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From: dbell@cup.portal.com (David J Bell)
Newsgroups: rec.humor,rec.humor.d,comp.misc
Subject: Re: Looking for Computer Folklore
Message-ID: <14792@cup.portal.com>
Date: 18 Feb 89 18:48:33 GMT
References: <7143@pyr.gatech.EDU> <4744@sfsup.UUCP> <2887@sybase.sybase.com> <1912I78BC@CUNYVM> <1036@tutor.tut.fi> <6761@pogo.GPID.TEK.COM> <557@rpi.edu> <6321@saturn.ucsc.edu> <83525@felix.UUCP> <4689@ptsfa.PacBell.COM>
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In the late 60's, I was working in computer operations, babysitting/feeding
several 360/30's serving as administrative and accounting systems for a large
aerospace corp. Besides the constant jobs of loading mag tapes and emptying
and reloading printers, there were occasional paper tapes to be punched. The
high-speed :{) paper tape drive could be (mechanically) for 5,6,7, or 8-level
paper tapes, although I can't ever remember running anything but 8-level jobs.
When the mag-to-paper tape job was started, one of the operator inputs was
to answer "Is the paper tape punch set for 8-level tape?". Of course, the
answer was invariably "yes". Once in a great while, someone (on another shift,
of course! :{) ) would have left the drive set for fewer rows. Immediately
after the operator would enter "yes" the system would reply "Set the paper
tape punch for 8 levels, dummy!".

Certainly, this was a rude response; more to the point, why didn't the 
idiot application programmer *TEST* the U^%$*&)( setting rather than 
asking, when it was possible to check it?!?

Dave