Shark Tank

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True tales of IT life, fresh every weekday. Got a story of useless users, hapless bosses, clueless vendors or adventures in the IT trenches? Tell Sharky!

Opinion

So you think anyone will want this 'timesharing' stuff?

Flashback to the days when the mainframe is king and timesharing is a huge boon for programmers -- who get more than a little jealous when they can't get access to it.

12/12/18

Opinion

And that was actually the CLEAN version!

This oilfield services company's new email filter flags language that's not considered business appropriate -- but it turns out that depends on what business you're in.

12/11/18

Opinion

Forbidden names, revisited

Flashback to the glory days of CompuServe, when anyone could get an account, but not everyone could use their real names -- even if there wasn't a naughty word involved.

12/10/18

Opinion

But hey, she sure interviewed well!

Contract programmer comes recommended by her employer and, after a brief technical interview by non-programmers, she's hired. How could that approach possibly go wrong?

12/07/18

Opinion

Throwback Thursday: Bin there, done that

It's a few years before eBay, and this IT shop is upgrading one of its oldest machines with external tape drives -- and some obsolete but expensive interface cards.

12/06/18

Opinion

Just like clockwork

Flashback to the days when this programmer pilot fish is working on system software for large computers -- and one of the thorniest problems is knowing what time it is.

12/05/18

Opinion

The name that must not be, um, Skyped?

This pilot fish needs to install Skype on her home computer, but she's having trouble getting it set up -- it seems Microsoft really doesn't approve of her name.

12/04/18

Opinion

Why we love recommendations

First-time IT manager hires a new member for his team, but he doesn't work out well -- and in light of his glowing recommendations, the manager can't figure out why.

12/03/18

Opinion

Assist, redefined

Applications programmer accepts a job in system software at an outfit that supports insurance companies, but he won't be writing applications -- or so he's told.

11/30/18

Opinion

Throwback Thursday: Present company excepted

One of IT's jobs in this city government is to be the first-level gatekeepers of ergonomic policy -- though not everybody seems to believe that applies to them.

11/29/18

Opinion

That bus rolls both ways

This new IT boss calls an all-hands meeting so she can get to know her widely dispersed staff -- and they get an early look at her critical decision-making skills.

11/28/18

Opinion

Now THAT'S the old-school way to pull wire!

Sure, we knew IT people have recruited animals from time to time to pull network wire through tight spaces -- but who knew it's been going on for a century and a half?

11/27/18

Opinion

See, this is how reputations are made

This database group's manager is out while recovering from surgery, and the remaining pilot fish has twice the workload -- but he finds a way to keep everyone happy.

11/26/18

Opinion

ThrowBlack Friday: Let me repeat that

Retailer's director of stores decides that every time a store employee gets an email, a copy should automatically go to the employee's supervisor. How's that working out?

11/23/18

Opinion

Throwback Thursday: Just our way of saying thanks!

A software-based simulator is this company's cash cow, but the project to update it is running months behind. Luckily, a senior software engineer is up to the challenge.

11/22/18

Opinion

As usual, there's a simple explanation

IT manager puts in an order with an ISP to boost the company's bandwidth and get a bigger block of IP addresses, and the hardware is installed -- so why isn't it working?

11/21/18

Opinion

The big fix

Pilot fish at a federal agency is visited by a user who can't access data he needs, and he doesn't just want the issue fixed -- he wants to know what went wrong, and why.

11/20/18

Opinion

So much for THAT excuse

It's 2:30 a.m. when this data center pilot fish is awakened from a sound sleep by a call from an inexperienced mainframe operator -- with a show-stopping problem.

11/19/18

Opinion

Oh, THAT SMP!

Mainframe database admin is responsible for supporting two divisions at this big bank -- and they're not on the same page when it comes to rolling out software updates.

11/16/18

Opinion

Throwback Thursday: That WOULD explain it!

User's computer won't boot, so this support pilot fish begins his troubleshooting questions at the beginning -- which, it turns out, still isn't quite early enough.

11/15/18