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anthonypants posted:I think it's supposed to mean, "When you call me with a support request, it interrupts the work I'm doing." So does calling someone who's connected via modem at the time.
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Feb 14, 2014 21:25
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USB to serial dongles. gently caress those things. I've got one that causes blue screens, just locks up Putty, loses the com port, blah blah, and when I try to restart, hangs the PC, and it won't reboot when it's plugged in. loving hell, especially when I'm on site all week, and I'm loving with my laptop all the time. I even just found newly released drivers in the last few months, and it locked up even quicker than normal after the first install. Any decent ones out there that don't suck horribly? I'm getting tired of this poo poo.
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Feb 16, 2014 01:50
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Panthrax posted:USB to serial dongles. gently caress those things. I've got one that causes blue screens, just locks up Putty, loses the com port, blah blah, and when I try to restart, hangs the PC, and it won't reboot when it's plugged in. loving hell, especially when I'm on site all week, and I'm loving with my laptop all the time. I even just found newly released drivers in the last few months, and it locked up even quicker than normal after the first install. Any decent ones out there that don't suck horribly? I'm getting tired of this poo poo. Ones based on the FTDI chipset are the least horrible. I'd put  on yours being made by Prolific.
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Feb 16, 2014 01:59
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Lum posted:Ones based on the FTDI chipset are the least horrible. It's one of these fuckers. I'll check out FTDI chipsets. Thanks.
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Feb 16, 2014 02:12
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I have a Keyspan USA-19HS which is worth its weight in gold. If you want the Rolls-Royce of serial stuff though it's very hard to go wrong with a Brainboxes adapter, but you definitely pay for the privilege.
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Feb 16, 2014 02:14
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Thats good to know about those RS-232 adapters. The new laptops we are likely to get don't have serial ports. Its not like we should order laptops to fit different needs of a group, one laptop works for everyone, right?
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Feb 16, 2014 02:47
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CitizenKain posted:Thats good to know about those RS-232 adapters. The new laptops we are likely to get don't have serial ports. Its not like we should order laptops to fit different needs of a group, one laptop works for everyone, right? 17 inch laptops are also the best thing to equip mobile sales representatives with, most of whome spend 90% of their working time on the road.
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Feb 16, 2014 02:51
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CitizenKain posted:Thats good to know about those RS-232 adapters. The new laptops we are likely to get don't have serial ports. Its not like we should order laptops to fit different needs of a group, one laptop works for everyone, right? There's like zero laptops that have com ports anymore.
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Feb 16, 2014 02:51
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If you're going to need RS232, look for laptops that still have ExpressCard slots. There are very good actual serial and parallel port cards available for that that don't have the kinds of problems USB attached "RS232" adapters do.
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Feb 16, 2014 02:54
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Also if you do need a USB one, the Trendnet adapters have never given me problems and I know they definitely work with Ciscos, at least.
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Feb 16, 2014 03:00
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FISHMANPET posted:There's like zero laptops that have com ports anymore. I have an HP Probook 6500-series that for some reason has one.
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Feb 16, 2014 03:21
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FISHMANPET posted:There's like zero laptops that have com ports anymore. Consumer level, yeah, almost none of them have serial anymore. You can still get business class laptops with serial without too much trouble though. My laptop has a hardware serial port, but I usually use my USB serial adapter, because it gives me an extra 6 feet of distance from the device I'm configuring. That comes in handy when the router or switch is housed in a wall rack mounted near the ceiling. And yes, make sure you get a USB adapter based on a FTDI chip. A lot of the other cheap ones use knockoff chips of varying quality and can be a crapshoot. Edit: this is the serial adapter I have, and like: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AHYJWWG/ref=oh_details_o05_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 n0tqu1tesane fucked around with this message at 16:17 on Feb 16, 2014 |
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Feb 16, 2014 16:14
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CitizenKain posted:Thats good to know about those RS-232 adapters. The new laptops we are likely to get don't have serial ports. Its not like we should order laptops to fit different needs of a group, one laptop works for everyone, right? The Brainboxes Bluetooth serial dongles are so handy for setting up network devices in a rack where the workbench might be longer than the length of a piece of wire away. I wouldn't use them for firmware flashing but for general config stuff they are perfect.
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Feb 16, 2014 16:16
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this article is for all of you. http://jeffarchibald.ca/60-hour-work-week-badge-honour/ I post this, because it feels REALLY GOOD to let the work cell ring, and not answer it because you're watching House of Cards and don't want to hit pause on a Saturday Night. It's a feeling I hope many of you learn to appreciate.
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Feb 16, 2014 17:02
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Che Delilas posted:Shitheel just wants butts in seats, make no mistake. I can't call that mindset complete bullshit though, even if it is a little backwards and irrelevant considering the nature of IT work. I had an old boss who didn't want our doors closed because he thought it looked bad if the CIO walked down the hall. Never mind if I was on a conference call or had heads-down work to do, or was out to lunch and didn't want my stuff to get jacked. It's all about appearances to some managers. Edit: ^^^^^^ When I took over my current team I told them I did not want them working late or weekends unless I asked them to. No heroic efforts. The only way to show management that we need more resources it to stop falling over ourselves to produce miracles. tomapot fucked around with this message at 19:21 on Feb 16, 2014 |
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Feb 16, 2014 19:17
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nitrogen posted:this article is for all of you. I'm the only I.T. person so I have to always answer that phone. I've worked every weekend since we moved to our new HQ (end of December) because it's the only way to keep from getting hopelessly buried. In the last three years since I started we've gone from about 50 people to over 100, at over a dozen sites in three cities and two states, and that growth pace isn't slowing down. My boss and the HR VP asked me about getting some help but all they want is to get a temp from one of their crap agencies. I've explained that the amount of time I'd need to spend training and managing that temp will far outpace whatever they can do for my workload but I don't think they're listening. Nothing new there. So I came in yesterday (Saturday) to prep two new PCs before the rest of the dozen I ordered show up. Instead I spent the whole time working on the Controller's laptop because (to keep things short) she is an idiot. Now it's Sunday and I'm here to do what I couldn't get done yesterday. Dick Trauma fucked around with this message at 20:39 on Feb 16, 2014 |
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Feb 16, 2014 20:33
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Dick Trauma posted:I'm the only I.T. person so I have to always answer that phone. I've worked every weekend since we moved to our new HQ because it's the only way to keep from getting hopelessly buried. In the last three years since I started we've gone from about 50 people to over 100, at over a dozen sites in three cites and two states, and that growth pace isn't slowing down. You're working at least 6 days a week and they didn't agree to giving you the title of IT Director? Man.
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Feb 16, 2014 20:38
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I came in here knowing they would have most of the flaws of the average workplace. That I've made it three years feels weird, since two years at the hell place felt much longer. But unfortunately this place is becoming dysfunctional as they've chosen to continue trying to run the company like it's still just 20 people. No internal controls, wild and wasteful spending, terrible cliques, no one at Director level or above with the good sense and backbone to reign things in... ah well. I'm getting burned out, and tired of having no authority. I almost wish I'd never been an I.T. Director with authority because it ruined me for all the jobs that came afterward.
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Feb 16, 2014 20:41
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Dick Trauma posted:I'm the only I.T. person so I have to always answer that phone. I've worked every weekend since we moved to our new HQ (end of December) because it's the only way to keep from getting hopelessly buried. In the last three years since I started we've gone from about 50 people to over 100, at over a dozen sites in three cities and two states, and that growth pace isn't slowing down. Your pod appears to be leaking.
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Feb 16, 2014 20:42
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Dick Trauma posted:But unfortunately this place is becoming dysfunctional as they've chosen to continue trying to run the company like it's still just 20 people. This is so loving unbelievably common that it's depressing.
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Feb 16, 2014 20:55
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I have mostly worked at terrible places, but I've come to learn the basics necessary for controlling growth, managing and developing staff, etc. Most places don't know these things and I wind up frequently wishing I could teach my bosses how to actually be bosses. They should be ashamed of how bad they are at it, managing purely by the seat of their pants. No system, no process, no self-examination. I think this is why I like watching TV shows like "Holmes on Homes" where extremely competent people go and unfuck the things done by average, lousy workers. I wish I could go back in time and find someone like that to work with, no matter what industry it is. They're so rare.
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Feb 16, 2014 21:05
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Simple math:Dick Trauma posted:I'm getting burned out is because of Dick Trauma posted:I've worked every weekend since we moved to our new HQ (end of December) because it's the only way to keep from getting hopelessly buried. Additionally: Dick Trauma posted:My boss and the HR VP asked me about getting some help but all they want is to get a temp from one of their crap agencies. I've explained that the amount of time I'd need to spend training and managing that temp will far outpace whatever they can do for my workload is because Dick Trauma posted:I've worked every weekend since we moved to our new HQ (end of December) because it's the only way to keep from getting hopelessly buried. I mean, why should they invest in a new employee instead of just a temp employee? You obviously don't value your time so it would be silly to expect them to. Everyone needs a refresher on the cardinal rule of goon IT now and then because we all have a tendency to get wrapped up in being the martyr holding up the world now and then, but: Respect yourself, say no. If they are refusing to expand their infrastructure to support the growing environment, don't volunteer yourself to be a human I-beam. CYA, document everything, ask for help, but don't give your own, valuable, personal time to cover for their lack of action.
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Feb 16, 2014 21:33
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Based on my lengthy experience working at terrible places all this accomplishes is management anger and resentment. They don't suddenly start looking at you as a valuable resource. They look at you as someone to replace. The long hours are fairly recent. The problems that led to it have been here from the start but were at low boil because we were smaller. I have had two bosses in a row here so far that do not listen to me about pretty much anything. That is the biggest contributor to my troubles here. I do value my time, but I also value the best paycheck I've ever had now that I need to support my elderly parents. At my age and with my corroding skills there's nowhere to go from here but down. I need to delay that as long as possible because it will get ugly pretty quickly if I have to go back to what I was making before. Put me somewhere that doesn't suck and things go quite differently. Finding that place has been the bane of my career.
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Feb 16, 2014 21:40
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Dick Trauma posted:Based on my lengthy experience working at terrible places all this accomplishes is management anger and resentment. They don't suddenly start looking at you as a valuable resource. They look at you as someone to replace. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battered_person_syndrome
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Feb 16, 2014 22:20
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nitrogen posted:this article is for all of you. Hey man, nothing like being able to quote you're doing a 60 hour week while sitting down watching tv shows. I'm on my 25th hour of this week so far. Although in two hours I don't think i'll get to call it this week anymore due to it officially being Monday then.
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Feb 16, 2014 23:03
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Panthrax posted:USB to serial dongles. gently caress those things. I've got one that causes blue screens, just locks up Putty, loses the com port, blah blah, and when I try to restart, hangs the PC, and it won't reboot when it's plugged in. loving hell, especially when I'm on site all week, and I'm loving with my laptop all the time. I even just found newly released drivers in the last few months, and it locked up even quicker than normal after the first install. Any decent ones out there that don't suck horribly? I'm getting tired of this poo poo. My favourites are the ones which get assigned a new com port address on each reboot or when it is unplugged and plugged back in.
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Feb 16, 2014 23:42
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Varkk posted:My favourites are the ones which get assigned a new com port address on each reboot or when it is unplugged and plugged back in. So much this. It's easy for me to fire up hyperteminal and find out where GPS input ended up today, but the users went puppy-eyed at repeated attempts at explaining and detailed walktroughs. So happy that management denied the request for ruggedized laptops with serial ports beacuse, and I quote, "We have 50 old laptops just laying about, we have to use them up first." It's like asking for a boat and getting a car because hey, you asked for a vehicle, this is a vehicle we already had. We saved money!
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Feb 16, 2014 23:54
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1980's computer system used to kick out reports on 132 column greenbar paper, right? That kind of poo poo. We don't have any line printers anymore but we still have a couple cases of this poo poo in storage. Anyway, now these files just get emailed to people and they open them in Word (Why Wordl? Excel just makes too much loving sense for this kind of poo poo. Or even a PDF export/conversion). If you adjust the margins and lower the font size, it looks okay (or you could just use NotePad++ but...) Here's the problem: not all the reports are 132-column. Some go to 150 or 160 columns. Horses! So IMB declares, "Bob Morales you must fix this glitch in Microsoft Word!" I bump the font size down one more pt, and it looks fine. "That's unreadable! No one can read such small fonts!" It's one point smaller, dumbfuck. I have like 20/35 vision and I can see it just fine. "I've resized it back up one point size. This looks much better!" I tried explaining to dumbledore that the headers aren't lined up anymore. They are spilling over to the next line. Everything in the report is now wrong! He needs to fix his stupid report! I show him where the linefeed characters are in his output, he ignores me. H doesn't understand that he can't just cut the columns off wherever he wants! Fool!
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Feb 17, 2014 15:52
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Bob Morales posted:"That's unreadable! No one can read such small fonts!" If only there was some kind of zoom feature.
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Feb 17, 2014 15:53
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HalloKitty posted:If only there was some kind of zoom feature. "Our users aren't smart enough to zoom and we don't want to confuse them, they have been doing their jobs this way for..."
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Feb 17, 2014 15:54
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Going to kill this motherfucker (not really don't call the cops) When ever admin@abc.com gets an email notification, such as: "Backup stopped by ABC\BMorales" "128.1.5.55 has logged into XYZ Control Panel" He forwards it to me and says "DID YOU JUST STOP A BACKUP JOB" or "DID YOU JUST LOG INTO THE SWITCH" Yes mother fucker! That's why that email says that! 
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Feb 17, 2014 15:57
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10:00. I'm going to take a break, go get a yogurt, and just stare over at him like this
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Feb 17, 2014 15:59
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If it's a report kinda thing with headers with columns that need to be lined up, why not use excel? Heck, if you can modify the report so it spits things out with a delimiter, it'll be even easier to do that way. (yeah, I know, stop bringing logic into the conversation...)
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Feb 17, 2014 16:10
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If you were putting those 20 extra hours into technical or management skill development, I suspect you wouldn't be so nervous about your skill atrophy and be continuing to climb instead of just slowing your descent. There are loads of business colleges that have good MS programs geared for people working a day job and using an employer's education benefits to cover tuition. You sound like you have enough background to steamroll a program like that, and then you can gun for a comfortable directorship until you retire. Sure, you'll have to work drat hard to do it, but you're already working drat hard; just invest in yourself instead of the employer who isn't taking initiative. Sugar talk the employer with "I'm working on this program so I can be that much more effective in my work hours" to sell it, and your college of choice almost certainly has counselors who can help coach you on making that sale to your employer.
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Feb 17, 2014 16:16
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I'm trying to hammer this nail into the wall with a screwdriver but it won't go in straight, please fix my screwdriver! P.S. THIS IS AFFECTING PRODUCTION Seriously though this is why you should never accept functional problems for software. If anyone ever asks me about fixing an Excel formula I just tell them I have no idea and suggest they ask the finance department or someone else who uses Excel all day every day. Scikar fucked around with this message at 16:38 on Feb 17, 2014 |
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Feb 17, 2014 16:22
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Scikar posted:I'm trying to hammer this mail into the wall with a screwdriver but it won't go in straight, please fix my screwdriver! This. This. A thousand times this! The Help Desk/Desktop Support is not the Help Feature of program X. I've had to break my coworkers from accepting tickets of "How do I use feature X in Word/Excel/PowerPoint?". When I am given a ticket I just close it and reply with "please ask your coworkers or manager." Once the IT department is seen as a "general computer questions Team" you will forever get users getting lazier and using you as a crutch for help.
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Feb 17, 2014 16:33
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Baby Town Frolics posted:Once the IT department is seen as a "general computer questions Team" you will forever get users getting lazier and using you as a crutch for help. Who are they supposed to ask? At one place I worked we had 'Excel specialists' and poo poo like that. Normally whoever was the best at Excel, we'd give them even more training and assign them as the go-to person for Excel questions, but then they ended up wasting too much time showing everyone how to do simple poo poo. You can send someone to a stupid New Horizons Excel class for 3 days but they won't remember poo poo. The problem is when helpdesk just googles "HOW DO I CHANGE....", that's a huge waste of time.
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Feb 17, 2014 16:40
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They can just bash F1. Seriously, the Office help is pretty great.
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Feb 17, 2014 16:44
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Jeoh posted:They can just bash F1. Seriously, the Office help is pretty great. 
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Feb 17, 2014 16:47
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Bob Morales posted:Who are they supposed to ask? They use excel for their job, so they're presumably supposed to have some level of proficiency in it, they should be able to figure it out themselves. I know that's wishful thinking, but geez.
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