🚀 go-pugleaf

rre...@yunexus.YorkU.CA (Richard Reiner) writes:
> d...@batserver.cs.uq.oz.au (David Anderson) writes:
> >In article <10353@stiatl.UUCP> tok@stiatl.UUCP (Terry Kane) writes:
> >>How about a user, confronted by a typical "press any key" message,
> >>calling tech support complaining...
> >>	But I don't have an ANY key on my keyboard!
> 
> When I was running a programming bureau, we got a call one day from a
> user of some of our custom software, who had a minor problem.
[etc]

One day, some years ago, I got a call from someone in Operations who
had taken a call from a customer.  It was one of these little customers
for whom no-one in particular was responsible; they called so rarely
that their "official" support person had long since left, and since
their system was small and generally reasonably reliable (at least as
reliable as little systems running on creaking old 11/70s could get),
there hadn't been a need to assign someone else.  Of course, knowlege of
the system was non-existant; one had to solve these problems by
starting from scratch.  Reluctantly, I took up the problem.

It seemed the system had gone into a loop while attempting to print
reports.  Our RSTS/E sysadmin had killed the looping job.  I started to
scratch around.

In the directory was a file called "Y.", size 8192 blocks (a large file
by these standards).  I scratched around a bit more.

After a few minutes of this and a phone call, I reconstructed what had
happened.  The clerk who usually ran off the reports on the (self-help)
printer was away, and the manageress was trying to do the job herself.
The dialogue on the printer went something like:

        PRT - PRINT STORED REPORTS <date> <time>

        Print all reports (Y/N) <N>? Y
        Delete when complete (Y/N) <N>? Y
        Output to <KB:>? Y

"KB:" in RSTS parlance of course is the "keyboard", ie the command
terminal.  The "Output to?" prompt requested a valid filespec.....

Don Stokes, ZL2TNM  /  /                            Home: d...@zl2tnm.gp.govt.nz
Systems Programmer /GP/ Government Printing Office  Work:        d...@gp.govt.nz
__________________/  /__Wellington, New Zealand_____or:_PSI%(5301)47000028::DON