ext_93457 ([identity profile] durham-rambler.livejournal.com) wrote in [personal profile] desperance 2008-08-06 08:29 am (UTC)

You are right to be cautious. That's something I learned in 25 years as a systems programmer. Whenever our company carried out surveys of staff attitudes we always came out low on enterprise and gung-ho. Which some managers didn't like, but I just asked them if they would prefer devil-may-care systems programmers?

So we planned what we would do if/when it went wrong. And what we would do when that went wrong. Which meant it very rarely did go wrong, even when we transferred an entire megacomputer* system from Bletchley to Rochdale in the middle of a blizzard.

So plan what you will do if you get the black screen of death. Then talk it over with a fully-trained pessimist. If your route back is sound, go ahead.

*Actually it seemed mega then. Your desktop is probably more powerful now.

Post a comment in response:

This account has disabled anonymous posting.
If you don't have an account you can create one now.
HTML doesn't work in the subject.
More info about formatting