Memory-Lane Monday: I guess looks are everything

Ugly hardware ends up in Siberia.

Computerworld  |  Shark Tank
Computerworld / IDG

A large plotter is being moved from one building to another at this government agency, and pilot fish in that building gets orders to do the installation.

He goes downstairs to program the network information into it, then goes back to his desk to set up the print queue. That done, he calls the user to have him print a drawing to test it.

User tells fish that he’ll meet him in the lobby in about 10 minutes, and fish figures he wants to finish something he’s working on. Fish waits but still gets to the lobby ahead of the user, who walks in after another minute — through the front door.

Sorry, fish says, have you been out? If I’d known, I’d have arranged this for later.

“Oh, no,” says user. “I work down the road at headquarters.”

Hmm, says fish. I know it’s a big printer, but isn’t there space for it down there?

“Yes, there’s plenty of room down there,” user replies. “But the boss says that it’s too ugly and doesn’t fit in with the office’s aesthetic.”

Sighs fish, “So every time he needs to use the printer, he has to walk down the road to our office to collect a very large-scale drawing. That’s going to be interesting come the winter!”

Copyright © 2020 IDG Communications, Inc.

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