Re: Are you in Marketing?
'Are you in Marketing?
...
Here's an idea then. See if you can find a geek to explain it to you?
...
Too complicated for marketing people (and most "shiny UX" people), I know.'
Thank you for your kind words. I respect your deep geekness and appreciate the time you freely gave to offer advice. Let me join you in the spirit of friendly conviviality.
I expect you know that, um, 30-35 years ago people were installing mainframe-based Unix systems which, in their time and for quite a few years, were the most powerful Unix systems available: a big jump up from the departmental "mini-computers" on which Unix had theretofore existed.
(Simper. Have to confess to driving to big city customers to do some of those dodgy late-night sessions myself. Late Friday nights, though, bars sliding towards closing time! You know those mainframe people... always touchy about when you could finger their hardware).
Hmm, cast mind back a bit further...I've still got a (slightly treasured) copy of that Bell Systems journal (~1969?). You know, the one devoted to Unix and C research papers, well before any commercial Unix systems were a glimmer in marketing eyes.
... Time passes ...
And then one day I found ten years had got behind me.
No one told me when to run, I'd missed the starting gun.
And the world was full (well, you know what I mean) of people compiling their own "Xnix" systems from stacks of Slackware floppies (*1). And a young whippersnapper student was adapting someone else's x86 architecture Unix system before replacing the 'U' and an 'i' with 'Li' and a 'u'. Seems he always was a bit full of himself even in the days when he was, perhaps, more respectful of others (*2).
... Time passes ...
Another ten years. (Copy of DSotM on CD as well, now). Shiny desktops (not really counting the birth pangs of config files and modprobes to get X working without burning out graphics cards) were flirting their way on to Linux systems (PCs gotta catch up with Sun workstations in the shininess race).
Yes, you're right, though. fsck yes! Perhaps I /should/ consult a geek.
Oh, I forgot what we were talking about. You completely distracted me from progress bars with your talk of elapsed time and amount of data shifted. You know, those things that provide feedback based on division. Only, more often than not (but not in all cases) they only know the numerator and tend to bluff a bit about the denominator.
Elapsed time? Amount of data shifted? Kids stuff. What's needed is a little knowledge about the known unknowns.
Tell you what, I'll try to find a competent geek to talk to about techie stuff and you try to find a Mystic Meg to consult about the amount of data still to come.
(*1) Worked with a guy who ran a UK Linux bulletin board from his own satellite-network based server. (Obvious way really, given he was a radio ham and the web wasn't yet flowing. Had to do something to relax the old grey cells after a day working on big iron). Always liked Slackware. Used to compile Linux most evenings to test bug patches he'd worked on after getting home.
(*2) Some people just are a bit full of themselves; disrespectful of others.