Proactive laziness is IMO the defining trait of the sysadmin.
If a computer can do it faster and easier, then get a computer to do it.
If it's easier to wave a hand dismissively and say 'RTFM' it helps if you have TFM to refer to.
And using the best tool for the job, makes it easier. Corrolary is that you need to have a familiarity with as many tools a possible, so you know where to start - and that's actually where a degree starts to come in handy. But don't use Excel when you need a database. (I have seen this, and it continues to make me sad). Don't use VBS, when you need... erm something useful. Build your stuff to be fault tolerant, as it's far lazier to be able to relax, have a coffee, and _then_ deal with the system that's fallen over, comfortable that it's still providing service. And don't build stuff that'll require long term agony and kludging at 2am to keep working.
This one is easy. They keep their pricing quiet, because they use it as sales and marketing manipulations - give them a list price that's insanely high, after you've vaguely got them interested, but then negotiate a discount of some huge percentage.
This is a long standing scam, where there person 'handling' the deal gets credit for saving oodles of money on the list price, and the salesman has negotiating room to figure out just where he's padding his commission. The list prices are therefore completely unrealistic, and they don't want them published because that might stop people talking to them in the first place.
I can tell you for certain that we (as in, large financial sector company) get 50-75% _discount_ terms with quite a lot of our vendors of IT hardware. I don't know what the rate is with HP hardware (we do use it) but I know it's a substantial reduction on 'list' price.
Actually I liked the system shock 2/bioshock method.
Build in a lift (elevator) or airlock/bulkhead. Wrap an animation around it happening, to hide the fact that you've loaded a tiny bit of level, and are busy loading the rest whilst 'something' appears to be happening.
I'd be sad. I'm on call, so I take my phone with me, set it to silent, and leave the cinema if I get called out - this happens very rarely on a saturday afternoon, but there would be trouble if I knowingly went somewhere there was no phone coverage.
I seem to recall there's a differentiator between 'mineral water' and 'table water' at least here in Europe. There's requirements for mineral water that's above and beyond 'from a tap, filter it'.
I know where you're coming from on tap water - I mind less about the bacteria, as much as I really dislike the flavour of the fluoride they've added. That's my excuse for spending significant sums on bottled water anyway:).
I have to say, I'm quite bad at learning something 'just because'. But at the same time, I'm very keen on looking at new ways to solve problems in day to day work - I didn't go out and learn python, until there was something that it was relevant/directly useful for.
But there's still very definitely a set of people in my workplace who 'don't know scripting' and won't actually bother to figure it out, and will still stick with their Excel spreadsheets.
Good. The IT profession needs more Engineers in it. (I use the upper case to differentate from the 'Engineers' who fix washing machines). All too often I've run into fellow "IT Professionals" who are doing things like filling in spreadsheets, one line at a time, and not really thinking about the problem at hand.
My degree in computer systems engineering... well, most of it hasn't been directly relevant - details of how to do operations in whatever pet language was 'in' that term, hasn't been particularly useful in my 'real job'. However the 'engineering outlook' has. The fact that I'm looking at a system from a design/redesign kind of viewpoint, and... well I've picked up any number of 'busywork' tasks, probably much like the one you described, and turned it into an automated process. Why pay a human to do what a computer can do both faster, and better?
But an MCSE doesn't do that. Nor does having 'lots of IT experience'. Sometimes these things help, but it's the mindset that matters. Writing code isn't hard, thinking about the problem and the optimal solution is where the challenge lies.
You may well be right - typically 'slow computer startups' are correlated to them doing something moronic at boot up.
Would it suprise you though, that most large companies are a bit on the 'not very clever' side, when it comes to specifying (and modifying) PC startup sequences? Our 'standard build' that's rolled out to ~40k people, takes 10-20 minutes to get logged in and 'productive' from a cold start.
You can call that daft all you like, and I would agree with you. It doesn't change the fact that it happens, and there's very little that I can personally do about it.
This is missing the point. I won't buy ebooks for an economic argument. Much like I won't buy hardbacks - it's not because the price is a problem, it's because of the portability. I read a lot, and generally have a book with me. Something like the Kindle is ideal, provided I can get the stuff I want to read (including new/recent releases) and transport it conveniently.
I buy a lot of books, but don't actually like hardbacks, because they're heavy and bulky, and it irritates me no end that for popular stuff the hardback is all that's available for the 6 months preceeding christmas. I wouldn't mind paying the hardback price for a paperbackr (well, not much anyway), but I just don't want to waste the shelf and pocket space that a hardback represents.
The correlation between people prepared to infringe copyright, as they feel a sense of entitlement above and beyond the average person, and the people prepared to cheat at games, because they feel they have an entitlement above and beyond the average person.
I still play Forged Alliance, and think it's pretty good. There's a _few_ balance issues, that have been community patched, but I still think it's a take for 'top of the class' as RTS games go.
So I'll be watching developments here with interest.
Teeth is one thing, but a clear understanding of what and why is probably more useful.
People don't like to be bullied. They don't like to be told 'you will do this, or you will be fired'. It causes resistance, and adherence to the letter of the law, not the spirit of it.
Which is why it's important to make people understand the spirit of the law - tech changes, and security shifts dramatically. It requires everyone to 'buy in' (I hate that phrase) to why security is important - why it's bad to 'be polite' and hold the door for someone, without checking their ID badge. That kind of thing.
Present them with why such a policy is needed - lay out just why you're wanting to protect all your stuff. Explain what causes 'problems', and the types of thing they should be wary of.
Point out you're making every effort to avoid this sort of thing happening accidentally, which is why you've given them this mechanism for logging in, which is pretty 'safe', provided they use it under particular conditions.
And _then_ point out that you'll have to enforce rules, and if those rules are willfully broken it'll be considered a disciplinary matter.
I had something similar, when installing VMWare ESX for some Windows-centric colleagues. And even more confusing was the fact that this was in Germany, so I was toggling to 'UK' keyboard, and just touch typing, because that was far faster.
Ah yes, my Das Keyboard shows some value to my geek-fu.
Sadly no more, as I had repeated problems with passwords (workplace that mandates 30d password changes, and wierd combos lead to a few too many 'shift' errors)
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I think that only works if you're not the one wanting something.
If a computer can do it faster and easier, then get a computer to do it.
If it's easier to wave a hand dismissively and say 'RTFM' it helps if you have TFM to refer to.
And using the best tool for the job, makes it easier. Corrolary is that you need to have a familiarity with as many tools a possible, so you know where to start - and that's actually where a degree starts to come in handy. But don't use Excel when you need a database. (I have seen this, and it continues to make me sad). Don't use VBS, when you need ... erm something useful. Build your stuff to be fault tolerant, as it's far lazier to be able to relax, have a coffee, and _then_ deal with the system that's fallen over, comfortable that it's still providing service. And don't build stuff that'll require long term agony and kludging at 2am to keep working.
Proactive Laziness is the sysadmin way.
This is a long standing scam, where there person 'handling' the deal gets credit for saving oodles of money on the list price, and the salesman has negotiating room to figure out just where he's padding his commission. The list prices are therefore completely unrealistic, and they don't want them published because that might stop people talking to them in the first place.
I can tell you for certain that we (as in, large financial sector company) get 50-75% _discount_ terms with quite a lot of our vendors of IT hardware. I don't know what the rate is with HP hardware (we do use it) but I know it's a substantial reduction on 'list' price.
Build in a lift (elevator) or airlock/bulkhead. Wrap an animation around it happening, to hide the fact that you've loaded a tiny bit of level, and are busy loading the rest whilst 'something' appears to be happening.
Anyone who's ever written a website should have this.
So he gives her one.
I'd be sad. I'm on call, so I take my phone with me, set it to silent, and leave the cinema if I get called out - this happens very rarely on a saturday afternoon, but there would be trouble if I knowingly went somewhere there was no phone coverage.
I know where you're coming from on tap water - I mind less about the bacteria, as much as I really dislike the flavour of the fluoride they've added. That's my excuse for spending significant sums on bottled water anyway :).
(Or fish slapping, whatever)
But there's still very definitely a set of people in my workplace who 'don't know scripting' and won't actually bother to figure it out, and will still stick with their Excel spreadsheets.
My degree in computer systems engineering ... well, most of it hasn't been directly relevant - details of how to do operations in whatever pet language was 'in' that term, hasn't been particularly useful in my 'real job'. However the 'engineering outlook' has. The fact that I'm looking at a system from a design/redesign kind of viewpoint, and ... well I've picked up any number of 'busywork' tasks, probably much like the one you described, and turned it into an automated process. Why pay a human to do what a computer can do both faster, and better?
But an MCSE doesn't do that. Nor does having 'lots of IT experience'. Sometimes these things help, but it's the mindset that matters. Writing code isn't hard, thinking about the problem and the optimal solution is where the challenge lies.
Would it suprise you though, that most large companies are a bit on the 'not very clever' side, when it comes to specifying (and modifying) PC startup sequences? Our 'standard build' that's rolled out to ~40k people, takes 10-20 minutes to get logged in and 'productive' from a cold start.
You can call that daft all you like, and I would agree with you. It doesn't change the fact that it happens, and there's very little that I can personally do about it.
For many people, prozac in drinking water is considered a good thing.
Thus selling them on is the way to go I feel.
Who'd want to do that? They're dead boring.
I buy a lot of books, but don't actually like hardbacks, because they're heavy and bulky, and it irritates me no end that for popular stuff the hardback is all that's available for the 6 months preceeding christmas. I wouldn't mind paying the hardback price for a paperbackr (well, not much anyway), but I just don't want to waste the shelf and pocket space that a hardback represents.
But you have to make the case in the court of law as to why that's the case.
The correlation between people prepared to infringe copyright, as they feel a sense of entitlement above and beyond the average person, and the people prepared to cheat at games, because they feel they have an entitlement above and beyond the average person.
Not so much 'political power' as 'money'. Guess the two are approximately interchangable though.
The last book ends with a Deus ex machina. That went out of fashion in ancient Greece, because even back then, it was massively lame.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lensman
So I'll be watching developments here with interest.
Probably not soon - water does a better job.
People don't like to be bullied. They don't like to be told 'you will do this, or you will be fired'. It causes resistance, and adherence to the letter of the law, not the spirit of it.
Which is why it's important to make people understand the spirit of the law - tech changes, and security shifts dramatically. It requires everyone to 'buy in' (I hate that phrase) to why security is important - why it's bad to 'be polite' and hold the door for someone, without checking their ID badge. That kind of thing.
Present them with why such a policy is needed - lay out just why you're wanting to protect all your stuff. Explain what causes 'problems', and the types of thing they should be wary of.
Point out you're making every effort to avoid this sort of thing happening accidentally, which is why you've given them this mechanism for logging in, which is pretty 'safe', provided they use it under particular conditions.
And _then_ point out that you'll have to enforce rules, and if those rules are willfully broken it'll be considered a disciplinary matter.
Ah yes, my Das Keyboard shows some value to my geek-fu.
Sadly no more, as I had repeated problems with passwords (workplace that mandates 30d password changes, and wierd combos lead to a few too many 'shift' errors)