• Dan J (unregistered)

    I knew it was only a matter of time before TDWTF became another puppet of the Tim Hortons marketing machine!

    (Captcha: paratus)

  • Ocson (unregistered)

    I would have let them fax it, just to see what they fax.

  • DD (unregistered)

    Too bad Tim Hortons is terrible coffee.

  • (cs)
    "Would you like us to fax it to you? Do you have a fax number?"

    There was a long moment where Jody and his boss stared at each other in stunned silence. The question made so little sense that they hadn't the foggiest idea how to reply.

    I suspect that during that long moment the tech support guy was busy clearing off the wooden table.

  • pubbing (unregistered)

    The real wtf is that I feel the strong need to know what would have been faxed over.

  • Jaybles (unregistered)

    Somehow I get the feeling that the "upgrade" was just a command script that updated some configuration values and changed the version number. Either that or the tech support goon was really that much of a moron to think that he could fax an install disc.

  • Bluesman (unregistered)

    What the Fax?

  • (cs) in reply to Jaybles
    Jaybles:
    Somehow I get the feeling that the "upgrade" was just a command script that updated some configuration values and changed the version number. Either that or the tech support goon was really that much of a moron to think that he could fax an install disc.
    Being a database issue, I would think a series of scripts...
  • (cs)

    Nice ad.

    When do we get today's WTF?

  • Robb (unregistered)

    Shoulda said the fax number was 867 5309

  • Mr. S. (unregistered)

    Haha, Canadians...

  • (cs)
    "We should call the vendor and see what they say," he said.

    "Can we try this while you sit on hold?" he asked.

    Who said the whatnow?

  • Joe Friday (unregistered) in reply to Ocson
    Ocson:
    I would have let them fax it, just to see what they fax.
    I agree. We're only interested in the fax, Ma'am.

    Actually, I'd be curious how they fax. To an FTP server. Maybe if you gave the customer-non-support drone an IP address they could try dialing it. Although I don't know how a fax machine handles dots (or hex and colons, if you're IPV6 friendly).

  • (cs)

    To our non-Canuck friends, "You've always got time for Tim Horton's" is their current marketing slogan.

    I do like the coffee, though I admit it's nothing special.

  • Shill (unregistered) in reply to WhiskeyJack

    Agreed, the coffee is nothing special, but for the price (when I was there this week it was $1.72 for an X-large?) it's just right.

    That's funny, my mouth is watering for a small double double right now....

  • (cs) in reply to Ocson
    Ocson:
    I would have let them fax it, just to see what they fax.
    My Guesses:
    1. A photocopy of the CD (Bonus points if it's a copy of both sides).
    2. The source code
    3. The binary in raw format
    4. The binary in base64
    5. The order form
    6. A stencil with instructions on how to cut it out, put it over the platters of the HDD, and use a magnet to flip individual bits...
  • (cs) in reply to Joe Friday
    Joe Friday:
    Actually, I'd be curious how they fax. To an FTP server. Maybe if you gave the customer-non-support drone an IP address they could try dialing it. Although I don't know how a fax machine handles dots (or hex and colons, if you're IPV6 friendly).

    Since the boss said "FTP site", the tech probably didn't know what FTP meant and was thinking "site" as in a physical location.

  • Rune (unregistered)

    To me the real WTF is upgrading a database that is in a broken state. Faxing an upgrade to an FTP site is good for a laugh or two, but seeing an upgrade process break your database even further is nasty.

  • (cs) in reply to Rune
    Rune:
    To me the real WTF is upgrading a database that is in a broken state.
    Good point... If it was me, when the guy said that they can support an older version in a production app but not a development one, I would have said thank you and hung up. Then I would have called back and said that the problem was happening on my production system and I need help.

    Seriously, they want you running different versions between development and production? WTF?

  • Bub (unregistered)

    Base64 encode the update, fax it, scan the fax at the other end, OCR it, Base64 decode it, apply it. Job done.

    It's secure, gives immediate confirmation of receipt, and uses multiple layers of error-correction as well as providing a hardcopy for backup.

    Gotta see the bigger picture, folks.

  • Balentius (unregistered) in reply to Rune

    Exactly what caught my eye... You NEVER change binaries when the database is broken - that is just asking for disaster.

  • (cs) in reply to Bub

    But how would you apply that on an embedded platform without a filesystem?

  • Anonymous (unregistered)

    I must have missed something here, all I really got from today's WTF was a lot of references to Horton's. Was this a sponsored WTF? And what actually was the WTF? Clueless support goon? Schizophrenic boss? Maybe there was a paragraph missing?

  • null reference (unregistered)

    Tim Hortons FTW! Why don't they exist in Ohio??

  • Crash (unregistered)

    Overuse of pronouns left my head spinning.

    captcha: nobis - a professional n00b.

  • Bub (unregistered) in reply to null reference
    null reference:
    Tim Hortons FTW! Why don't they exist in Ohio??

    Nothing exists in Ohio.

  • DannyV (unregistered)

    Would really have loved to see that fax photographed on a wooden table...

  • Mike (unregistered) in reply to fuzzix

    Exactly.

  • silent d (unregistered)

    The real WTF is that the developers didn't finish their donuts.

  • Tom Woolf (unregistered)

    That boss will never rise in the ranks. I mean, he essentially apologized to his worker by bringing the coffee and donuts to him!

  • highphilosopher (unregistered) in reply to Bub
    Bub:
    Base64 encode the update, fax it, scan the fax at the other end, OCR it, Base64 decode it, apply it. Job done.

    It's secure, gives immediate confirmation of receipt, and uses multiple layers of error-correction as well as providing a hardcopy for backup.

    Gotta see the bigger picture, folks.

    You've apparently never tried to run an OCR on a faxed document. I doesn't work very well.

  • Anon (unregistered) in reply to null reference
    null reference:
    Tim Hortons FTW! Why don't they exist in Ohio??

    They do exist in Ohio. There's one off of I-71 a little bit south of Columbus IIRC. I've also seen one in Marietta in SW Ohio.

  • (cs) in reply to DD
    DD:
    Too bad Tim Hortons is terrible coffee.

    Then it would do quite well here in America.

  • Anon (unregistered)

    TRWTF is the boss who actually has a clue and recognized that there was no point continuing to talk with somebody who wanted to fax an update to an FTP site.

  • (cs) in reply to ircmaxell
    ircmaxell:
    Ocson:
    I would have let them fax it, just to see what they fax.
    My Guesses:

    1. A photocopy of the CD (Bonus points if it's a copy of both sides).

    2. The source code

    3. The binary in raw format

    4. The binary in base64

    5. The order form

    6. A stencil with instructions on how to cut it out, put it over the platters of the HDD, and use a magnet to flip individual bits...

    • Picture of a hyperlink.

  • usitas (unregistered)

    What's the fax number to send my comment to?

  • (cs) in reply to WhiskeyJack
    To our non-Canuck friends, "You've always got time for Tim Horton's" is their current marketing slogan.
    Don't forget people who live in former parts of the USA which have already been annexed by Canadia. I have been seeing Canadian military bases disguised as Tim Horton's all over the New York Throughway for years.
  • ForcedSterilizationsForAll (unregistered) in reply to silent d
    silent d:
    The real WTF is that the developers didn't finish their donuts.

    They're developers, not cops.

  • (cs) in reply to ForcedSterilizationsForAll
    ForcedSterilizationsForAll:
    silent d:
    The real WTF is that the developers didn't finish their donuts.

    They're developers, not cops.

    So your saying that right now their job is not eating these donuts.

  • MadX (unregistered)

    "Defeated, his boss shrugged. He couldn't make eye contact with Jody. He killed the call triumphantly." WTF?

    Oh, Jody killed the call...

    Then he twitched. Then he bitch-slapped his boss back to his office. He coughed. Then he went back to work. He wasn't missed until error 56789 and Tim Horton arrived, triumphantly.

  • David L. (unregistered) in reply to null reference

    They do. We have them in the Columbus area, and I think I have seen them in both Dayton and Cincy.

  • Buzz Killington (unregistered)

    Oooh so that's what Tim Horton's is. There is one about 5 minutes from my house in Connecticut and I always drive by asking WTF is Tim Horton's?

    Stupid canadians.

  • (cs)

    At least the boss was apologetic, brought some goodies and suggested to take a break. No matter the WTFs, that's the type of boss you want to work with.

  • Sanity (unregistered)

    Why wouldn't you have them fax it, out of sheer curiosity?

    I mean, if it ended up being a script, that'd be useful. If it ended up being a "fax" of an install disk, a photo of that would add so much to the story!

  • !coffee (unregistered)

    As a Canadian, I have to say TRWTF is Tim Horton's "coffee". Nasty, nasty stuff.

  • edthered (unregistered) in reply to luis.espinal
    luis.espinal:
    At least the boss was apologetic, brought some goodies and suggested to take a break. No matter the WTFs, that's the type of boss you want to work with.

    Unless you're constantly eating doughnuts... it could get real old real fast.

  • (cs) in reply to Buzz Killington
    Buzz Killington:
    Oooh so that's what Tim Horton's is. There is one about 5 minutes from my house in Connecticut and I always drive by asking WTF is Tim Horton's?

    Stupid canadians.

    Eh?

    I've heard they're changing the name of US locations to "Tim Horton's cafe and donut shop" or something, to make it a little more obvious. The name "Tim Hortons" is well known to pretty much everyone in Canada, just as "McDonalds" is universal to pretty much the whole planet, despite also not being descriptive of the products they sell.

  • two guys (unregistered)

    Joe thought a comment should be posted. Jim said we need to contact support first. he said why do we need to contact support. he said I wont let you make changes till we confirm the problem he asked what the problem was he said there are too many of the same pronoun in our comments fax. he agreed with him and decided the article having too many pronouns in the real WTF he laughed at his comment and he decided that his original plan would be best he apologized and sent the fax he took the fax and posted this nonsense comment.

  • robb (unregistered)

    The real WTF is naming a man Jody.

  • LenL (unregistered) in reply to DD
    DD:
    Too bad Tim Hortons is terrible coffee.
    It's better than anything you'll get at Starbucks or Krispy Kreme or Country Style. And, some day, you may actually be able to get coffee in McD -- but probably not in my lifetime.

    Kudos, btw, for omitting the apostrophe in Tim Hortons.

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