On 2024-12-23 19:32, Donald Whittemore via cctalk wrote:
Well, I have proof IBM used the Field Engineer term. See the punch card used to report an Incident. https://www.ibmjunkman.com/cards/?Holder=774&Img=1
It says "Field Engineering Incident Report" (IR) which it would seem to me is referring to an organization, while on the bottom line there is a space for the "CE Serial" where the CE would enter his part number. So the individual was being referred to as CE. When I was filling out IRs they where not card stock but where just paper slips about the size of a punch card and where read by a 1287 optical reader and we mailed ours to Box 1287 at one of the Toronto post offices. We where scored on the number of documents that where rejected due to malformed numbers or writing outside the boxes on the form. I was then out of field service for about seven years and when I returned a a midrange Customer Service Rep (CSR) we where reporting out time using a portable terminal made by Motorola loving referred to as "The Brick" because it was about the size and weight of a brick. After I had left the field again for a support role, the brick was replaced by a smaller clam shell portable terminal made by RIM and still later they where replaced by smart phones which I believe the field personal use to this day to receive calls and report time.
Paul.
