A little rant about net admins...

[total]

So I get it. I've been working with technology my entire life. I've been a network administrator for a few companies and done plenty of work in the Windows world (as well as some in the *nix world) so I'm there with you man. I get it.

But seriously if you come to work on my workstation don't fuck with my UI. I don't care if you don't like autohide or high resolutions with your old ass eyes. My eyes are great, and I can see everything in 1680 just fine thank you very much. Yes, I can read that little text and no I don't want you to make it bigger. Yes I want my quick launch to have everything in it and no I don't want icons on my desktop. No I don't want outlook to have the preview pane on the bottom. And motherfucker I want my folders in list viewing mode. I don't need enormous icons to tell me that those are indeed word files in my, "saved word docs" folder. And get the fucking website working with browsers other than IE asshole. This isn't fucking 1995.

Ok done. I can not fucking stand when admins fuck with your UI for no other reason then to make it look like theirs. I log into this workstation every day to do my work. I need to use this PC. No one else does. Leave my shit alone.

[TrackZero]

Wait, why would a net admin make all those changes to your UI? At most they're making a 2 minute change to the windows network config (it'd take far more time to move all that shit around and fuck up your UI). Or do you mean sysadmin?

[Wraith]

And couldn't they just log in as an administrator account, so they can screw with the UI all they want without having to change your personal settings?

[total]

Wait, why would a net admin make all those changes to your UI? At most they're making a 2 minute change to the windows network config (it'd take far more time to move all that shit around and fuck up your UI). Or do you mean sysadmin?

I work at a small company so it is essentially two guys doing the same thing. So yes I suppose system admin or just admin in general would be a better choice of wording. It just drives me fucking batty when someone from IT comes down and fucks with your PC for no apparent reason. Makes me want to stab a bitch.

[total]

And couldn't they just log in as an administrator account, so they can screw with the UI all they want without having to change your personal settings?

Typically yes but in this case they upgraded our exchange server and some other stuff all in one shot so they had to go around and change everyone's exchange settings and outlook settings and what not.

[cppcrusader]

I know your pain. The only thing I hate more is admins that do shit to eat up space on your hard drive. Like poking around on your computer to find programs that weren't "authorized" to be installed, and instead of uninstalling them just deleting the executable so it can't be uninstalled properly. Doing that eats up a small drive real fast.

[Ancalagon]

I work at a small company so it is essentially two guys doing the same thing. So yes I suppose system admin or just admin in general would be a better choice of wording. It just drives me fucking batty when someone from IT comes down and fucks with your PC for no apparent reason. Makes me want to stab a bitch.

Shame, I feel your pain.

Also, websites that only work with IE (and IE5/6 at that) are soooo last decade. Like, come on, it isnt hard to be standards compliant. L2C n00b.

But ya, changing your UI settings is just pathetic. Why bother?

[total]

Shame, I feel your pain.

Also, websites that only work with IE (and IE5/6 at that) are soooo last decade. Like, come on, it isnt hard to be standards compliant. L2C n00b.

But ya, changing your UI settings is just pathetic. Why bother?

Honestly I don't get it. There is absolutely no reason to change one's UI. Obviously they have a work flow set up and you are going to impede on that because you...what...have time to waste? I'm pretty sure that most of this site was made using Frontpage so that would explain a lot of it. Still there is no reason in this day and age to have a site that is a simple front end to database access to not work with damn near every browser out there. Fucking silliness with these guys.

I actually had one of them try to explain to me how shoddy Linux is because he couldn't get his ATI TV card to work with Myth. I am sitting there going...so you bought a TV card from a company with one of the worst driver track records to use in a niche Linux distro. Yeah you're a fucking pro there guy.

[Ancalagon]

Honestly I don't get it. There is absolutely no reason to change one's UI. Obviously they have a work flow set up and you are going to impede on that because you...what...have time to waste? I'm pretty sure that most of this site was made using Frontpage so that would explain a lot of it. Still there is no reason in this day and age to have a site that is a simple front end to database access to not work with damn near every browser out there. Fucking silliness with these guys.

I actually had one of them try to explain to me how shoddy Linux is because he couldn't get his ATI TV card to work with Myth. I am sitting there going...so you bought a TV card from a company with one of the worst driver track records to use in a niche Linux distro. Yeah you're a fucking pro there guy.

Woohoo, lets tar a whole operating system series as crap because he tried one card from a vendor known for crap driver support in one distro. Also, I think RTFM applies here - if you want a MythTV box, it would help to read what hardware MythTV actually supports before buying anything. I mean, if he already had the card and just tried MythTV out, thats like me getting angry that I cant run my PC games on my XBox.

I can see why they would want to police what software you have installed, I used to have such software installed on my laptop at my old company (for a while it was the only PC I had), but at my current company everything I have installed is work related. Well, except Skype. But ya, just deleting the EXE means they fail as admins too - admins are meant to maintain windows not make it a nightmare to maintain.

Changing your GUI settings is just.... pathetic. I used to have a boss that wanted me to always use Windows Explorer with the folder list - sorry, thats not how I do it. I just dont. Piss off already.

[Voodoo]

If you work for me as a Net Admin and I get word that you've changed someone's UI without putting it back like you found it, it's a reprimand for you. Net Admins that are either too lazy to uninstall unauthorized programs or don't understand client rights management through Group Policy need some god damn training.

[total]

If you work for me as a Net Admin and I get word that you've changed someone's UI without putting it back like you found it, it's a reprimand for you. Net Admins that are either too lazy to uninstall unauthorized programs or don't understand client rights management through Group Policy need some god damn training.

I love you man. Keep them fuckers off peoples UI. And yeah, group policy is your friend. Pretty easy to keep most from installing things in the first place. It should never even get to the deleting executable stage.

Honestly I don't care if you want to lock me down so I can't install anything. I don't care if I am stuck with a blue background forever. Just stop fucking with the way I do my work. I follow policy and get my work done so just leave my shit alone.

[Khrymsyn]

Repeat after me total : "This is not my computer"
Repeat until you calm yourself down. =)


Truthfully, the ONLY UI change I ever make is to turn off the auto-hide. Not because I am trying to be a dick, but when remote controlled into someone else's box, it's a complete pain in the ass to get the taskbar to show back up, and I don't always remember to turn it back on when I am done. It'd be different if I was fixing stuff directly at a person's desk. Hell, I don't even swap mice buttons left/right if they are running in "lefty" mode. If they are changing due to "policy" they should look into locking profiles. If they are doing it just because they like to... well that's not what I consider good customer service.



Voodoo, took over a location for someone who not only used GP... but set EVERY BLOODY SETTING (to something) MANUALLY. Took me some time to get that mess sorted out as not every machine was accepting the "relaxed" GP I implemented. BLECH.

[Voodoo]

Voodoo, took over a location for someone who not only used GP... but set EVERY BLOODY SETTING (to something) MANUALLY. Took me some time to get that mess sorted out as not every machine was accepting the "relaxed" GP I implemented. BLECH.

Sounds like that individual went a bit overboard. Then again, you said that you took over his location. Might this type of 'workmanship' be one of the reasons?

[total]

Repeat after me total : "This is not my computer"
Repeat until you calm yourself down. =)


It is the one I need to do all my work on. If you are impeding on my ability to do my job effectively (for no reason other then you feel like it) then I will eat your fucking soul. I'm here to make moneys bitches. I don't need people throwing salt in my game. I think that is what the kids are calling it.

But yeah...it is back to normal now.

[Ancalagon]

It is the one I need to do all my work on. If you are impeding on my ability to do my job effectively (for no reason other then you feel like it) then I will eat your fucking soul. I'm here to make moneys bitches. I don't need people throwing salt in my game. I think that is what the kids are calling it.

But yeah...it is back to normal now.

Yeah, I agree with that. Its not quite my machine, but at the same time, it kinda is. I dont mind not installing programs that you dont want, I dont mind following safety guidelines, internet usage guidelines etc, but tell me how I can and cannot configure the user interface on my machine and I will punch you in the balls. Or ovaries if you lack balls, I dont discriminate.

[total]

Yeah, I agree with that. Its not quite my machine, but at the same time, it kinda is. I dont mind not installing programs that you dont want, I dont mind following safety guidelines, internet usage guidelines etc, but tell me how I can and cannot configure the user interface on my machine and I will punch you in the balls. Or ovaries if you lack balls, I dont discriminate.

Bingo...and yeah you made me spit coffee out with the ovaries comment. Thanks for that.

[Khrymsyn]

Sounds like that individual went a bit overboard. Then again, you said that you took over his location. Might this type of 'workmanship' be one of the reasons?

Sadly enough, he left of his own accord. Much of his "uniqueness" wasn't really found out until after I took over and had to start playing along with other domains for our "consolidation". (an odd side note, I did contract work for the same company prior to this guy taking over... so in an odd fashion he took over for me, and I eventually took over for him. Makes me laugh when I still stumble across some documentation from 7 years ago that sounds familiar)

...but tell me how I can and cannot configure the user interface on my machine and I will punch you in the balls. Or ovaries if you lack balls, I dont discriminate.

I go with taint. Everyone has a taint.