Over at Linux Journal, I do a weekly show. This week, I’m soliciting horrible computer stories from people, so I can pick the worst/funniest/most_interesting and give out prizes. Doesn’t that sound peachy?
The details are here — as of yet, the responses aren’t nearly as numerous as I’d hoped. Perhaps you could be the poor soul with the worst story. Head over to that link I supplied, and see if you’ve got what it takes to make me gasp, laugh, or a combination thereof. There be prizes you see..
Does it have to involve Linux? ‘Cause I have some stories, but I haven’t worked with Linux long enough to really screw something up that actually matters.
Well, it doesn’t have to be about Linux. I rather enjoy hearing stories about Epic Fail in the Windows world too… 🙂
My own computer horror stories are mostly with users and management. The latest atrocity involve my critique of some homespun computer programing, wherein the math was wrong. I was told straight faced by the manager in charge that “Well, computers don’t do math all that well anyway.”
WTF do you say to that? I kinda gapped open mouth at him for a moment and then had to walk away for the sake of keeping my job.
Other things are more esoteric, such as my now common complaint of “Computing was invented to make out lives easier, why do I have to understand that a ‘1’ in the printout means I keep the border on the ad, and a ‘2’ means I delete it. Just fargin’ program the output routine to print (well, write to email) “Border Yes” or “No Border” (how it stores the data internally or passes the data just doesn’t matter). Computers are really flexible that way.