>Time for LART stick to two companies's their tech staff, DD is ok
>but hard to find now. Instruct the and demo that same program
>doesn't care running on 1.44MB disks and log the stuff to another
>1.44MB disk. Remember to substitute the DOS for 5.0 instead of 3.2
>for support of 1.44MB.
>
>You need to talk to them to make them understand that DD is not easy
>to find now and 1.44MB doesn't break the security.
>
Well, unfortunatly, I understand, technology wise, where they are coming
from. They used to require everyone to use 360k 5.25 disks. They only
made the switch to 3.5s because the 360k disks became so hard to get, and
they weren't very durable. Their software will actually run just fine off
two 360k disks on an XT system. And in fact, the software has never
changed (they could do the whole thing off one 720k disk now, but it
would have involved changing proceedures at all their interviewing sub
sites... you are talking about asking people that are lucky they know how
to turn a computer on, to change how they do interviews). The company
(they split into 2 after the 720k switch) opted to use a double 720k disk
approach to keep proceedure the same. They also opted to use 720 because
most PCs had that in them at the time they did the switch (1.44's were
newer, and although widely available, not as likely at the time to be
installed in the computers the interviewing sites already owned). Also,
720k drives were cheaper, so those that had to upgrade could do so
cheaper.
Now it has stayed that way, simply because outside of not being able to
get DD disks, they have thousands of interviewing sites in the US all
geared up to work with 720k disks. I personally think moving to HDs would
be a non issue, as I suspect that most of the sites have already long
since upgraded their computers (I have exactly one computer in the field
with a try 720k drive, one out of about 30 used on these jobs), but the
companies don't see it that way. They don't want to force the tens of
thousands of interviewing computers to be upgraded.
>They hate you because these people doesn't understand too well what
>is going on, needs to address this issue and smooth over all ruffled
>feathers.
They hate me, because I have all 7 of our sites ripping shutters off
their disks so they stop damaging my drives (which they refuse to pay for
when they are damaged). This causes them to have to replace the hard to
find disks (which also means fewer support calls to me when one of the
well overused disks fails and generates errors and confuses/scares my
interviewing staff). Add to that the fact that I know how to bypass ALL
their software security (it really is a joke, their "security" consists
of hiding files and directories, know the names, and you can bypass it...
know of a little program called ATTRIB and the security disappears). I
scare them more than anything else.
>
>I think both companies were advised by a dimwit who doesn't know what
>stuff is talking about. Fire that guy and get one who knows their
>stuff.
They have a few interview script programmers who handle everything. The
new jobs are sent via modem to a master machine at each site (running a
pretty pick and choose front end to kermit and copy). They mail disk
packs to the sites before each job, and the disk packs are nothing more
than the same tired, beatup old boot disks, and reused, reformatted
(using format /q I am sure) interview disks. They stick new lables on the
interview disks that reflect the current job number. Old labels get
peeled off when the pile gets high enough that the disk no longer fits in
the drive!. When they do a job, an interview disk is inserted into the
master computer, where the job files are copied to it, and a text file is
tagged that the disk has been used. When the day is done, the disk is put
back into the master computer, the data files copied to the hard drive,
and the computer is set to wait for a phone call, so it can upload the
day's interviews.
I don't think anyone there knows enough about anything to risk change. It
has been a case of, this was state of the art when it was designed... but
years later, it is badly out of date, but no one is employed anymore that
understands technology (at least not in the division that handles this
stuff), so they are all just afraid to make changes, because they don't
know WHAT they are doing, just how to do it.
The could avoid all this with a simple proceedure change. That is, stop
mailing out disks, and update their boot disks to support 1.44 drives.
Then just tell each site to buy a pack of HD disks, and reuse as needed.
The sending and forcing people to use provided disks, is useless (and a
waste of money on their part). Again, it dates back to when floppies were
actually expensive, and they didn't want each site to have to buy their
own. I'm not sure when the last time was that I "paid" for disks, as I
always buy them when I can get a rebate equal to or above the cost of the
disk pack.
I have of course recommended this to them a number of times... but they
don't want anything to do with change. "I fear change, so I will keep my
bush" -Quizzno's
-chris
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Received on Thu Nov 08 2001 - 18:50:02 GMT