# Things that piss IT people off **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 16, 2005, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-piss-it-people-off/294875 "2005-03-16T21:01:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![mattmorgan64](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@mattmorgan64](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mattmorgan64)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2005, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-piss-it-people-off/294875/101 "2005-03-19T00:25:11Z")
> [@Mtgman](#): > > To be honest the only reason I say I shudder at 3.5b was because it was the largest release(man-hours wise) ever done and it was kind of the pinnacle of the whole trainwreck. I fully agree that the early days were worse and more confusing, but the sheer SCALE of 3.5b(over a million man-hours) was the big deal there. > > I’m happy to let the discussion end. > > Enjoy, > Steven Cool. However, something inside me is satisfied knowing that years after the train wreck, all I have to do is mention the name of the train - on a forum I only started posting in 2 days ago, and I run across another victim of the wreck. Sort of a virtual support group. ---
**Author:** ![Waverly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/57b2e6/32.png) [@Waverly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waverly)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2005, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-piss-it-people-off/294875/102 "2005-03-19T00:33:51Z")
Smiling Bandit, without laying into you like you deserve, how about you trust those whose jobs are different from yours to _ **know** _ what fucking tools they could use to do their jobs more efficiently? I gotta tend to think that most companies look for at least one or two capable people _outside_ of IT. I have never, ever been angry enough to call for someone’s job, but one had better damn well have their resume up to date before they dismiss something I have taken the time to justify out of hand, and refer to coworkers with similar requests as a ‘miserable pack of slime.’ It’s smug, myopic statements like yours that cause people develop a dislike for IT workers. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2005, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-piss-it-people-off/294875/103 "2005-03-19T01:35:15Z")
> [@Waverly](#): > > how about you trust those whose jobs are different from yours to _ **know** _ what fucking tools they could use to do their jobs more efficiently? You’ve got a point there, and I only have 200 computers and four servers to take care of, but my mission in life is to make them all work, and it sometimes seems that the other guys spend all their time devising ways to break the damn things. ---
**Author:** ![Valgard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Valgard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valgard)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2005, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-piss-it-people-off/294875/104 "2005-03-19T04:53:49Z")
Stuff I hate: 1. Parasites. Nothing beats needing one FTE to clean machines. Over and over and over. 2. People who take our time for granted. Do not forward your virus-laden emails to work or do your personal surfing here because you don’t want to fuck up your home PC while we are always happy to clean up your mess at work. This is the quickest way to get my manager to have a little talk with your manager. 3. Anyone who asks “Oh great, are we getting another ‘up-yours-grade’?” It was funny once, if that. You wouldn’t like it if I dropped by and said “Oh great, are you getting ready to fuck up another set of paychecks?” 4. When you say you need help ASAP, and I call you and tell you that I will be there in two minutes, please take me at my word. Do NOT leave the office as soon as you hang up the phone. 5. Do not damage equipment through gross negligence. All this does is waste your time (which is the bottom line for the company) as well as my time and my budget. We’re not talking about babying the equipment, but if you have been seen hurling your Blackberry across a conference room and you hold the record by destroying three laptops in four days, you really shouldn’t be calling the CIO to scream that the IT department isn’t doing their job. Just a little common sense is all that we ask. 6. Coworkers in other groups within our IT organization who duck phone calls and don’t return messages. We are a team, please act appropriately. 7. Anyone who hides information. Whether it’s the lawyer who neglects to mention that his laptop “Just stopped working” after he dropped it in the bathtub or the infrastructure admin who decides that he doesn’t need to inform anyone that he just brought a mail server down in the middle of the day. None of us can do our jobs if we don’t know what’s going on. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2005, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-piss-it-people-off/294875/105 "2005-03-19T05:07:29Z")
> [@Valgard](#): > > 1. Anyone who hides information. Whether it’s the lawyer who neglects to mention that his laptop “Just stopped working” after he dropped it in the bathtub Ah, come on, they all lie to us. I don’t even bother to ask “Did you try to install something?” anymore. I once got the answer: “No…not lately.” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2005, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-piss-it-people-off/294875/106 "2005-03-19T06:32:33Z")
Yes, some IT workers are dicks, but then again people don’t call up the payroll department with suggestions on how to print to paychecks better (because they have a checkbook at home) or ask them to run a sales report (because it has something to do with numbers). It seems that IT is the only industry in the world that any schmoe off the street can do, because it suffers no time, resource, or staffing constraints. :rolleyes: Amazingly, users manage to simultaneously inflate the supposed responsibilities of the IT department while at the same time vastly underestimating the skill and time required to save the universe. I’m supposed to be responsible for doing everything. And I’m also supposed to do it immediately, because computers are “easy if you have time to read the manual.” I keep a stack of manuals on my desk specifically for when that comment comes up. :wally ---
**Author:** ![Valgard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Valgard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valgard)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2005, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-piss-it-people-off/294875/107 "2005-03-19T08:32:26Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Ah, come on, they all lie to us. I don’t even bother to ask “Did you try to install something?” anymore. > > I once got the answer: “No…not lately.” > > 🙂 I actually got told “Oh yeah, I was going to mention that” after spending 15 minutes sponging up spilled coffee from a PC that “Just went _pop_ and stopped working”. The guy had wiped up his desk, leaving a perfect case-sized puddle of brown liquid under his workstation. Frankly the worst offenders (at least where I work) are in the IT department. Sample dialogue: Me - “Hi Jane, we’re suddenly unable to load the standard image onto the desktops. We’ve checked everything else we can think of, have any changes been made to the image since yesterday?” Jane - “No, we aren’t doing any work on that.” Me - “OK, we’ll see if there’s any other possible cause, in the meantime can you double-check, just to be safe? We’ve got 100 workstations to deploy tonight.” [one hour later] Jane - “Can you try loading the image again?” [30 minutes later] Me - “Yeah, looks like it’s working now. How was it fixed?” Jane - “We didn’t fix anything” [these aren’t the droids you are looking for] Me - “Well what happened? Did anyone change anything?” Jane - “No.” [move along, move along] I think it’s people who are scared to admit a mistake; I’m not going to scream at someone even if they do something totally boneheaded. However if someone does something that affects the end users we need to know about it asap and get it fixed asap. The managers can post-mortem the event later, but when people won’t admit that something has happened, and then when it gets mysteriously resolved but we never hear “Here’s what happened to process X and what we’ve done to ensure that we don’t have that problem again” it doesn’t fill me full of confidence. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2005, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-piss-it-people-off/294875/108 "2005-03-19T17:17:04Z")
> [@](#): > > I have never, ever been angry enough to call for someone’s job, but one had better damn well have their resume up to date before they dismiss something I have taken the time to justify out of hand, and refer to coworkers with similar requests as a ‘miserable pack of slime.’ 1. I don’t make those calls and never have. 2. You did justify it. You know how rare that is? All I ever heard was “I want this.” Not “I want this because…” But that’s not normal, and even then you act like a jerk about it. 3. Most people I see I consider miserable slime. I’m not what you’d call a people person, though I can fake it pretty well. But that’s the techie’s viewpoint. Everyone want wants wants and no body bothers to ever learn anything about what they want. I don’t care how important you are - if you treat us like a doormat, we’re not going to care about your needs. You’re saying, without meaning it, that you should get whatever you want, and that we should bow down and thank you for the privelege, master. Most tech peopel I know and knew don’t care whether or not the other guy even had a basic comprehension fo what a computer was (though it shouldn’t be unexpected nowadays) - we just want some basic respect. We’re not janitors, dammit! ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2005, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-piss-it-people-off/294875/109 "2005-03-19T17:24:32Z")
> [@smiling bandit](#): > > …we just want some basic respect. We’re not janitors, dammit! Heal thyself. Personally, i think janitors are also deserving of “some basic respect.” ---
**Author:** ![black\_rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f19dbf/32.png) [@black\_rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/black_rabbit)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2005, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-piss-it-people-off/294875/110 "2005-03-19T17:28:06Z")
> [@Waverly](#): > > I am no tech weenie, but sure, I’ll pretend to know what I’m talking about for a few minutes. Authentic tech weenies are welcome to comment. > > [ol] > [li] _You may not use Outlook, for security reasons._ OK. Sounds like a good move.[/li][li] _The mail server is Cyrus IMAP._ Still with you. RIM claims Blackberry is IMAP and POP compatible.[/li][li] \*RIM does not offer a solution for generic IMAP. Exchange/Domino/Groupwise, sure. But not vanilla IMAP.\*This is only true if you qualify your statement with ‘I am only interested in Blackberry Web Client or Enterprise Server.’ You still can still use other means to push mail out.[/li][li] \*The IMAP box is not externally adressable. It’s NATed, and behind a firewall.\*Does this prevent email from going out?[/li][li] \*All incoming connections to the internal network must be encrypted, through either a VPN or SSL.\*Once again, this affects outgoing mail how?[/li][li] \*All incoming connections to the internal network from third parties must be from a /28 subnet.\*ibid.[/li][/ol]This guy managed to figure it out: [http://www.mobilewhack.com/pda/blackberry/manage\_your\_email\_when\_using\_the\_bwc.html](http://www.mobilewhack.com/pda/blackberry/manage_your_email_when_using_the_bwc.html) - as did a couple people down the hall from me who got their personal Blackberrys running without any IT help. Maybe that is the secret - don’t ask IT for help. Did you just Google “blackberry cyrus imap” or something? Because other than the fact that I happen to be running a couple of the same packages as that guy, his solution has absolutely nothing to do with my situation. [This guy](http://groups-beta.google.com/group/comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc/browse_frm/thread/fba534c8ca951951/27347314608d5dc3?q=blackberry+freebsd+sendmail#27347314608d5dc3), however, has a similar setup. Note this post, in particular: > [@](#): > > I dont think that the push to Blackberries is done by the mailserver, > instead you would require a Blackberry Enterprise Server which integrates > with a MS Exchange or IBM Lotus Domino server. > [http://www.blackberry.com/products/software/server/server4\_0/index.shtml](http://www.blackberry.com/products/software/server/server4_0/index.shtml) > > I dont think that there is much you can do on the server-side with this > because the officail solution is quite limited to these two options. There > does seem to be some effort from third parties to change this. The fellas > at consilient claim to do what you want (for a price) > [http://www.consilient.com/](http://www.consilient.com/) > > There is a also open source Exchange imitation called Open-Xchange, but it > seems to be more focused on integrating with the front-end client support > (MS Outlook) rather than integrating with back-end infrastructure, AD, BES, > etc. > [http://mirror.open-xchange.org/ox/EN/community/](http://mirror.open-xchange.org/ox/EN/community/) > > I wouldnt be holding my breath for a solid open source solution anytime > soon, nevermind one that would require minimal alterations to your mail > backend. Sorry to be so negative. > > If your organization is not too large, or if your desktop support staff has > nothing else to do you can always opt for the desktop redirector on every > blackberry user’s desktop (again Widows desktops). The catch is that the > computer must stay on and the re-drector with Outlook to be always open > while the user is off to la-la-land with their Blackberry. > > [http://www.blackberry.com/support/faqs/redirector/index.shtml](http://www.blackberry.com/support/faqs/redirector/index.shtml) Thanks for playing. Please come again. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2005, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-piss-it-people-off/294875/111 "2005-03-19T17:36:25Z")
> [@](#): > > Heal thyself. > > Personally, i think janitors are also deserving of “some basic respect.” Good point, but then, I always respected the facilities people. Of course, they also knew every electric panel and wire in the building, too. I realize my remarks here were overly heated, and I do apoligize for that. I intended no offense to Waverly, whom I do not know no his co-workers. I meant those in thr spirit as if I was their techie, and how he/she/it/other might fel about Waverly’s demands. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2005, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-piss-it-people-off/294875/112 "2005-03-19T17:39:00Z")
Argh forgot this: > [@](#): > > Maybe that is the secret - don’t ask IT for help. In a lot of large corporations, IT folks can’t just go out and give one person a personal solution. If someone just goes and does something, it might work. It might not work if a thousand do-it-yourselfers run amok. That might bring down the whole system. In big organizations, don’t ask the IT people unless you’re willing to wait for them to implement a system-wide solution and roll things out to everybody. ---
**Author:** ![Flipshod](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f19dbf/32.png) [@Flipshod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flipshod)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2005, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-piss-it-people-off/294875/113 "2005-03-21T23:08:03Z")
It is HILARIOUS to hear techies complain about users; good, biting and intelligent fun at getting out that corporate frustration. And techies HAVE to condescend to their clients as a default posture, for valid reasons described above. That said, the problem between management and support is a mostly a misunderstanding. As Waverly intimated, to management, IT is merely an expense line that helps generate revenue. i.e a means to a higher end that relates only peripherally to the job at-hand. Many managers, often older ones, but mostly non-technical ones, see ALL support as PHYSICAL PLANT. To them, a person who can’t fix the computer is just like a person who can’t fix an electrical plug in the wall or a clogged toilet. In other words, they don’t realize that these days, the person who moves the equipment on your desk mostly also probably has a higher IQ than you do. It’s a social thing. I think it will fix itself over time as more techie folks rise in the business world. Flip ---
**Author:** ![butler1850](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@butler1850](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butler1850)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2005, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-piss-it-people-off/294875/114 "2005-03-22T20:30:53Z")
Another source to hear it firsthand from those on the streets is [Tech Comedy](http://www.techcomedy.com). I used to be a regular poster there when I was a full time Sys-admin for a medium size company… I understood the pain of all others of my type. I tend to be the sort that will do my best to fix your problem, and will spend the time to explain what’s going on, and provide training, so that you might be able to fix your problem later. Users expect me to remember the history of their machine, and understand all aspects of their workflow, is it too much to ask that they attempt to remember the training I’ve given them??? :smack: -Butler ---
**Author:** ![greebo666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5ac83/32.png) [@greebo666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/greebo666)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2005, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-piss-it-people-off/294875/115 "2005-03-22T22:23:45Z")
Trying to fix a printers that a user in another office in another country has fucked around with, if you don’t know what you are doing then don’t touch the fucking thing…!!! :smack: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-piss-it-people-off/294875.md?page=5)