Stupid Client Quote #6891

Mich Kabay | posted 02-01-2009 | Number of Votes: 50 | Current Rating: 4.65

From 1980 to 1983 I worked as a so-called systems engineer (they had to stop calling us that) in the HP3000 minicomputer tech-support group. One day when I was on PICS (Phone-In Consulting Service) duty I got a call from a major customer system manager whose HP3000 had just crashed.

After getting the usual preliminary information about the system involved, I asked,"So have you taken a dump?

There was long silence.

After a minute the sysmgr replied suspiciously, "Ye-e-sss, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"No no," I replied, trying to stifle my laughter, "a CORE dump."

"Ohhhh," he said in obvious relief, "a CORE dump. Yes, I took a core dump!"

And so the discussion continued.

M. E. Kabay, PhD, CISSMP-ISSMP
Assoc Prof Information Assurance
Norwich University