Not so very many years ago, this was a briefly popular saying or something for tech support people where I worked. I’m pretty sure it was an acronym that the user wouldn’t understand if he didn’t already know it, so the tech support person could say it in front of the user. Anyone remember what this was?
PEBKAC = Problem exists between keyboard and chair?
ID10T errors, as well
Probably GIGO; garbage in, garbage out
PICNIC - Problem In Chair, Not In Computer is sometimes used as well.
These are the two that I learned, probably 25 years ago or so.
I use UIC - User In Chair.
Wetware problem.
Operator Headspace Error
These are the ones I’ve heard most often.
There’s also the RTFM error. Read The Fucking Manual.
A.k.a. a “Layer 8 issue.”
There is an official word for it that you use in your service management software during resolution …“training.”
One I hear often is “Code 18” (= the problem is 18 inches in front of screen).
PEBKAC, PICNIC and ID-Ten-T are the ones I am familiar with, but they’re pretty unusable in earnest as they are now too well known in general.
I did actually see a guy get fired once from an IT service desk for accidentally using ID10T in what he thought was an internal comment on a support ticket (but was in fact the resolution response that goes to the user)
The two we used many years ago were “defective c/k (chair to keyboard) interface” and ESO (Equipment Superior to Operator) error.
OpM: operator malfunction.
I like ‘c/k interface error’ also.
OK, this one I don’t get. Explain?
I think the one I was looking for must have been PEBKAC, the meaning sounds right, although the acronym itself doesn’t ring the familiarity bell. I really like “code 18” and probably would have used that if I had known about it. When we switched from typewriters to dedicated terminals back in the 80s, I was first line of support for some really computer-phobic and resistant people.
The OSI Model defines 7 layers from the physical cable (Layer 1) up to the application (Layer 7). Ethernet is Layer 2, TCP/IP is Layer 3, etc.
The human uses the application, so they are Layer 8.
Bad User on Device
“When you design a fool-proof system, nature designs a better fool.”
Regards,
Shodan
Or, you can’t make the application idiot proof, but you can try to make it idiot resistant.
I’ve always used PEBCAC with a C not a K. Problem Exists Between Chair And Computer.