Re: Fw: Upper Management Knowledge of GUIs

Subject: Re: Fw: Upper Management Knowledge of GUIs
From: Peter Neilson <neilson -at- alltel -dot- net>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Date: Thu, 07 Apr 2005 00:48:06 -0400


Anonymous Poster wrote:

> ...

Have you had to explain what a GUI is? To upper levels
or boss types?

Grace Hopper made a career in the military explaining such
matters to the brass, who generally had no idea whatever
about the capabilities of computers, or worse, had severely
incorrect ideas. Her rank (Commodore) helped get them
to listen.

The upper-level types generally have people who understand things
for them. Instead of knowing what a GUI is, or caring about it,
a PHB will have a Dilbert who knows about GUIs. My own story
is about backups:

Me: When are the backups done?
PHB: PHB-2's secretary takes care of that.
Me: Thank you.

At PHB-2's office...
Me: When are the backups done?
Sec: XX company takes care of that.
Me: How often?
Sec: I think they do it every month.
Me: Thank you.

Back at PHB's office...
Me: Sec tells me that XX does the backups.
PHB: We stopped using them a year ago.
Me: Then who is doing the backups?
PHB: I told you, PHB-2's secretary takes care of that.
Me: You don't have any backups. Would you like me
to perform them once, and set up a system?
PHB: How much will that cost?
Me: It'll take me about 10 hours. $600.
PHB: No, that's too much.

As far as I know, they are still not doing backups, ten years
after my encounter with their PHB.

My answer to the original question is that defining a GUI
in the documentation will not solve any problems for the
PHB who does not understand what a GUI is.


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References:
Fw: Upper Management Knowledge of GUIs: From: Anonymous Poster

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