Computer Stupidities

[scott_sanford]

I've discovered today that the old Computer Stupidities page is not only still around but still being updated. For those who haven't read it, this collects many short anecdotes of our time in the trenches. In short, just what it says on the tin.

Some of these tales go back a very long way, to DOS or even the big iron days, showing us that even after decades of using computers reasonable people have their moments of foolishness...and that there are idiots who should never be allowed anywhere near technology.

Comments

[kengr]

Oh lord...

Reminds me of an incident that happened to me.

I was in the Radio Shack on the bus mall downtown, back around 1990. I heard salesman trying to sell a computer to a customer.

What caught my attention was that the guy needed one that'd read cassette tapes. When he mentioned that the tapes were from where he worked, I got into the conversation.

The salescritter had been trying to sell him a Color Computer 3.

I pointed out that different brands of computers used different tape formats. And asked what kind of computers they were using with the tapes at work.

His reply? IBM PCs!!

I gently explained that *nothing* but an IBM PC could read those tapes, and that IBM hadn't made or sold those in *years*. I also suggested that he tell his boss that they needed to add floppy drives to the computers and copy everything to those before the computers died and they became unable to access their data.

The salesman gave me this *look* as the guy was leaving and I just looked back and asked which he'd rather have? A lost sale, or a customer coming back really pissed off because the system he'd bought wouldn't do the job?

[kevin-standlee.livejournal.com]

*ouch*