On Sun, 2002-07-07 at 22:54, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > On Sat, 6 Jul 2002, at 5:58pm, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > Hmmm, I say: "You hired me to do a job and for my expertise required to > > do that job..." > > I find your stance rather hypocritical, given the involved and heated > debate that once went on in this very forum with regard to whether or not > users should have root access to their workstations, with you weighing in > quite stringently on the "no" side. :)
[snip] Though I don't presume to answer for Paul (Lussier), I will say that I don't find his stance hypocritical at all. As a matter of fact, they can both be seen as the very same position. I (and I presume, Paul L.) am a System Administrator. Anywhere I work, it is highly likely that I will be working in the IT department. The point, I believe, about no root access, is that we, the IT department, need control of the machines that we are responsible for. On the machine sitting on my desk to do my daily work, I *do* have control over it, no matter what it is running. I see no problem with a policy that I can support myself, so I'll use Linux. But I've been commissioned by the company to support everyone else in the company, so I will only support what is officially sanctioned (though you won't find me doing desktop support any time soon ;-)). If and when the company decides to allow anyone in the company use AtheOS, or Plan 9, or whatever else we don't know about, provided you sign something committing to fixing any problems or incompatibilities yourself that are the result of using an OS not sanctioned by IT, then you can use what you want. But because *we* are supporting *you*, *we* get to decided what we support. But I would likely never argue this to employees outside of IT. I would instead lobby for the company to officially sanction the use of Linux on the desktop. But not so vigorously as I used to. Why not? Because, as I said, I'm fed up and I'm done fighting. At one recent job I said to the CEO and others that I was making it my mission to keep the workplace a friendly place for those who wished to use Linux on the desktop exclusively. I said that I knew that would be a challenge. The CEO didn't think it would be a challenge and welcomed me to embark on that mission. Turns out it was more of a challenge than he thought. That battle has pissed me off enough that it is no longer my mission. It is my expectation. If it's not already established that Linux is a fact of life in many Unix system administrator's lives and that some of us don't expect to ever have to use Windows on our own desktops, then it's not the place for me. This is why I have three choices left today: contracting, starting my own business, flipping burgers. At least, that's the way it's going to be until businesses smarten up, stop the "Death March Towards Redmond (tm)," and start letting the inevitability of Linux and other Free Software take hold. (Apologies to the *residents* of Redmond, WA.) > So, Paul, I'm curious: Is there a real difference here, or is it just that > you were getting your way before, and in this semi-hypothetical situation, > you're not? :-) > > (For those wondering, I personally see both sides as having valid > arguments (in both debates). I think the issues cannot be simplied to a > blanket statement that works everywhere.) All that's required is that "it works for me," not everywhere. I don't believe leaving a company for these reasons is, as some would say, immature. I've said something to the effect of "My goals and the company's goals have been diverging for a while, now. It's time for me to move on." And later welcomed people to question me for the details. Those details were a strengthening partnership with Microsoft and an increasing hostility to living in a pure Linux/Unix world through forcible standardization on M$ document formats. (Three years ago, that was more of an issue that it is today.) Yes, this is a tougher market. But after getting some very encouraging support from my sister, I realized that I do still have choices. They're tough ones and the do involve more risk than I'm used to taking, but they are choices, nonetheless. -- -Paul Iadonisi Senior System Administrator Red Hat Certified Engineer / Local Linux Lobbyist Ever see a penguin fly? -- Try Linux. GPL all the way: Sell services, don't lease secrets ***************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the text 'unsubscribe gnhlug' in the message body. *****************************************************************
