Several people have pointed out that communication is key. This is very true. Users think that the PC, network, servers, firewall, switch, filter, etc. are magical black boxes that are plugged in and work forever. They don't understand that these things require constant maintenance and support from YOU in order to continue to function.
I get a lot of users are grumpy when something doesn't work, and worshipful when I fix something. I treat them with respect and understanding. My ultimate goal when dealing with a user is to get them up and running normally, with as little down-time for them as possible. If that means that I fix their problem while they are at lunch and take mine later, so be it. If that means that I prep a spare PC while they limp along for 30 minutes, then swap it out and do the O/S reload while they are happily working away, so be it. It may take a little more work, but users appreciate it when I show them that I know their job is important.
The other thing that is really important is to knock down the worshipful praises. I knock down things like "Oh, you are magic!", and "that's amazing" very quickly. First off, users don't really mean those things. Most times they are expressing relief that they can get their job done, or summoning up their last shred of human decency and trying to make up for the way they treated me when they initially reported the problem. I tell them that it's not magic, it's just my job. It's something I went to school for (I know, I know, stop laughing) and have been doing for the last 15 years. I explain that I don't know how to do their job, and would be totally lost if I was expected to do it. Usually at the end of the conversation (all taking place while I am doing a final once-over on the problem to make sure it is truly resolved), the user is happy, de-mystified, and gives me a "thank you" that they truly mean.
Also, someone suggested the "eating lunch with your co-workers" plan. This is a very good idea, but doesn't really work for me, as I often work through my users' lunchtime. The idea is a good one though, and I try to make it to pot-lucks, lame company parties, and always try to have something trivial and light-hearted to say at company meetings.
Another suggestion: After working all night on rebuilding the email server, show up to work a little disheveled (glasses instead of contacts, hair uncombed, whatever). Usually someone will ask if you are feeling OK. Respond by telling them the truth; you were up all night working on the email server, making sure that it was up and running normally by the time people showed up to work this morning. Users tend to not even think of us unless something is noticeably broken. If email is working, then it obviously doesn't need to be worked on...right? Showing up tired and showing it every once in a while helps dis spell this way of thinking.
I'm not an astronomer, so I don't know how acurate the 'bounce a signal off a celestial body' idea is, but here is an idea:
1) Encrypt your data with the highest available encryption standard. 2) Use a key that can be calculated with x ammount of procssing power using Moore's Law (x being a factor of the ammount of time you want the world to wait to decrypt your data after receiving key). 3) Store your data someplace that is not easily accessable (write to clean hard drives, delete data (this is recoverable, as we all know), store drives in secret location or perhaps laying around in the open,... etc.). 4) Bounce the algorithm for deciphering your key off a celestial body that has the desired distance. 5) Using a much simpler encryption (the only goal of this encryption is to prevent the message from being guessed before it is whole), send a message using the same transmission method as #4 describing the method by which the message in #6 can be received. Actually, you would split this message up into several parts and bounce them off of different celestial bodies... 6)Bounce a message off a celestial body with the desired distance from the earth that contains the location of your data.
Basically, you would have your data locked up someplace, with the highest encryption available. You would use Moore's Law to estimate your maximum time you had until someone decrypts your data. This assumes that they start decrypting as soon as your data is not in your hands. You would then bounce your key-algorithm back to earth with an estimated return time that = the maximum decryption time you already calculated You would then bounce fragments of your transmission-method-message off of celestial bodies. The goal here is to provide little nugetts of data that the rest of humanity can receive periodically (perhaps every year) to know that there really is something coming. Now you would send out a message of the desired celestial body (to be received soon after the encryption key has been calculated) stating where the data itself is stored (keeping in mind how long it would take to retreive that data).
Send all these messages ot as secretly and undetectable as possible. Also try not to reveal your identity.
Next you would tell the world that you have something that you want to share... blah blah blah and that a certain transmission wavelength, frequency, or whatever, should be monitored for yearly (or whenever) updates, in case you die.
Try not to mention your secret to anyone for as long as you live.
I'm sure all kinds of changes could be made to this, but you get the main idea hopefully. One of the key points of this method is to send out all transmissions as secretly as possible BEFORE you alert the world that you are up to anything.
Actually, the dual-boot that is refered to is misleeading. With most pre-configured machines now, if you choose Windows 2000 as the OS, they ship you a PC with XP installed and recovery discs for both XP and 2000. This is what the OEMs call "dual-booted" machines. This is completely different from the dual booting that we all know of where you have both OSs installed and choose the one you want to run at boot.
Also, MS has been doing this to Win2k for at least 7 months now. I upgraded an office to 2k in January, and was informed that I could no longer buy Windows 2000 licenses. They told me that I could buy XP licenses and a 2000 media kit if I wanted to upgrade several PCs to 2000. So you see, this is just ANOTHER phase out of 2000, not the begining.
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Several people have pointed out that communication is key. This is very true. Users think that the PC, network, servers, firewall, switch, filter, etc. are magical black boxes that are plugged in and work forever. They don't understand that these things require constant maintenance and support from YOU in order to continue to function. I get a lot of users are grumpy when something doesn't work, and worshipful when I fix something. I treat them with respect and understanding. My ultimate goal when dealing with a user is to get them up and running normally, with as little down-time for them as possible. If that means that I fix their problem while they are at lunch and take mine later, so be it. If that means that I prep a spare PC while they limp along for 30 minutes, then swap it out and do the O/S reload while they are happily working away, so be it. It may take a little more work, but users appreciate it when I show them that I know their job is important. The other thing that is really important is to knock down the worshipful praises. I knock down things like "Oh, you are magic!", and "that's amazing" very quickly. First off, users don't really mean those things. Most times they are expressing relief that they can get their job done, or summoning up their last shred of human decency and trying to make up for the way they treated me when they initially reported the problem. I tell them that it's not magic, it's just my job. It's something I went to school for (I know, I know, stop laughing) and have been doing for the last 15 years. I explain that I don't know how to do their job, and would be totally lost if I was expected to do it. Usually at the end of the conversation (all taking place while I am doing a final once-over on the problem to make sure it is truly resolved), the user is happy, de-mystified, and gives me a "thank you" that they truly mean. Also, someone suggested the "eating lunch with your co-workers" plan. This is a very good idea, but doesn't really work for me, as I often work through my users' lunchtime. The idea is a good one though, and I try to make it to pot-lucks, lame company parties, and always try to have something trivial and light-hearted to say at company meetings. Another suggestion: After working all night on rebuilding the email server, show up to work a little disheveled (glasses instead of contacts, hair uncombed, whatever). Usually someone will ask if you are feeling OK. Respond by telling them the truth; you were up all night working on the email server, making sure that it was up and running normally by the time people showed up to work this morning. Users tend to not even think of us unless something is noticeably broken. If email is working, then it obviously doesn't need to be worked on...right? Showing up tired and showing it every once in a while helps dis spell this way of thinking.
I'm not an astronomer, so I don't know how acurate the 'bounce a signal off a celestial body' idea is, but here is an idea:
... etc.).
1) Encrypt your data with the highest available encryption standard.
2) Use a key that can be calculated with x ammount of procssing power using Moore's Law (x being a factor of the ammount of time you want the world to wait to decrypt your data after receiving key).
3) Store your data someplace that is not easily accessable (write to clean hard drives, delete data (this is recoverable, as we all know), store drives in secret location or perhaps laying around in the open,
4) Bounce the algorithm for deciphering your key off a celestial body that has the desired distance.
5) Using a much simpler encryption (the only goal of this encryption is to prevent the message from being guessed before it is whole), send a message using the same transmission method as #4 describing the method by which the message in #6 can be received. Actually, you would split this message up into several parts and bounce them off of different celestial bodies...
6)Bounce a message off a celestial body with the desired distance from the earth that contains the location of your data.
Basically, you would have your data locked up someplace, with the highest encryption available. You would use Moore's Law to estimate your maximum time you had until someone decrypts your data. This assumes that they start decrypting as soon as your data is not in your hands. You would then bounce your key-algorithm back to earth with an estimated return time that = the maximum decryption time you already calculated You would then bounce fragments of your transmission-method-message off of celestial bodies. The goal here is to provide little nugetts of data that the rest of humanity can receive periodically (perhaps every year) to know that there really is something coming. Now you would send out a message of the desired celestial body (to be received soon after the encryption key has been calculated) stating where the data itself is stored (keeping in mind how long it would take to retreive that data).
Send all these messages ot as secretly and undetectable as possible. Also try not to reveal your identity.
Next you would tell the world that you have something that you want to share... blah blah blah and that a certain transmission wavelength, frequency, or whatever, should be monitored for yearly (or whenever) updates, in case you die.
Try not to mention your secret to anyone for as long as you live.
I'm sure all kinds of changes could be made to this, but you get the main idea hopefully. One of the key points of this method is to send out all transmissions as secretly as possible BEFORE you alert the world that you are up to anything.
Actually, the dual-boot that is refered to is misleeading. With most pre-configured machines now, if you choose Windows 2000 as the OS, they ship you a PC with XP installed and recovery discs for both XP and 2000. This is what the OEMs call "dual-booted" machines. This is completely different from the dual booting that we all know of where you have both OSs installed and choose the one you want to run at boot. Also, MS has been doing this to Win2k for at least 7 months now. I upgraded an office to 2k in January, and was informed that I could no longer buy Windows 2000 licenses. They told me that I could buy XP licenses and a 2000 media kit if I wanted to upgrade several PCs to 2000. So you see, this is just ANOTHER phase out of 2000, not the begining.