techpoetry

Many believe that Windows 7 isn't much different then Vista

Windows 7 Aero Peek

Well let me prove you wrong.

Windows 7 has a great number of user interface improvements.  One of which has me excited.

Check out the video and see for yourself just what is coming with Windows 7 Aero Peek.

And if you have an extra 50 minutes check out all the new things coming with Windows 7.

The Tide runs over the LSU Tigers in their 10th straight win!

The Alabama Crimson Tide is truly on an Crimson Tide Express Ride to the Championship this year! 

It was an emotional roller coaster ride of a game but they pulled it off in OT.

Alabama 27 - LSU 21. 

Thanks to Rashad Johnson's interception in the first half of OT play.

Tonight I was proud to see my team as an un-wavering Roll Tide fan take us one step closer to the championship!  Look out Mississippi State and Auburn you guys are next to get run over by the Crimson Tide Express.

Here are some interesting facts provided graciously by my brother.  Tonight was the first time since 1980 that Alabama has been ranked #1 in the regular season.  In January of '93 Alabama won the Sugar Bowl and became the 1992 National Champions.

Backa Bloggin Again...

Ok I'm-a tri-n to-a blog. 

Howz my blogonics? 

My wife has come thru for me once again and brought back the estranged "TechPoetry".  So as before I will begin to blog about tech and the poetry of it all (tech, life, opinions, health, love, and more tech...)  Look out for more to come soon  :-) 

Thx to the wife!  :-)

Server Migration Done but now the hard part.

Over the New Year holiday I migrated to another server.  This one is much more robust than the original.  Just look at these specs:

Hardware:  1 Intel Pentium Xeon 2.8 Ghz, Dual Processor motherboard, 2 Gig registered DDR400 Ram, and RAID 1+0 with 4 80gb WD SATA Drives and RAID 1 with 2 40gb Seagate SATA Drives, 1 300gb WD EIDE Drive!

There is plenty of room for expansion too!  Looking to upgrade the ram to a OS max of 4 gb soon.  I would add even more drives but I am sure I am over stepping a recommended draw from a server pwr supply and I don't have any more mounting points.

Software:  Small Business Server 2003 Premium Edition R2 Release!  This so cool!  I was an old School with SUS and WSUS set up on the original server it is still much nicer to have WSUS built right into the management console.  I have setup all the stuff now... Exhange SP2... IMF... RRAS... OWA (aka Outlook Web Access)...OMA (aka Outlook Mobile Access).. RPC over HTTP (aka Outlook Over the Internet)... Fax Services... Windows Mobile Security and Feature Pack Devices... VPN... ISA... and SQL 2005 Workgroup... I even fixed an email issue concerning smtp and recipeint filtering long battled against during this migration!

Next comes a upgrade of the SharePoint instance from SQL 2000 to SQL 2005 --- But what is the hard part you may ask?

Getting users to understand!  I am pretty good with people but I've never faced such a challenge in all my years experience with being an IT consultant for many customers as I face with these users!  My current goal is to get them exited about SharePoint - and to use it.  I've never come across someone who wasn't floored by SharePoint and have been told by many colleagues in the business that SharePoint is a powerful selling point!  These users avoid it like the plague.  They insist on keeping several Excel spreadsheets open updating them live on the server constantly!

Lately I have been trying to develop a SharePoint Application of Lists to control workflow and enable speedier and more accurate data entry as a way to attract them to SharePoint.  However it's been a tough haul because any question about their process is answered with "I don't knows" or I am just ignored!  They finally gave me some input on my prototype today that makes me wander why the heck I am doing this in the first place.  They said they wanted to use it but wanted to be able to type everything free hand! --- That's right --- It doesn't make since to me either?  Why would you want to enter the date when it can autofill (editable of course but not enough).  Why would you want to type in a job number when you can select from a list of current jobs?  Doesn't it make more sense to point and click instead of typing in each and everything?  Do they just want the freedom to invent job numbers that don't exist (like they do now)?  Do they like skipping important fields and having inconsistent data?  Do they like having to open Excel and doing this all very precariously inside a spread sheet?  And does Management really care about their data at all? 

Some people just don't get IT... But do you get them?

So I've read about customers that "just don't get IT." All the books and blogs advise you to "fire" the customer that just doesn't get IT. As their "computer guy" you know how to prevent issues. So you install antivirus products on the server(s) and all of the client machines. You use GPO and "make things run" under LUA. You install and configure a firewall. You create backup strategies and policies about how users should do things. You try as you may to educate the users. Oh and of course you enable password policies!

You do all this to prevent a catasphrophe! You do all this because you want to protect that customers investment in their IT. You do all this and much more because you are honestly doing your job! So how does a user see the prompt to change his password every single login each day for 15 days but can not be bothered to change it? I know it is inconvienient but come on - 1 minute it takes - a minute if that - to type your old password and come up with a new one - It's not rocket science guys and you can spare a minute. Mind you this wasn't a problem but do you see how some people just don't get IT?
But I don't want to fire my biggest customer or my main type of customer! Lets face the truth. In the south eastern service industry of blue collar working men it is very refreshing to find someone who gets IT but it just doesn't happen that often. Accountants, Lawyers and other professional services get IT more often. But the guy that drives the work van around town and unclogs your toliet, fixes the appliances, builds your house, manicures your lawn, paints for you - well they just don't get IT and really never will - stop wishing down a wishing well! All they know you do is computers and to them IT and computers are same thing! They operated their business before computers and they don't need them. But it is up to you to explain that business today that doesn't use technology has a disadvantage while those that do get IT will a signifacant advantage over the competition - computers or not!

My current situation:

Would you like fries with that?

We have all heard it. And to be frank I usually say sure why not. I mean why not: It makes my hamburger cheaper if I get the combo!
The Whopper that is maybe $3 alone will end up being just $2.69 once you make it a combo.

Imagine my surprise when I was handed a copy of XP Pro to install that a person purchased himself and then was bambarded with questions of why this old 16mb simm memory chip was included. He thought he needed to install the hardware to make XP Pro work... confusing huh? If you were to go out and buy Windows XP Pro Retail it could cost $200. Windows XP Pro OEM version costs $150 when purchased with a computer or hardware. This person got the combo. He was sold XP Pro OEM at a reduced cost and to satisfy OEM requirments they included the simm chip. Although I understand that the only hardware this Microsoft allows this other than a new computer is a hard drive.

Whopper Burger (XP Pro OEM) + Fries (16mb simm) Drink sold seperately

I am not the Microsoft police. Don't expect me to be drinking the coolade. Although I hear it is good and they have many flavors :-) I won't refer to every need as a "Customer Pain Point" I don't dun the swag (at least not every day) Judge not least you be judged and all that.

You want me to prove it? Here you go: I don't purchase anything from this site

oh... all persons and and prices mentioned above are fictional...

Dealing wih Corporate users the video edition.

Remember my post about dealing with corporate users? Well maybe I went alittle overboard but hey I just got done watching this so I was in the mood for exaggeration. I thought I would share the IT Crowd with everyone. This is way too funny! If you are not in the UK you must use a proxy for find it on bittorrent. Watch, laugh, and learn about dealing with corporate users.

Have you forgotten?

What kind of TechPoetry site could this be without some Theater Poetry! Yeah! And do you wanna know this weeks feature? Of course you do. It's LOST.

LOST absolutly rocks on my new 51" HDTV ... ok ok... before webgrits corrects me the TV is HD ready - we don't have a HD reciever but ... come on --- I've never seen Evangeline Lilly more up close and personal --- opps --- hope my girlfriend doesn't read this...

Lost was "in her words" a very dark episode this week. Sawyer actually did that mean thing. Personally I hate frogs (or anything reptile) can't stand the texture when touched. But I sure didn't applaud his deed.

And the new info on Sayid! Man! That is just cold - real - painful - and good TV! To believe it was the Americans that give him this skill or curse? Well I say cool. I understand it had to be done and the Americans just did the right thing and made an Iraqi soldier do it so they wouldn't have to.

Oh - and what would have happened? If Locke didn't get the code in the computer entered in time. I don't know but judging from the slot machine (hope it doesn't get three peaches in a row) or worse smilely faces! I wouldn't want to be in the casino if that happened! Something bad was afoot thats for sure!

Finally - You did know the stranger was one of the others didn't you? Don't tell me you felt sorry for him. Don't tell me you rooted for Jack did you? Hey webgrits says Jacks an asshole "I don't like Jack". Don't tell me you wanted Sayid to stop beating that man - you didn't right? You too felt no guilt right? Have you forgotten - forgotten about the others?

PS... If you are looking at this and thinking man is he behind that was Wed. night. You appearently don't know of the TiVo way of life here around techpoetry .

GPO database for 3rd party apps anyone?

Sure I've used GPO successfully to allow a few 3rd party apps that want administrator rights to run. ("including the famous QuickBooks") I could use google. I can use "FileMon" and "RegMon" to monitor software to monitor things and figure out the settings myself. A time consuming process of trial and error until it's perfected :-(

Customers say "Make us secure." Best Practices tell us to do the least priveledges thing.

Not good when a customer buys a new fangled something (copier? GPS management? etc...) and then the vendor points at the consultant when they can't make it install / run.

But where is a database of GPO settings for third party apps? Do my google skills defy me? I can't find one? Please put the links in the comments if you know of one. Otherwise I am hoping someone will take this post as motivation to start one.

Top Ten Tips on Dealing with Corporate Users.

It all starts with emails in all caps!
What is it like trying to support the corporate user you ask. Emails with all caps will slam you about little things. Disrespect will bash your will. Misunderstanding will drive you nuts and then you will loose the battle because to them you are nothing! You simply exist for there amusement. You will cry for the respect that you thought you earned by many nights up till 2 or 3 am slaving to learn, troubleshoot, and repair client/server networks. No you deserve no respect little computer nerd!

Where is the respect? I don't know. All I can offer are the following things I've learned when dealing with the corporate user.

Top Ten Tips on dealing with a Corporate User

(1) Ignore the emails in all caps! They think it makes them look important. "They might even have trouble reading smaller case." When replying keep it extremly short and simple with all lower case.

(2) Don't try to explain anything technically to them. (I've made this mistake) They are insecure and will see it as you threating their knowledge.

3) Don't expect respect in the first place! Hang your head in shame. You shouldn't consider yourself someone to tell an executive what to do. Go forth and offer your services and nothing more or nothing less.

(4) Don't make things easier for them! The corporate user has been a business man usually since typewriters. They might even have a typewriter in their office or old school secretary to do their typing for them. Don't dare change things. He knows it works! This goes for all the things they do the hard way. You can help but they don't want your help.

(6) Be busy. But not too busy! I am sure being in computers you have so many things to do that you can't answer all requests immediately! But do complete requests in an exeptable time frame and prefferably when least expected. If you are lucky you might earn a smidgen of respect here. Providing constant progress on your part you will be viewed as a man who has many things to do and must proritize these tasks. But be careful! A computer person can only recieve so much respect before they become viewed as unmanageable.

(7) Learn about your users! Probably this should be number one! Find out what their interests are! Use google to find some sites that match their interests. Send them an email during the last part of a Friday occasionally with a link or two. Ask them questions even if you don't give a flip. Unless you want to open pandora's box I'd advise against introducing them to google.

(8) Reward those who respect you with cool stuff! Setup that new feature for them first. It might not be spoken but it would be understood that good things come to those who don't bash the computer guy.

(9) Save the day! Be prepared to save the day! Ensure backups are in place at all times. Keep virus definitions up to date. Review your event logs! Of course this isn't something you wish for but if a catasrophe strikes then you will recieve offers of drinks and refreshments from others silently sweating it out. Those corporate users will no doubt feel apprecitive of you if only for a weeks time at least it's something. A dog is happy to see you even after you kick it in the gut right? Thats what you are to them "A Dog"!

(10) Don't be bitter! Don't write blog posts like this one! Better yet go into management and forget that challenging carreer path you started down in computer networking. Become a corporate user that understands! One that doesn't write everything in all caps! One that gives the respect that the "computer guy" deserves. Go forth and make this a better world for all geeks!

The statements above are not my personal feelings. I am a geek at heart and only speak from the experience of endureing the disrespect daily. I wish I could wear a RTFM t-shirt to work some days...