Neanderpundit

Get your damned nomenclature right.

When I’m standing at a terminal and transferring a file from an external node to my terminal, that is a download. When I’m transferring a file from the terminal to the external node, that is an upload. When I’m transferring a file from one node to another, that is a transfer. Got it?

Instead, when I transfer a file from machine A to machine B, you call that an upload. But when I transfer a file from machine A to machine C, you call that a download. When I transfer a file from machine C to machine A it’s an upload again, but from machine C to machine B it’s a download. And when I transfer a file from machine A or machine B to the terminal, its an upload, but from machine C to the terminal, it’s a download. And of course the converse is true.

What?

Anyway, I get that this was a simpler- er, more complex time, and you had to fight with strange protocol like RS423, and serial networks are never simple, but at least stick to one pattern, futhuchrissakes. I have to have a cheat sheet to get anything done.

Oh, and thanks for PARTIALLY disabling the floppy drives so they spin but don’t read. Took half a day to figure THAT one out.

Working on redeploying some old machines.
Co Worker: How do we load programs into this machine?
me: I think we’re stuck with RS232.
Co worker: No flash drive? no USB?
me: I think we’re still stuck with RS 232.
Co worker: Wait, here’s an access cover! Oh.
Me: A floppy disk drive
Co worker: Nice. Welcome to 1988.

Oglet: My boss sends out emails about once a week, asking who is available for the weekend.
Me: To do stagehand work?
Oglet: Yeah, and other stuff. Helping with sets and sound and etc.
Me: And does he get volunteers?
Oglet: Mostly excuses. Problem is the idiots always hit “Reply all”
Me: So everyone gets to hear everyone’s excuses?
Oglet: Yes. And we really don’t need to know. We don’t want to know that you can’t come because you need to see your doctor because of something you caught at the Christmas party, or you need to get a salve for some rash you got, or you hate to leave your apartment because you suspect your roomate is sexually abusing your dog in your absence.
Me: So they don’t understand whey they hit “Reply all” they’re sending this info to everyone?
Oglet. Nope. And it isn’t as if they’re geezers. These are teensgers who grew up with computers all around. That’s the sort of thing I would expect from Gramma, not kids I go to school with”