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Subject:Re: Back to the Dark Ages. From:"Margaret Secara" <margaret -dot- secara -at- alphather -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Tue, 18 Jun 2002 12:27:08 -0700
Some years ago I worked for a major foreign car company (who shall remain nameless) which apparently thought that making sure we each had a desk and a pad of lined paper was enough. We did indeed write stuff out by hand and give it to a word processing secretary who typed it up, returned for corrections, etc etc... I don't know if this was to save on licences or just because they didn't have a clue. I don't know if they still do this.
It was long enough ago that not everyone had a computer at home, and laptops were hugely expensive; no one was expected to provide their own equipment. But I used to go down to the WP training room for a couple of hours every day just to use a PC. For some reason, that was thought to indicate an attitude problem.
A few weeks ago there were several posts regarding software EULAs and how
'some' people are tempted to bend the rules. Well it seems that for my
employers the bullet may be just a little too big to bite.
A big shake up in the IT dept and a survey of our licenses has revealed how
easily software migrates from machine to machine. Hmm....X number of
machines and Y number of licences.
"OK say IT if we haven't got a licence the software gets removed."
"Whaaagh! we say. How can we work if we haven't got the tools?"
"OK say IT, we'll go and get more licences.......BLOODY HELL!... How
much!... They can do without."
"Right then, say IT. Here's the deal. We're going to remove most of your
PCs. Here, have this pencil and paper. Write out your drafts and pass them
onto the typists who'll put them into print. If you really can't work
without a PC we'll be leaving one machine in each office that will be loaded
with every bit of software we own. You can book yourself a time slot and do
your work then."
This is not a joke. My company is seriously thinking of taking this step
because of the asrtanomical cost of kitting out each PC with all the
software we need to do the job. The question is, does anyone else already
have to work like this?
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