h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Distinct from other forms of management, system management, also known as system
administration, is a method of avoiding work wherever possible. The objective is to get
the computer systems that you control into a state where they run themselves. Once
this state is achieved, the expert system manager keep look permenantly busy by
fiddling with a setting here, tweaking a routine there, and adjusting a gizmo somewhere
else to bring about the appearance of a computer network that needs continual support
and hand holding from a competent system manager. This provides the system manager
with a great deal of job security, in a similar way to air traffic control.
To be a systems manager, you need three things. 1. A computer network of some kind,
2. An employer not currently skilled in the advanced arts of system management, and 3.
an aversion to any form of hard work. Actual technical skill is helpful, but not mandatory,
because if you are taking over from a previous system manager, everything will be set
up ready for you.
Modern earth computer systems are ideal for system managers because they are
invariably used by beings with insufficient knowledge of how to get out of the predicament
that the typical system manager will create. This means that the system manager has
an unparalleled opertunity to appear to the inferior beings to be indispensable, which
brings with it increases in status, power and, most importantly in earth culture, money.
Secondary improvements in lifestyle include extra free time at work to post articles to
the Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy at someone elses expense.

lovely spelling, a cut above the rest here. Do you write off-line first or on-line during working hours?

AG

I write offline with vi, and then just cut & paste it into netscape
Less likely to be caught that way.....

You use 'vi', I mean a real system admin uses 'ed' or 'ex' while people are watching him, and then switches to 'emacs' ... I must admit 'vi' is my chosen tool too - you can't beat it - only problem is that if the machine is down - you need 'ex'.

Hi Ash (I presume - Let me know if I'm presuming right* or wrong)
Actually, if it were a case of someone watching me, I'd probably type cryptic sed or perl scripts to edit the file without actually looking at it...

Appologies for not replying to your post earlier.

*I'm presuming this because
A) I assumed you'd turn up here sooner or later
B) You used the same id as you did at QMC.
C) I had nothing better to do