Morning Joy!

@cakeis_not_alie said:

@scottalanmiller "When I think shoe string, I am thinking companies running Windows XP and consumer class routers and not having backup because "they don't feel that it is valuable.""

If they thought like that, they wouldn't be on Spiceworks asking for help making backups work even though they can't afford Unitrends/Veeam.

When I think of shoestring setups, I think of companies with competent sysadmins who know EVERY SINGLE FLAW in their designs and are perfectly aware of every hole that needs patching, every system that needs updating and who are constantly trying to find a cheaper, more efficient way to do something because resources are scarce.

For me, shoestring means that everything is about juggling priorities because there just ISN'T enough money to do it all properly, and there never will be. So you have to make a call about what to do "right" and what you band-aid and what you roll the dice on. And you play politics and you use trial versions and you do favours for others to get hardware, or software or services that you need.

You work with others in similiar situations to form alliances of SMBs that can exchange old parts. You work together so that you all have common builds, so that you can spread the load of keeping spare parts around between you. You audit eachother's setups and you sanity check eachother's builds.

THAT is the small business world I come from. And I was hoping that there would be something remotely like it on the wider web.

This describes every IT job I've ever had.

@scottalanmiller said:

When I think shoe string, I am thinking companies running Windows XP and consumer class routers and not having backup because "they don't feel that it is valuable."

These are the hardest ones. Really small SOHO / just entering the need for office space. Really difficult to get them to understand the business case for IT.

@Carnival-Boy said:

@scottalanmiller said:

Keep in mind that while much of my time is spent with ten digit IT budgets,

$1,000,000,000? That's some IT budget

There are downsides to such lavish spending.......

itonashoestring.com

Someone buy the domain, I'd love to go back and blog some of my old horror stories & tips for budget IT. It'd also be somewhere to vent. I could finally post pics of the 6 usb hdd's I have running backups (ntbackup) and not be heckled

@cakeis_not_alie said:

@scottalanmiller Sir, you say "I don't see anyone looking down on IT practitioners who live without a good amount of resources". Then I submit that you are blind. Spiceworks is chok ablock full of this, and the VMware community is too. There's less of it here on MangoLassi...but the overwhelming majority of our industry not only looks down on these types, they actively persecute them.

I know I can be guilty of this at times. Occasionally I see people taking what I consider insane risks; is it wrong to point it out? Clearly not, but I think I will be even more careful how I do it.

Your post struck me right to the core, I remember being there too.

I think if you left any of the communities you mentioned they would be the poorer.

@scottalanmiller Had to google sparkomatic, thought you two were pranking us haha

When you can't find somcthing obivous (with big words), speel it incorectly for more reults.

@scottalanmiller that's !!!! $0.47 / liter !!!!!!!

Currently it's $1.019/L here. That's $3.86/gallon. Ouch.

Edit: It has not been $0.50/L here for a long time, maybe 20+ years.

Edit2: we pay (in Victoria BC, it's higher elsewhere) $0.25/L in taxes (carbon tax, public transit tax + road maintenance tax)
See page 5
http://www.sbr.gov.bc.ca/documents_library/bulletins/mft-ct_005.pdf

Just into the office, I've got lots of stuff to do today while the staff are gone

@Dashrender Makes me hungry for that sweet sweet advertising money. If only I was at all telegenic or entertaining.

There's only one man I trust to pointlessly destroy electronics.

Youtube Video

Morning Joy!

I'm all alone in a huge office building with my tunes cranked up. It's very surreal, and a tad creepy.

I was on an Air Canada flight that the "tug truck" slammed into when trying to hitch up to the front landing gear. I was quite displeased and yet glad it didn't collapse it and have the nose slam into the tarmac!
End of the day human error can happen on any carrier though.

@technobabble said:

suggested whitelist" for these updates

Yes. Please.

"this category of update won't mess with any critical bits and we guarantee it won't break anything important"

@technobabble said:

@MattSpeller Thanks @MattSpeller ....it was weird because there was a US English...and I was like....does everyone automatically get language packs now? LOL!

Seriously, since I started using MAX RemoteManagement platform, I am actually paying more attention to Windows updates and other software updates since I am getting many notices via email.

Oh geez lol they might, but getting reliable info on what is actually IN these updates is usually vague at best. I really don't know for sure my friend.

That 3220 is getting to a much better price point. Very competitive with used* gear now and you get a warranty!

*for small shops

@technobabble lol that's almost word for word my summary of exablox to my boss. We may just be too small to see the cost/benefit, though my hope is that it saves us a lot of man hours in IT. (ironically woman hours, I am the only guy in the department of 3)

I can't remember ever using a language pack... so.... no? You probably don't either (if you did you'd remember? hopefully?)

ok that's a lie, I installed french XP once (though it's NOT a language pack, it's 100% french from the install onward)

@coliver lol maybe a tad but you don't remember what it's like to be a fledgling primate with no preconceptions