From the ridiculous to the sublime, reader tales cover the gamut of real-life IT experiences
It's no easy feat choosing the "best" of Off the Record. One tech's poison is frequently another one's honey. Who's to say which InfoWorld reader told a more amusing story? Who can determine which tale was more rife with snafus? The only thing everybody can agree on is that the more things change in this Dilbertesque working world, the more they stay the same. Clueless bosses, annoying coworkers, and incredible situations show up in the Off the Record posts weekly -- and never fail to entertain us.
Here's a sampler of the workplace insanity we enjoyed reading about this year. Go ahead -- try to decide which one is best.
Lame bosses. Irascible dictators and delusional oligarchs played a significant role in the stories submitted, which surprises just about nobody. Who can resist the allure of talking smack about bosses who can't defend themselves? Especially when they deserve it. From micromanaging maniacs to former soldiers, IT sees its share of irritating leadership.
Maybe the most egregious errors come from bosses who don't know much about technology and wouldn't know a good idea if it kicked them in the head. Several of them seem unable to grasp the concept behind passwords and the need to keep them private. Imagine the mayhem when management says pourquoi pas to galvanic corrosion in the datacenter and deliberately deceptive databases?
