ObAnecdote: 

 

A long time ago (17 years), the small software company where I worked was
finally connected to the nascent Internet, at a blazing 9600bps. We had a
tiny web server running on (then) VM/ESA, serving a static page.

 

The Senior VP of Marketing came by my office and asked if I knew how to fix
DNS so it would point to the shiny new corporate page he had just spent a
gazillion bucks on. "Sure", sez I, since I'd set up DNS on VM. (I think we
were the ONLY site on the planet running a VM DNS as a primary pulling from
a secondary, based on the bugs we found and the IBM developer-level support
it required to get it working! But I digress.)

 

The nominal data center manager was a guy who'd fallen into the position
because the previous one quit, after being told that a long-scheduled,
expensive vacation had to be postponed with no notice and no recompense
because his boss wanted him to do something. And he was out of town (this
was pre-cellphone etc.). Besides, what was he going to do, argue with the
Sr. VP? So I fixed the DNS and sent him a note, telling him exactly what I
changed and saying "The Senior VP wanted this fixed, so I did it."

 

When he got back, he had a hissy fit about it and yanked all my system
privileges. I went to our mutual boss, who called him over, and the
conversation went like a bad movie:

 

"Put back Phil's privileges."

"No. He shouldn't have done that without my permission."

"You weren't available. Put 'em back."

"No. I'll walk out this door before I do that."

"OK.bye!"

 

And that was that. He was gone. So now I had to do his job, too, but at
least I didn't have to deal with his psychosis!


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