From: bill@bilver.uucp (Bill Vermillion)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.xenix.sco
Subject: Re: Hardware support HORROR story!
Date: 20 Dec 92 18:18:14 GMT
Organization: W. J. Vermillion - Winter Park, FL

In article <506@comix.UUCP> jeffl@comix.UUCP (Jeff Liebermann) writes:
>In article <BzGEu2.1yn@world.std.com> apl@world.std.com (Anthony P Lawrence) writes:
>>bill@bilver.uucp (Bill Vermillion) writes:
>>: What the hell has happened to support in this country anyway?

>>Oh, how about breaking a motherboard while installing a multiport
>>card?  Breaking as in knocking chips right off?
>(horrors deleted)

>>Here's the problem, the reason, and the explanation:  there is a
>>limited supply of intelligence.  The number of computers needing
>>service has now exceeded the number of intelligent people
>>available.  So fools are sent to do service.

>Naw.  Even the intelligent are capable of doing dumb things.
>Here's my personal assortment and the approx number of hours
>and dollars to find or fix.

Gawd Jeff - if you did all that yourself, you are a walking
disaster :-).

>The problem is that the average support personality has never
>destroyed enough hardware or had the opertunity to waste huge
>amounts of time on trivia, to be considered experienced.  There
>is simply no opertunity.  One must truely "Learn by Destroying".

Human nature is to learn by mistakes.   I used to teach audio,
and when a student erased a master on a 24-track audio tape,
we'd tell them that was why they were here.   You learn not to
do it, by doing it wrong.  If you have never erased a track on
a master, you won't have the inbuilt precautions.

I erased a vocal on a multi-track and we had to fly the
vocalist back from Kansas City.  An acuaitance did the same
thing in Nashville and Olivia Newton-John had to fly in from
LA.    

But the problem I am seeing is that mistakes are made, and the
people making them never realize the consequence.  Their
employer eats the bill and then never learn.    If they were
docked a few hours pay - not neccesarily the whole amount of
the 'make good', they would be more careful and double check.

Part of the process of learning is by making mistakes.  And no
amount of warning about something is going to teach you unless
you do it.

To explain that I tell the students I am going to ask them to
rember something when they were 2 or 3 years old.  Most think
that they won't remember it.  So I ask the question.

Do you remember when you were told not to stick anything into
the electrical socket, or not touch the stove?  And how many of
you did it?

And then I ask "Did you ever do it again on purpose?".

That got the point across.   And I get a bit of nervous
laughter when I say "Human beings quite often learn by mistakes,
but often you die!"

Only when we are old enough to understand life/death do we
understand to avoid certain things and not go through the
learning experience.

One of the greatest teachers I ever used a pharse that has
stuck with me through the years "Stop and tell yourself, I you
don't know what you are doing, you may blow the hell out of a
$1500 tube".   That was when a pair of finals for a highpower
AM or TV station would cost more than about 3 automobiles.
And you do that once, and you often don't have a job.

Too many of today's techs have no idea of the consequences they
caused - and  they aren't being held accountable in any way.

And Jeff, I'd venture a guess that you haven't worked around
things that would vaporize a screwdriver, otherwise some of
those above stories wouldn't have happened.

We do get de-programmed, and need re-inforcement now and then.
About 5 years ago I was working on a PC.   Had it unplugged
from the wall.   

I reached in to remove a board and got a severe jolt.  Turns
out the tape controller was connected to the external tape
drive, and that was plugged into the wall.    We have become
complacent with the low-voltages typically found in PC's and
let our guards down.    I remember that one every-time I pop
the lid and make sure NO peripherals are attached. :-)
-- 
Bill Vermillion - bill@bilver.oau.org  bill@bilver.uucp
                - ..!{peora|tous|tarpit}!bilver!bill
Newsgroups: comp.unix.xenix.sco,biz.sco.general