the Missing M
Group: Members
Posts: 35
Joined: Mar. 2007 |
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Posted: Mar. 23 2007,13:53 |
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| Quote (meltdown_override @ Mar. 08 2007,16:17) | [...]
While I myself do not have a "horror story"yet,does anyone else have one? |
Well, although this wasn't a Linux episode, it did happen in a local library. Thanks for reminding me.
They'd just installed Oracle, or some sort of book cataloguing system with search functionality, which I and several other patrons found very useful. Out of curiosity I had a look at the desktop, wandered around a bit [without touching anything], said `Hmm,' then figured I should bring up the Oracle screen again, for the next user in line.
But as a Mac user, I didn't realize that in Windows, double-clicking on a desktop icon would start a new instance of the application, instead of bringing you back to the one that was already running. Probably using twice the RAM/CPU time now, and these machines weren't brand-new, so one of them probably should quit.
Okay, no problem except I wasn't authorized to quit this newly started instance, and of course, I didn't know the password it was prompting me for.
Okay, still no problem. I went and found sysadmin guy, who said `Okay, no problem' and proceeded to type in the password to exit the unnecessary second instance of said application. I respectfully looked the other way while he was typing.
Okay. Still no problem, until I went to check out some books.
At the counter, sysadmin guy walked by and happened to notice what I was checking out... `The Hacker Crackdown' co-written by Bruce Sterling, `The Cuckoo's Egg' by Clifford Stoll, something about the FBI chasing after Mitnik [yes, this was quite a while ago, can't remember the title now]... And something about the mammals of Australia, I think.
After one *very* nervous glance in my direction, he turned and kept walking.
The next day, there was no way to get from seach engine to desktop. It was running in kiosk mode.
So I guess I helped out, in a way... Kind of. :-\ Better me than someone who actually knew what they were doing.
Patrick.
--------------
Q: What is the difference between
a joke, and a lie?
A: A lie tends to obscure the truth,
while a joke often reveals it.
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) and they can't hear me. Cars and bikes/pedestrians don't collide very well; the cars always seem to win. When people don't have common sense, it's reasonable for those whose duty it is to make laws to make some that modify certain behaviors: helmet laws, anti-distraction while driving laws (cell phones, etc.), red light cameras to protect people who have the right of way from those who could maim or kill others due to impatience, and even laws that address what makes some pedestrians and cyclists oblivious to the dangers around them (various devices, including music players).
