The Daily WTF: Curious Perversions in Information Technology

KarenM · 2013-09-26 Reply Admin

And this is a very good one.

2013-09-26 Reply Admin

I am montioring this thread.

PS You might want to spell check articles.

edgsousa · 2013-09-26 Reply Admin

I love (not) Dan's reaction. Why it is that something breaks, the FRIST reaction is to go running saying "IT'S YOUR FAULT. YOUR [NETWORK/SW] BROKE IT"?

Those are the people that make WTF happen and make our humble office presence a living hell.

Matt Westwood · 2013-09-26 Reply Admin

edgsousa:
I love (not) Dan's reaction. Why it is that something breaks, the FRIST reaction is to go running saying "IT'S YOUR FAULT. YOUR [NETWORK/SW] BROKE IT"?
Those are the people that make WTF happen and make our humble office presence a living hell.

So what have we got? a) Customer helpdesk software breaks. b) Investigation shows this tool is run by inefficient legacy software on ill-maintained hardware. c) Cause of outage: 3rd party software package crashed. Oh wow, big deal.

And then Erik's no shrinking coward, he has the balls to tell Dan to his face to "settle down". He also has the professional wherewithal to upgrade said software package and improve one little corner of the world.

Where's the WTF? Now if Dan had publicly reamed him out for having had the temerity to bugger with software he was't authorised to, or one of the bimboes operating the helpdesk, had got him fired because she suspected he'd looked at her panties while under the desk looking for the offending laptop, then that would have been a WTF. As it is, this is business as usual with a happy ending.

2013-09-26 Reply Admin

For me this is the straw that broke the camel's back. This site used to be a must-read but if the best it can do now is an overblown story about a company having old equipment running poorly understood software, it's time to remove it from my RSS reader. It was fun while it lasted.

2013-09-26 Reply Admin

edgsousa:
I love (not) Dan's reaction. Why it is that something breaks, the FRIST reaction is to go running saying "IT'S YOUR FAULT. YOUR [NETWORK/SW] BROKE IT"?
Those are the people that make WTF happen and make our humble office presence a living hell.

A decent manager would have said "IT'S OUR FAULT!".

2013-09-26 Reply Admin

Rob:
For me this is the straw that broke the camel's back. This site used to be a must-read but if the best it can do now is an overblown story about a company having old equipment running poorly understood software, it's time to remove it from my RSS reader. It was fun while it lasted.

I actually liked this one. I mean, it wasn't the most out-there of WTFs, but it was presented in a nice factual way, and pleasantly written without resorting to purple prose, and without overly fanciful references to clichéd geek culture that seem to have recently started creeping in.

ip-guru · 2013-09-26 Reply Admin

I call BS

Software to monitor call volumes requires considerable integration with the customers PBX (I am a PBX Engineer) and is usually only available from the manufacturers of the PBX. although the quality of this software can sometimes be poor resolving the issue would be the responsibility of the PBX maintainer & not the in House IT team.

GettinSadda · 2013-09-26 Reply Admin

ip-guru:
I call BS
Software to monitor call volumes requires considerable integration with the customers PBX (I am a PBX Engineer) and is usually only available from the manufacturers of the PBX. although the quality of this software can sometimes be poor resolving the issue would be the responsibility of the PBX maintainer & not the in House IT team.

Yeah, but whoever made up today's story isn't in the same business, so they didn't know that ;-)

ObiWayneKenobi · 2013-09-26 Reply Admin

I think the WTF is that the Helpdesk Manager was all "I don't care 'bout no technobabble" when it presumably should have at least some technical/network background. I mean it's an ISP, even if they barely know it your helpdesk staff tend to know bare basics like ping and tracert.

Also, pipsqueak? I'd have filed a complaint with HR or something for harassment. That kind of language isn't needed.

SamC · 2013-09-26 Reply Admin

TRWTF is TDWTF's broken spelling montioring program. Better get some more team mebers on it.

Steve The Cynic · 2013-09-26 Reply Admin

SamC:
TRWTF is TDWTF's broken spelling montioring program. Better get some more team mebers on it.

I could say something about glass houses and throwing stones, but I won't...

2013-09-26 Reply Admin

ObiWayneKenobi:
I think the WTF is that the Helpdesk Manager was all "I don't care 'bout no technobabble" when it presumably should have at least some technical/network background. I mean it's an ISP, even if they barely know it your helpdesk staff tend to know bare basics like ping and tracert.
Also, pipsqueak? I'd have filed a complaint with HR or something for harassment. That kind of language isn't needed.

I actually think that most of the strong language the articles contain is made up.

Hmmmm · 2013-09-26 Reply Admin

Steve The Cynic:
SamC:
TRWTF is TDWTF's broken spelling montioring program. Better get some more team mebers on it.
I could say something about glass houses and throwing stones, but I won't because that was the whole point of his post ...

FTFY (FFS)

2013-09-26 Reply Admin

ip-guru:
I call BS
Software to monitor call volumes requires considerable integration with the customers PBX (I am a PBX Engineer) and is usually only available from the manufacturers of the PBX. although the quality of this software can sometimes be poor resolving the issue would be the responsibility of the PBX maintainer & not the in House IT team.

Not necessarily. A pbx at a place I worked in 2000 had some pretty open API's, allowing the enterprising customer the potential to create their own solutions. At this place I was able to whip up a virtual phone set at each workstation.

2013-09-26 Reply Admin

“I DON’T CARE ABOUT TECHNOBABBLE. FIX IT NOW, YOU PIPSQUEAK!”

"Your request is very important to us, and will be serviced by the next available IT technician. Please hold."

2013-09-26 Reply Admin

ip-guru:
I call BS
Software to monitor call volumes requires considerable integration with the customers PBX (I am a PBX Engineer) and is usually only available from the manufacturers of the PBX. although the quality of this software can sometimes be poor resolving the issue would be the responsibility of the PBX maintainer & not the in House IT team.

Responsibility? Yes... but when they've given you the source code to the monitoring application, there's absolutely no reason why you couldn't do a complete rewrite from the ground up.

2013-09-26 Reply Admin

I come here for code that makes my head explode. At the very least a PHB incident.

No joy, today.

Zero stars.

So to give us something to talk about, I nominate EBCDIC as the Mother of all WTFs.

Helix · 2013-09-26 Reply Admin

at least he could whip up a neat solution in VB6

pjt33 · 2013-09-26 Reply Admin

Matt Westwood:
b) Investigation shows this tool is run by inefficient legacy software on ill-maintained hardware.

No mention is made of whether it was inefficient (although it might be a reasonable guess that it was). But the architecture is the WTF. Since it's VBScript, it's going to be running under Windows. Windows has had scheduled tasks since Win98 (or Win95 if you count Plus!). WTF would you want to use a browser with a scheduled page reloading plugin for your cron?

WernerCD · 2013-09-26 Reply Admin

eVil:
Rob:
For me this is the straw that broke the camel's back. This site used to be a must-read but if the best it can do now is an overblown story about a company having old equipment running poorly understood software, it's time to remove it from my RSS reader. It was fun while it lasted.

I actually liked this one. I mean, it wasn't the most out-there of WTFs, but it was presented in a nice factual way, and pleasantly written without resorting to purple prose, and without overly fanciful references to clichéd geek culture that seem to have recently started creeping in.

This story is leagues above Mondays (Rip in time) and Tuesdays (Radio Clocks). Sure, it doesn't have the "meat" that Yesterdays (Database script from hell) story had.

Not the best week worth of stories, but if there is anything to complain about it definitely isn't today.

2013-09-26 Reply Admin

decet:
A decent manager

Wait, what? *head asplode*

Helix · 2013-09-26 Reply Admin

But i do not understand why the calls are not coming though to the desks?

This 'app' was just a monitor right?

2013-09-26 Reply Admin

ip-guru:
I call BS
Software to monitor call volumes requires considerable integration with the customers PBX (I am a PBX Engineer) and is usually only available from the manufacturers of the PBX. although the quality of this software can sometimes be poor resolving the issue would be the responsibility of the PBX maintainer & not the in House IT team.

Er... not to be a prick.. but we designed software to do much the same back in the 90's from a Siemens PBX when I worked for a company that sold international callback routing. From good old pascal too (yeah I know, I pity me too)...

2013-09-26 Reply Admin

pjt33:
WTF would you want to use a browser with a scheduled page reloading plugin for your cron?

Well - even if you were going to have a scheduled page reload in a browser, you could simply include a meta refresh tag in the html code and not rely on a plugin to do the job.

2013-09-26 Reply Admin

ObiWayneKenobi:
I mean it's an ISP, even if they barely know it your helpdesk staff tend to know bare basics like ping and tracert.

Sure, the helpdesk staff.

Managers? Hmph. It's "only" the helpdesk, so it's considered perfectly sufficient to hire based on a generic MBA or lesser degree only, rather than search for someone who's done helpdesk themselves and can understand the needs of the staff.

2013-09-26 Reply Admin

Rob:
For me this is the straw that broke the camel's back. This site used to be a must-read but if the best it can do now is an overblown story about a company having old equipment running poorly understood software, it's time to remove it from my RSS reader. It was fun while it lasted.

This one's a little underwhelming, but it's a breath of fresh air after the Hanzo stories and future-sci-fi date field or whatever Monday's BS story was.

2013-09-26 Reply Admin

This 'app' was just a monitor right?

Yes. The app was a monitor. And apparently the calls were all routed manually by someone reading the monitor. A complete waste of a human being that apparently knows enough to have replaced himself with a better script.

operagost · 2013-09-26 Reply Admin

ip-guru:
I call BS
Software to monitor call volumes requires considerable integration with the customers PBX (I am a PBX Engineer) and is usually only available from the manufacturers of the PBX. although the quality of this software can sometimes be poor resolving the issue would be the responsibility of the PBX maintainer & not the in House IT team.

And there's the real WTF. Remember, everything with a power cord is IT! Computers, copiers, PBX, toasters...

Helix · 2013-09-26 Reply Admin

Chad Garrett:
This 'app' was just a monitor right?
Yes. The app was a monitor. And apparently the calls were all routed manually by someone reading the monitor. A complete waste of a human being that apparently knows enough to have replaced himself with a better script.

WTF - why would someone tolerate that more more then just a few days!! If I was the boss.. "stuff the calls for now lets put in a better system!"

2013-09-26 Reply Admin

Matt Westwood:
So what have we got? a) Customer helpdesk software breaks. b) Investigation shows this tool is run by inefficient legacy software on ill-maintained hardware. c) Cause of outage: 3rd party software package crashed. Oh wow, big deal.
And then Erik's no shrinking coward, he has the balls to tell Dan to his face to "settle down". He also has the professional wherewithal to upgrade said software package and improve one little corner of the world.

Where's the WTF?

The WTF is that this issue was solved in a matter of moments, in a sane and reasonable fashion. Top it off with a happy ending consisting of the Presidents daughter wanting Erik's babies, and the world not exploding!

These things never happen in real life! :)

2013-09-26 Reply Admin

Rob:
For me this is the straw that broke the camel's back. This site used to be a must-read but if the best it can do now is an overblown story about a company having old equipment running poorly understood software, it's time to remove it from my RSS reader. It was fun while it lasted.

What he said.

I even miss Mandatory Fun Day, especially the comments...

Coyne · 2013-09-26 Reply Admin

"Nom nom cat" just doesn't seem right for this article. It think it would have gone better with a picture of a decrepit old mummy.

2013-09-26 Reply Admin

Rob:
For me this is the straw that broke the camel's back. This site used to be a must-read but if the best it can do now is an overblown story about a company having old equipment running poorly understood software, it's time to remove it from my RSS reader. It was fun while it lasted.

This was the best story in the last month or two but then again that's like being the tallest midget. This site has gone down hill in a bad way.

Alargule · 2013-09-26 Reply Admin

Cool story bro. Love the cat.

Dogsworth · 2013-09-26 Reply Admin

Rob:
For me this is the straw that broke the camel's back. This site used to be a must-read but if the best it can do now is an overblown story about a company having old equipment running poorly understood software, it's time to remove it from my RSS reader. It was fun while it lasted.

You will be deeply missed. ;_;

2013-09-26 Reply Admin

Really? I'd have punched the twat.

One of my biggest bug-bears reading TDWTF is the amount of abuse the IT staff seem to have visited on them without complaint/

Is this a USAian thing? Are your colleagues constantly rude? Why do you work in these environments? Is there a shortage of work for decent IT people?

2013-09-26 Reply Admin

FYI:

team meber - a newbie.

Source: Urban Dictionary.

In other words, the software routed calls to all the newbie calldeskies. It was the T0 call management.

ObiWayneKenobi · 2013-09-26 Reply Admin

Rob:
For me this is the straw that broke the camel's back. This site used to be a must-read but if the best it can do now is an overblown story about a company having old equipment running poorly understood software, it's time to remove it from my RSS reader. It was fun while it lasted.

Still better than that "Hanzo" bullshit.

2013-09-26 Reply Admin

When I worked for a call center, we were provided COM objects and/or DLLs from the vendor to interface with the PBX (in VB5, oh the horror). We only needed to pass the agent's 4 digit log-in number to have access to their device status, call statistics, incoming DNIS, and even capture and/or initiate CTI events. We had a whole department of data analysts cranking away in Access and Excel pulling statistics from the PBX records through replicated data tables, and before I left, we were even able to begin "pay-by-switch" time clock functionality to replace the old swipe card time clocks. Stuff like today's WTF not only can happen, but has happened to me during the 7 years I was there. Yes we had "dashboard apps" that would freeze, crash, or otherwise cause panic in the floor supervisors...usually because those apps were also written in Microsoft Access and extremely fragile.

2013-09-26 Reply Admin

Wait... they ran this steaming pile on a tabbed browser? The only browser that runs VBScript is Internet Explorer, and it didn't have tabbed browsing until 2006. So in the past 6 or so years, someone somewhere developed a full-fledged call center management application around VBScript and IE. That's scary.

2013-09-26 Reply Admin

I liked this story.

clively · 2013-09-26 Reply Admin

The Real WTF is simply the entire story.

Apparently somewhere there is a guy who actively looks to improve the environment he's in by fixing old crap! I call BS.

2013-09-26 Reply Admin

Mike D.:
“I DON’T CARE ABOUT TECHNOBABBLE. FIX IT NOW, YOU PIPSQUEAK!”
"Your request is very important to us, and will be serviced by the next available IT technician. Please hold."

+1

2013-09-26 Reply Admin

Then entire call center relies on a single laptop? Not buyin it. What else ya sellin?

2013-09-26 Reply Admin

Rob:
For me this is the straw that broke the camel's back. This site used to be a must-read but if the best it can do now is an overblown story about a company having old equipment running poorly understood software, it's time to remove it from my RSS reader. It was fun while it lasted.

If you write to Alex and ask nicely, he'll give you a full refund of every penny you paid for your subscription to his service.

2013-09-26 Reply Admin

Steve The Cynic:
SamC:
TRWTF is TDWTF's broken spelling montioring program. Better get some more team mebers on it.
I could say something about glass houses and throwing stones, but I won't...

Whoosh.

2013-09-26 Reply Admin

Fairly routine and semi-lame story, but made about 1000x better by the total lack of "ninjas".

In these lean times, one must (I guess) be grateful for small mercies.

2013-09-26 Reply Admin

Wow, if you think that was hilarious listen to this:

The other day we had a bug and I fixed it.

2013-09-26 Reply Admin

once upon a time HILLCREST was a computer science guy. he did stuff on a computer.

later on HILLCREST went on to work for MYSTERIOUS COMPANY under the assumption that he could go in and work on computers and do what he does, computer science guy stuff.

MYSTERIOUS COMPANY was run by a strange quirky fellow called MISTER X. HILLCREST met MISTER X in MYSTERIOUS COMPANY's main offices for lunch one day and decided to talk about the possibility of improving the efficiency of MISTER X's employees at MYSTERIOUS COMPANY. HILLCREST and MISTER X agreed upon the suggestions, and MYSTERIOUS COMPANY was on the road to success.

The joke is that the daily wtf has ran out of content and needs to be put down.

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