but the other paths do not necessarily exclude each other.
Script Kiddie: A worthless waste of skin who considers themselves to be "better" in one way or another because they can download and run the utilities the found listed in their copy of "Hacking Exposed" and type in an obscure dialect of L33t 5p33k.
Fandom: A Sci-Fi or fantasy fan. A Geek path that does not require computer skills, but doesn't preclude them either. Star * Geeks, Buffy fans and even some furries fall into this category, but don't let the unsavory stereotype associated with the above groups turn you off. The vast majority of Sci-Fi fans are perfectly normal people.
Techno-Fandom: The Sci-Fi fans who run the Sci-Fi conventions. There's a LOT of overlap with the theater industry in this group. It also has a lot of people who dislike Sci-Fi but participate to hang out with their friends and meet hot chicks at the Dresden Dolls concerts.
Programmer: Linus Torvalds,Woz, Bill Gates in the early years, Mad Dog and the like are among the icons in this category.
Hacker: Black Hat, White Hat or Grey Hat, this is the group Script Kiddies are pretending to be part of. Cult of the Dead Cow is good example. Most of this group's literature is read by the Script Kiddies, who then pretend to understand it, sometimes even fooling themselves.
Uber-User: Many Techs fall into this category. They know far more about computers than a Script Kiddie ever will, can administer most servers and environments reliably and tend to be on the ball. In their knowledge, they're beyond the "Just Enough to be Dangerous" level, but not quite Programmers or Hackers. They're a separate category because many people send their lives here, never quite becoming Programmers. The difference is often Grey and fuzzy, with people changing their classification easily if you shift platforms on them. For example, many Windows Hackers are reduced to Uber-Users when switching to *nix and vise versa.
Only if your last stage was "Newbie with an inferiority complex and an attitude" and your next stage is "Rampaging a**hole who still doesn't understand computers but insists he's a hacker because he can double click on a Perl script"
Microsoft's SQL Server. This was in an Microsoft only Shop, so installing the kind of apps you're mentioning were against policy. The only reason Perl was on anything was because it was in use before the "If it's not from Microsoft it's banned crap" NAZI started as the CTO.
At a previous job, I was the only tech staff member who knew how to clear the transaction logs on MS SQL Server. It's not hard to do, but the network admin couldn't even be bothered to do backups more than once or twice a year, which was part of the SQL Transaction log problem.
When users started getting "transaction log is full" errors and they turned to me to have it fixed.
Once the error occurred while I was on vacation, and the server remained down for three days and a weekend until I got back. I was accused of hacking the system. I pointed out that I was in the Middle of New Mexico at the time, about a mile underground. Accusations of setting up a logic bomb (Not the phrases they used, but I'll skip the 20 minutes they needed to describe the concept) flew around for a while.
In the end, the company owner grudgingly admitted that it was probably a maintenance issue, and them reprimanded me for not "trunting the trees" before I left on vacation.
So for the remainder of my time there I just made sure to do a full backup and shrink the transaction logs every Friday. Automated backups were not an option, as there was never enough drive space for more than one or two backups, so I had to move the old ones to a USB 1.1 drive first.
And no, system level automation of such rudimentary tasks was not an option. Don't ask. It's a whole other story.
So I had no reason to hack the system. All I had to do was leave. Of course I documented everything, but I knew no one would bother reading any of it. This is the company that described programmers as "Glorified Typists."
I made sure to not even visit their web site after I quit.
I did however have social contact with a few of the non-it staff members. Seems there were a slew of problems with the servers, specifically with a cryptic error about a transaction log that no one in the company could understand.
In the end they paid a consulting firm to come in and fix the problem, which I'm assuming meant finally automating the backup process and transaction log shrinking.
Good points all around. You're quire right, and it's a sad commentary on the/. mentality that you'll probably be moderated to -1 Troll for saying that which everyone knows to be true, but no one has the gumption to say out loud.
This would be one reason my employer is committed to support all browsers after IE 5.5 and Netscape 4.7. Yes, it reduces the overall features and "Cool" widgets we can use, but it means we'll work EVERYWHERE.
I went there with Firefox 1.0.4. If you examine the URL they forward you to and the site itself you learn that their web masters assume Firefox doesn't support JavaScript or Cookies, and there's no "Click here to use the site anyway" like button.
I had an exchange with their customer service a month or two ago about this, and their reply amounted to saying they wouldn't support an "unpopular" browser.
I sent back an article about Firefox having more users than all non IE browsers combines, and they sent back the same form letter about not supporting every browser.
Funny thing is, if I spoof my browser string as Internet Explorer 34691.0.45.72.22222 running on Windows THFFFT, the site works fine. I haven't signed up yet though, since I won't spend my money on a site that require me to futz around with obscure browser settings to work.
I also found it odd that their email replies seemed to consider Firefox to be an Opera variant.
Ah, but I've heard a rumor that the sound in the preview is a place holder for a music track, so instead of roaring rockets, we'll supposedly get a musical crescendo.
Well, the woman in question was an Asshole. Since name is not Allison, Asshole works nicely. I just hit the dash key a few times. Didn't count out any letters.
You're right. Even if it didn't work, the perception that it does will keep it going. It's not unlike a former boss. He recoiled in terror when I referred to George W. Bush as "The Shrub." He warned me that I should watch out for the Department of Homeland Security and started looking around as if solders were about to burst in through the windows to haul me off.
The US Government is not, at present, hauling people off for being critical of the President, but the perception that they might was enough to keep at least one milquetoast from speaking up.
As for data about people buying from Spam, that's out there too.
I know people (Well knew, I've changed jobs since then) who buy things from Spam.
I went into more detail here, but the bottom line is there are people dumb enough to buy this stuff. The justification I've heard people give had a lot to do with people equating Spam with the catalogs they get in the mail. I've gotten a lot of derision from some people for claiming otherwise.
I disagree. I knew a couple of people at my former job who actually bought things that were sent to them as SPAM. One coworker bought a "Digital Camera" that had no LCD and about 2 megs of internal RAM. The software for manging the thing was full of spyware. Without the software you couldn't get pictures off it, and without the spyware, the camera management software ceased functioning, so he decided to leave the malware on his work computer. The Network Admin actually got a dressing down from the company's owner for uninstalling the spyware and thus "Breaking Dick's camera" in the process.
I tried to talk to the guy about buying things from Spam. He and the other staffer who bought junk like that compared it to buying things from mail order catalogs. "We can't stop those either, and they're harder to get rid of then just hitting the 'delete' button."
When A----- said, "If it was a scam the police would shut them down" followed by a glare that made it clear she thought I was an idiot.
A----- later had problems with a credit card number being stolen. I asked her if it was the same card she'd used to buy the camera. I was treated to a 15 minute tirade insisting I was paranoid.
People buy things from Spam, and have no problems with doing so.
A number of people are getting bent out of shape about why FOX seemed to do everything it could to screw over the show.
It;s really very simple. FOX has no understanding of how to handle sci-fi and probably didn't understand the ramifications of showing it out of order. Some suit probably remembered watching a few episodes of Twilight Zone or Outer Limits and thought it was a series of self contained episodes. That' or they were thinking of Star Trek, most of which (DS9 aside) could have been shown in just about any order without hindering the viewers' enjoyment of the show.
Slashdot Mirror
Well, you have a choice to make.
You can go down the path of the Script Kiddie, Fandom, Techno-Fandom, Programmer, Uber-User or Hacker.
Script Kiddie pretty much excludes being any good at the other paths, but the other paths do not necessarily exclude each other.
Script Kiddie: A worthless waste of skin who considers themselves to be "better" in one way or another because they can download and run the utilities the found listed in their copy of "Hacking Exposed" and type in an obscure dialect of L33t 5p33k.
Fandom: A Sci-Fi or fantasy fan. A Geek path that does not require computer skills, but doesn't preclude them either. Star * Geeks, Buffy fans and even some furries fall into this category, but don't let the unsavory stereotype associated with the above groups turn you off. The vast majority of Sci-Fi fans are perfectly normal people.
Techno-Fandom: The Sci-Fi fans who run the Sci-Fi conventions. There's a LOT of overlap with the theater industry in this group. It also has a lot of people who dislike Sci-Fi but participate to hang out with their friends and meet hot chicks at the Dresden Dolls concerts.
Programmer: Linus Torvalds,Woz, Bill Gates in the early years, Mad Dog and the like are among the icons in this category.
Hacker: Black Hat, White Hat or Grey Hat, this is the group Script Kiddies are pretending to be part of. Cult of the Dead Cow is good example. Most of this group's literature is read by the Script Kiddies, who then pretend to understand it, sometimes even fooling themselves.
Uber-User: Many Techs fall into this category. They know far more about computers than a Script Kiddie ever will, can administer most servers and environments reliably and tend to be on the ball. In their knowledge, they're beyond the "Just Enough to be Dangerous" level, but not quite Programmers or Hackers. They're a separate category because many people send their lives here, never quite becoming Programmers. The difference is often Grey and fuzzy, with people changing their classification easily if you shift platforms on them. For example, many Windows Hackers are reduced to Uber-Users when switching to *nix and vise versa.
Only if your last stage was "Newbie with an inferiority complex and an attitude" and your next stage is "Rampaging a**hole who still doesn't understand computers but insists he's a hacker because he can double click on a Perl script"
Not mysql. MS SQL.
Microsoft's SQL Server. This was in an Microsoft only Shop, so installing the kind of apps you're mentioning were against policy. The only reason Perl was on anything was because it was in use before the "If it's not from Microsoft it's banned crap" NAZI started as the CTO.
So one psycho locked you out of IT in your area for how long?
Did you ever sue the lunatic?
50% to 60% of the people who left the company I mentioned above ended up suing.
At a previous job, I was the only tech staff member who knew how to clear the transaction logs on MS SQL Server. It's not hard to do, but the network admin couldn't even be bothered to do backups more than once or twice a year, which was part of the SQL Transaction log problem.
When users started getting "transaction log is full" errors and they turned to me to have it fixed.
Once the error occurred while I was on vacation, and the server remained down for three days and a weekend until I got back. I was accused of hacking the system. I pointed out that I was in the Middle of New Mexico at the time, about a mile underground. Accusations of setting up a logic bomb (Not the phrases they used, but I'll skip the 20 minutes they needed to describe the concept) flew around for a while.
In the end, the company owner grudgingly admitted that it was probably a maintenance issue, and them reprimanded me for not "trunting the trees" before I left on vacation.
So for the remainder of my time there I just made sure to do a full backup and shrink the transaction logs every Friday. Automated backups were not an option, as there was never enough drive space for more than one or two backups, so I had to move the old ones to a USB 1.1 drive first.
And no, system level automation of such rudimentary tasks was not an option. Don't ask. It's a whole other story.
So I had no reason to hack the system. All I had to do was leave. Of course I documented everything, but I knew no one would bother reading any of it. This is the company that described programmers as "Glorified Typists."
I made sure to not even visit their web site after I quit.
I did however have social contact with a few of the non-it staff members. Seems there were a slew of problems with the servers, specifically with a cryptic error about a transaction log that no one in the company could understand.
In the end they paid a consulting firm to come in and fix the problem, which I'm assuming meant finally automating the backup process and transaction log shrinking.
Good points all around. You're quire right, and it's a sad commentary on the /. mentality that you'll probably be moderated to -1 Troll for saying that which everyone knows to be true, but no one has the gumption to say out loud.
Well, it is 12:30 where I am. I guess it IS time for lunch.
If only I knew where I could get me one of those in Boston.
I'm torn. I can't decide if that was "Funny" or "Troll".
Ah fudge it. I'll go raid the fridge.
That's one broken site.
This would be one reason my employer is committed to support all browsers after IE 5.5 and Netscape 4.7. Yes, it reduces the overall features and "Cool" widgets we can use, but it means we'll work EVERYWHERE.
You haven't visited http://weightwatchers.com have you?
I went there with Firefox 1.0.4. If you examine the URL they forward you to and the site itself you learn that their web masters assume Firefox doesn't support JavaScript or Cookies, and there's no "Click here to use the site anyway" like button.
I had an exchange with their customer service a month or two ago about this, and their reply amounted to saying they wouldn't support an "unpopular" browser.
I sent back an article about Firefox having more users than all non IE browsers combines, and they sent back the same form letter about not supporting every browser.
Funny thing is, if I spoof my browser string as Internet Explorer 34691.0.45.72.22222 running on Windows THFFFT, the site works fine. I haven't signed up yet though, since I won't spend my money on a site that require me to futz around with obscure browser settings to work.
I also found it odd that their email replies seemed to consider Firefox to be an Opera variant.
"If architects designed buildings the way programmers write code, civilization would be destroyed by the first woodpecker that came along."
Ah, but I've heard a rumor that the sound in the preview is a place holder for a music track, so instead of roaring rockets, we'll supposedly get a musical crescendo.
Only time will tell.
Firefly the series got it right too.
Won't know about the movie until I see it though.
It's not over.
Lucas is doing another TV show next.
Well, the woman in question was an Asshole. Since name is not Allison, Asshole works nicely. I just hit the dash key a few times. Didn't count out any letters.
I've gotten three from that job already. I sent in the SPAM one, but it was never posted.
the plural of "anecdote" is not "data"
You're right. Even if it didn't work, the perception that it does will keep it going. It's not unlike a former boss. He recoiled in terror when I referred to George W. Bush as "The Shrub." He warned me that I should watch out for the Department of Homeland Security and started looking around as if solders were about to burst in through the windows to haul me off.
The US Government is not, at present, hauling people off for being critical of the President, but the perception that they might was enough to keep at least one milquetoast from speaking up.
As for data about people buying from Spam, that's out there too.
One in five Brits 'buy software from spam'
One in ten users have bought products advertised in junk mail.
This thread, implies that the 10% number above is a bit inflated.
... file charges against the Big Dig Contractors...
HA! HA! HA!
Oh my word, I can't stop laughing. You got a big belly laugh out of me on that one.
I know people (Well knew, I've changed jobs since then) who buy things from Spam.
I went into more detail here, but the bottom line is there are people dumb enough to buy this stuff. The justification I've heard people give had a lot to do with people equating Spam with the catalogs they get in the mail. I've gotten a lot of derision from some people for claiming otherwise.
I disagree. I knew a couple of people at my former job who actually bought things that were sent to them as SPAM. One coworker bought a "Digital Camera" that had no LCD and about 2 megs of internal RAM. The software for manging the thing was full of spyware. Without the software you couldn't get pictures off it, and without the spyware, the camera management software ceased functioning, so he decided to leave the malware on his work computer. The Network Admin actually got a dressing down from the company's owner for uninstalling the spyware and thus "Breaking Dick's camera" in the process.
I tried to talk to the guy about buying things from Spam. He and the other staffer who bought junk like that compared it to buying things from mail order catalogs. "We can't stop those either, and they're harder to get rid of then just hitting the 'delete' button."
When A----- said, "If it was a scam the police would shut them down" followed by a glare that made it clear she thought I was an idiot.
A----- later had problems with a credit card number being stolen. I asked her if it was the same card she'd used to buy the camera. I was treated to a 15 minute tirade insisting I was paranoid.
People buy things from Spam, and have no problems with doing so.
Dude, that's the next town over from me!
If someone posts his address, I can get some photos of his digs. We can O'Gara The Spamma!
A number of people are getting bent out of shape about why FOX seemed to do everything it could to screw over the show.
It;s really very simple. FOX has no understanding of how to handle sci-fi and probably didn't understand the ramifications of showing it out of order. Some suit probably remembered watching a few episodes of Twilight Zone or Outer Limits and thought it was a series of self contained episodes. That' or they were thinking of Star Trek, most of which (DS9 aside) could have been shown in just about any order without hindering the viewers' enjoyment of the show.
I doubt it was hostile, just mismanagement.
Oh, she's still publishing, it's just going to be on http://www.g2news.com/ instead. She owns that site, and only answers to her subscribers.
Maureen O'Gara's company, still has the article online, without the pictures.
She won't stop yet, and being fired will only make her more eager to spew hatred and private details about PJ.