🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1991May23.184642.29771@newshost.anu.edu.au> cmf851@anu.oz.au (Albert Langer) writes:
>In article <1766@vtserf.cc.vt.edu> marchany@vtserf.cc.vt.edu 
>(Randy Marchany) writes:
>
>>It is not our function to determine what is "obscene", "harassment",
>>etc. That is for the legal system to decide. It IS our function to be
>>able to collect the necessary information for others to make those
>>judgments. In this sense, we are like the police,i.e., patrolling,
>>responding to complaints, collecting evidence, transferring the evidence
>>to the judiciary. 
>
>Wow! Here was I thinking system administration was a technical job
>to do with configuration files and backups and so forth, but it's really
>"like the POLICE"! Where do people GET these ideas? Certainly NOT from
>any unix manual I have ever seen.
>
>If somebody makes harassing phone calls or writes harassing letters,
>it is NOT the job of telephone technicians or typewriter mechanics to
>deal with the problem in any way shape or form. If somebody needs
>their technical assistance THAT is their job (which may include
>providing technical assistance to some "investigator" who "patrols",
>"collects evidence", "responds to complaints" etc if you happen
>to work in an institution that doesn't have better things to do with
>it's employees time).
>

Not all sys admins are only "telephone technicians or typewriter mechanics"
who are strictly dedicated to machine maintenance.
Some (many?) are also people managers and (reluctant) paper-pushers.
Resolving personnel disputes may well be part of their jobs, and having
"better things to do" doesn't solve any problems.

You're right, of course, in  that the Unix manuals generally
don't feature pages for intelligence(1) or irrationality(7) or
how-to-get-along-with-your-co-workers(8).  8-)
-- 
Eric Bushnell
Univ of Washington Civil Engineering
etb@u.washington.edu