[geeks] can't wait for Vista

[velociraptor]

On 11/6/06, Lionel Peterson <lionel4287 at verizon.net> wrote:
> >From: Mark Benson <md.benson at gmail.com>
> >Date: 2006/11/06 Mon PM 05:49:23 CST
> >To: The Geeks List <geeks at sunhelp.org>
> >Subject: Re: [geeks] can't wait for Vista
>
> <snip>
>
> >What if those parties are forced for whatever reason to use a
> >Microsoft product or service, maybe at work where they have no choice
> >what they use or had anying to do with choosing it? I might just be
> >being awkward but... well...
>
> <snip>
>
> There is always a choice in a free democracy. Your set of assumptions seems to include the inability to change employers if they have a policy that goes against your choice.
>
> Conceeding to your employers preference is a choice, even if the alternative is difficult.
>
> Failure to exercise your choice doesn't eliminate the choice.
>
> Sorry, I just hate the argument about not having a choice...

I have gotten in the habit of asking the questions when interviewing
regarding remote access and such, like "What OSes does your VPN or
other remote access system run on?"

If they say that it supports other OSes, then I start asking questions
about ssh and tunnels and the like, because IME, certain SSL VPN
hardware does not really work with ssh tunneling in spite of the
advertisement of this feature.

If they say no, then I ask if they will be providing hardware and
software for remote access use at home, since I don't have Windows.

I am now quizzing about internal support systems, like the
trouble-ticket system, expense system, time reporting, etc.  Many of
these are built to run on IE only, and I am very pointed about my
questions.  I'm being hired to be a *NIX sys admin, not some click and
drool idiot that can't figure out how to secure their own desktop.  I
make it clear to my potential manager that a Windows box running PuTTY
is not sufficiently "UNIX-like" for me to do my job.

After $ork-1, I will not fight with internal IT idiots--if I am not
able to do what is needed on my own gear, I'll be putting the ball
into my manager's lap, and not doing *NIX work until I get the tool
that I need.

They wouldn't developer and expect them to work without a compiler or
a graphics designer to work without Photoshop, so I think I can safely
say that a *NIX SA requires a *NIX desktop to do their job.

I've put these and a number of other "must ask" questions on my list
when interviewing after my last couple of job experiences.

=Nadine=