I don't need IT, ipads fuck ralara every day (IT thread)

[Takon Orlani]

Five calls, 100 miles and three remote fixes later... My day ends two hours early.

Like
A
Boss

[Aea]

Talking of old languges - I've churned out about 1300 lines of sas code over the last couple of weeks, automating one of our modelling processes. The starting point was a macro written by a colleague from marketing, which featured a calculation involving approx. 80 unlabelled variables named var1, var2, ... all the way up to var80. There are hundreds of assumptions feeding into it which are subject to change, so being able to bake them into a new model within 20 minutes is very convenient (at least by our standards ).

It's been quite satisfying turning the original code into something both legible and useful - it is now one component of a wider suite of macros. We were originally planning to get a contractor to take over at some point, but nearly everything is already done :smug:

I'm just going to mention that one of the companies I worked for had a mission-critical process created by somebody in marketing. In PHP, for parsing CSVs. 27,624 SLOC

0_o

Linecount aside, PHP sounds like a rather weird tool to use for what's essentially a database operation. Was it really all just for parsing, or was there some calculation going on as well?

Parsing, some querying, lots of o_0.

[Lana Torrin]

Five calls, 100 miles and three remote fixes later... My day ends two hours early.

Like
A
Boss

And a page 100 snipe.. Well done.

[Lana Torrin]

Talking of old languges - I've churned out about 1300 lines of sas code over the last couple of weeks, automating one of our modelling processes. The starting point was a macro written by a colleague from marketing, which featured a calculation involving approx. 80 unlabelled variables named var1, var2, ... all the way up to var80. There are hundreds of assumptions feeding into it which are subject to change, so being able to bake them into a new model within 20 minutes is very convenient (at least by our standards ).

It's been quite satisfying turning the original code into something both legible and useful - it is now one component of a wider suite of macros. We were originally planning to get a contractor to take over at some point, but nearly everything is already done :smug:

I'm just going to mention that one of the companies I worked for had a mission-critical process created by somebody in marketing. In PHP, for parsing CSVs. 27,624 SLOC

0_o

Linecount aside, PHP sounds like a rather weird tool to use for what's essentially a database operation. Was it really all just for parsing, or was there some calculation going on as well?

Parsing, some querying, lots of o_0.

I have found PHP is a quick and easy tool to drop in a few database queries, process it and spit out an output. Its database interface is pretty damn easy to learn and its a simple language with quite a bit of flexability..

Having said that.. What the fuck is someone doing using it to write anything complex that isnt a proof of concept?!

[Cydo]

Have received new laptop build to windows 7, work from for the first time today.

Attempt to connect into work and the build doesn't have the remote connect software configured properly, ring servicedesk "passing ticket to right team, they will contact you etc etc"

No more work for me today then...

Edit: Ring and ask if I can use my personal laptop (i know this is possible). Get told I need to use our internal portal to request this as it can't be done over the phone

[Lana Torrin]

Have received new laptop build to windows 7, work from for the first time today.

Attempt to connect into work and the build doesn't have the remote connect software configured properly, ring servicedesk "passing ticket to right team, they will contact you etc etc"

No more work for me today then...

Edit: Ring and ask if I can use my personal laptop (i know this is possible). Get told I need to use our internal portal to request this as it can't be done over the phone

Serious word of advice.. just keep bugging them and making sure they log that you are bugging them.. That way when you managers yell at you they can go and get documented proof that you were trying to get the issue fixed.. Then you are off the hook.

[Cydo]

Have received new laptop build to windows 7, work from for the first time today.

Attempt to connect into work and the build doesn't have the remote connect software configured properly, ring servicedesk "passing ticket to right team, they will contact you etc etc"

No more work for me today then...

Edit: Ring and ask if I can use my personal laptop (i know this is possible). Get told I need to use our internal portal to request this as it can't be done over the phone

Serious word of advice.. just keep bugging them and making sure they log that you are bugging them.. That way when you managers yell at you they can go and get documented proof that you were trying to get the issue fixed.. Then you are off the hook.

Thanks, well i've rung 4 times now and updated my team twice on what's happening. Last 3 rings trying to find a workaround to actually work today.

I have also discovered our webmail is only available internally, service desk gave me the address "https://owa/owa"

[Ralara]

Edit: Ring and ask if I can use my personal laptop (i know this is possible). Get told I need to use our internal portal to request this as it can't be done over the phone

well, yeah, otherwise anyone can ring up pretending to be someone with a random personal laptop. damn right it needs to be varified. The personal laptop is not an "in case of emergency you can connect this way" it's a "also this may be more convenient for some of you".

You should have organised that earlier

[Cydo]

Edit: Ring and ask if I can use my personal laptop (i know this is possible). Get told I need to use our internal portal to request this as it can't be done over the phone

well, yeah, otherwise anyone can ring up pretending to be someone with a random personal laptop. damn right it needs to be varified. The personal laptop is not an "in case of emergency you can connect this way" it's a "also this may be more convenient for some of you".

You should have organised that earlier

Well they know its me as you have to verify that when you start the call...

I guess, but this has never been problem in a year of being here.

[Ralara]

Edit: Ring and ask if I can use my personal laptop (i know this is possible). Get told I need to use our internal portal to request this as it can't be done over the phone

well, yeah, otherwise anyone can ring up pretending to be someone with a random personal laptop. damn right it needs to be varified. The personal laptop is not an "in case of emergency you can connect this way" it's a "also this may be more convenient for some of you".

You should have organised that earlier

Well they know its me as you have to verify that when you start the call...

Yup and im sure that makes you the exception to the regulations they need to follow

"I like him" or "oh it's ok, it's just pete, we can bypass all the protocols because it's pete" is not acceptable in a disciplinary hearing when something goes wrong. Case in point - someone tried to do that by pretending to be someone the other day when accessing management level payroll - I challenged them with a DOB and postcode check - they passed but with hesitation. i was fairly certain it wasn't them so I asked for the DOB of their second oldest child. They hung up

[filingo]

Edit: Ring and ask if I can use my personal laptop (i know this is possible). Get told I need to use our internal portal to request this as it can't be done over the phone

well, yeah, otherwise anyone can ring up pretending to be someone with a random personal laptop. damn right it needs to be varified. The personal laptop is not an "in case of emergency you can connect this way" it's a "also this may be more convenient for some of you".

You should have organised that earlier

Well they know its me as you have to verify that when you start the call...

Yup and im sure that makes you the exception to the regulations they need to follow

"I like him" or "oh it's ok, it's just pete, we can bypass all the protocols because it's pete" is not acceptable in a disciplinary hearing when something goes wrong. Case in point - someone tried to do that by pretending to be someone the other day when accessing management level payroll - I challenged them with a DOB and postcode check - they passed but with hesitation. i was fairly certain it wasn't them so I asked for the DOB of their second oldest child. They hung up

maybe their second oldest child was molested and eaten by a scouser one fine saturday afternoon and the tramua has never left

maybe you shouldnt be so fucking insensitive

asshole

[Cydo]

Edit: Ring and ask if I can use my personal laptop (i know this is possible). Get told I need to use our internal portal to request this as it can't be done over the phone

well, yeah, otherwise anyone can ring up pretending to be someone with a random personal laptop. damn right it needs to be varified. The personal laptop is not an "in case of emergency you can connect this way" it's a "also this may be more convenient for some of you".

You should have organised that earlier

Well they know its me as you have to verify that when you start the call...

Yup and im sure that makes you the exception to the regulations they need to follow

"I like him" or "oh it's ok, it's just pete, we can bypass all the protocols because it's pete" is not acceptable in a disciplinary hearing when something goes wrong. Case in point - someone tried to do that by pretending to be someone the other day when accessing management level payroll - I challenged them with a DOB and postcode check - they passed but with hesitation. i was fairly certain it wasn't them so I asked for the DOB of their second oldest child. They hung up

Haha I get the point there, it's just annoying when they tell me what needs to be done but that they can't do it.

Anyhow, work day nearly over and im back in the office Monday - I'll just make sure this works for next time

[Itiken]

My epicx week of really, genuinely pleasurable work is almost at a close.
Remember that picture of the shitty internal network iposted ages ago? well, i've ripped out so much equipment this week from it, it's starting to look like a proper star not a Escher-esque fucking disaster as before.

I have even created art out of old equipment. i present to you: Firewall-henge


\o/

maybe their second oldest child was molested and eaten by a scouser one fine saturday afternoon

i fucking hate scousers

[Liare]

Are any of you service desk managers?

our service desk has five people in it, all of whom rotate one day on it, and 4 days with their primary duties.

i do get the nice "incident mangler" and "problem mangler" cap rather often, mostly because i seem to have a talent for digging out obscure errors from the bowls of windows and translating it into something readable, and because i have a VERY hard time accepting "just because..." as a reason for something fucking up.

I literally don't know a thing about ITIL... and I suspect I'm better for it.

Unrelated, I'm looking for a cheap'n'cheerful UPS. I had my eye on one until I read the description which said: "Ships with shutdown software for Windows 98/ME/2000 and MAC OS 9(9.0.4 or higher)"

What kind of condition would you expect the battery to be in if one of its selling points is support for a 12 year old OS?

you are, APC makes nice kit.

ITIL Foundations course felt like a foreign language class. Simple concepts hidden behind an absolute butchering of the English language. I assume so you have to take the courses to pass the exams.

That said, we all know common sense is not common, so sacking all the dummies is a pipedream. Better to embrace the overhead than deal with the average drone/IT worker trying to figure out the best way on their own imo

(and yes, I am on the management path. Lol. Although via the data center, not the service desk thank god)

We could have an ITIL is killing me thread tbh. The worst thing is allowing users to directly enter jobs, then you get the clusterfuck of a job system we have where a user will raise a p4 service request for a dead server (so we have a 30 day sla) or a p1 incident because they locked themselves out of their account.. major incident team loves those ones.

now imagine ITIL being taught in a foreign language.

its more like a fucking protection racket to be honest, you either get on the boat or wait for management to FORCE you on the boat, because it's "a good idea".

but ITIL does nothing to address the major stumbling blocks in most IT organisations, namely that technology is hilariously people hostile, that social skills are the exception not the norm and that good management is a city somewhere in the depths of the siberian tundra.

Edit: Ring and ask if I can use my personal laptop (i know this is possible). Get told I need to use our internal portal to request this as it can't be done over the phone

well, yeah, otherwise anyone can ring up pretending to be someone with a random personal laptop. damn right it needs to be varified. The personal laptop is not an "in case of emergency you can connect this way" it's a "also this may be more convenient for some of you".

You should have organised that earlier

Well they know its me as you have to verify that when you start the call...

I guess, but this has never been problem in a year of being here.

because it's SO HARD to call a number that is reasonably public and lie trough your teeth about something like this, right ?

its not like we have that issue on occasion, nope.

[SteeleResolve]

Liare, Sir, you are an extremely angry individual.

Please use this venting thread as much as possible.

[Liare]

Liare, Sir, you are an extremely angry individual.

Please use this venting thread as much as possible.

but buckets of sulphuric acid above the desks of people who annoy me has a certain stress relief factor i quite enjoy.

i think it's the screaming that gives it the final touch.



i am also coming up on my 10th anniversary in this business in about two months, i do think i have earned my right to be really really bitter and angry at this point.

[Itiken]

17 years here.
I've been through anger and am so far out the other side I'm nearly back at the start.
Or in other words:
"I don't take shit from people like you on a good day - and today is not a good day".

[Liare]

so its on a 20 year cycle then ?

that does explain a lot.

[Cydo]

You rage much n1.

[Liare]

You rage much n1.

if i could rage about any subject on demand i would be a rich man.