In article <9emf241ck7tcn93t7gvu2gmufsekrbebo6@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>,
Robert <no@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>On Mon, 12 May 2008 03:31:43 +0000 (UTC), docdwarf@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
() wrote:
>
>>In article <6bpc2498nqgkaokjien7j7uqrnfjn8p4g6@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>,
>>Robert <no@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>>>On Sat, 10 May 2008 16:43:06 +0000 (UTC), docdwarf@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
() wrote:
[snip]
>>>>Mr Wagner, when one says a and the other says b... either party is
>>>>equallyresponsible or not-responsible. The accounting-tallies for
>>>>disk-space, CPU time and XIO counts have to wind up on *someone*'s
desk.
>>>
>>>Business decisions no longer revolve around computer hardware cost.
They
>>>did in the Good
>>>Old Days. If computer cost is still a factor, the company is paying too
much.
>>
>>Mr Wagner, 'too much' is a matter for Management to decide, not me. If
I
>>disagree strongly enough with what a client believes I should do and how
I
>>should do it then I find myself another job... until then I take their
>>****lling.
>
>I know. I'm also a contractor.
Mr Wagner, it is one thing to say that one knows something... it may be
quite another thing to behave in a fa****on which demonstrates this.
[snip]
>>Mr Wagner, I've told my clients a variety of things; the responses have
>>ranged from 'let's do it that way' to 'that's a good idea but there's a
>>Very Good Reason why we do it this way' to 'when we want your opinion
>>we'll give it to you' to 'turn in your badge'. My current client's
>>storage costs are low-to-mid-six-figures per month.
>
>Do you realize they could BUY 300 terabytes, including SAN controllers
>and all, for the amount they're paying monthly?
Mr Wagner, I believe that I usually 'realise' something before I 'tell my
clients' this thing.
>
>You like to go on and on about the function of management being
>efficient allocation of
>resources. Here we see an example of gross INefficiency. Management of
>that company isn't
>doing what you say they should.
Wow... someone who does other than what I 'say they should'? Who might
believe that such a thing could come to pass in a Decent, Good,
Rightly-Constructed Universe?
(oh... and I believe your memory is incorrect about this 'efficient
allocation of resources' stuff; the way I remember quoting it is 'The
responsibility for the allocation, co-ordination and motivation of
personnel and resources towards the accomplishment of a stated Executive
goal is that of Management.')
>
>>>If they are paying for direct attached IBM disks, the CIO should be
>>>fired for gross waste of company resources.
>>
>>Mr Wagner, you have my permission to count the number of times I've been
>>asked to evaluate a CIO's performance on the thumbs of one foot.
>
>I saved one company 50 million in the course of six years. I knew I was
>on the right track when IBM tried to get me fired.
That's very nice, Mr Wagner... now how many thumbs have you counted on a
given foot?
[snip]
>>Mr Wagner, as a consultant/contractor/hired gun I am always amazed when
my
>>ID badge works to open the door. Coming down off a contract does not
>>surprise me.
>
>Same here.
Seems there's no need to display shock at the realisation of the
possibility, then.
[snip]
>>I have a curious perversity, Mr Wagner... rather than make a living
doing
>>something I don't do well and don't really enjoy I concentrate on making
>>my living at what I try to do moderately well and enjoy greatly.
>
>But the job of Cobol programmer is becoming (has become?) obsolete. All
>that's left is maintenance.
My experience is otherwise, Mr Wagner... and, it seems, my behavior
towards people of differing experience is otherwise, as well.
>I wat to create cutting edge new stuff. I used to think I
>was fortunate
>because they paid me to do what I loved. If they didn't pay me, I would
>have been doing it
>on my own time. Now, it's hard to feel that way about Cobol.
Here's a bit about me that you may not know... several decades back, Mr
Wagner, I picked up my BA in the Liberal Arts (and all those courses in
Euclid and Ancient Greek and La Rochefoucauld and Nietzsche and the
like)... and then I took my night-courses in COBOL, put some lies on my
resume and have managed to make my living as a COBOL-codin' fool ever
since.
A few years back I came down off-contract I took a 'boot camp' course and
in a few weeks passed the exams to allow me to call myself a 'certified
Oracle DBA (9i)'. I'd worked with versions of DB2 since 1987 and figured
it might be a decent skill to have... and you probably know what happened
when the headhunters got applications from me for Oracle positions, the
mind-set is similar to the one that caused you to include 'no MVS' on your
own bragsheets at one time.
So what do I do with all this? I make my living coding COBOL, of course,
because that is what I get paid to do; when - not if - my current
contract ends I'll put my papers back on the streets. Should it be that
there's not a job to be found in what I know how to do then I'll fall back
on skills I had several decades back...
.... and learn more modern techniques (Oracle is up to 10g now, isn't
it?)... and sully myself by telling lies in order to get a job... and then
get the job and hope my meagre skills provide enough of an appearance of
return to my client to keep signing my timesheets.
When folks ask me about what I believe the CIO should be doing... well,
I'll worry about that when it happens.
DD
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