Re: Who are all these new handles? [warning: long]

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Re: Who are all these new handles? [warning: long]

I've noticed a few threads questioning the sudden influx of newbies. I guess I count as a newbie, given that I was 'welcomed' to the forum yesterday [thanks, Jerry B.! 8^) ].

It's not the question ("Who/WHY are these strange handles?") that bothers me so much as some of the answers:

With the possible exception of the third answer (and that one a subjective call), I don't believe these apply to me at all.  Not that I speak for every new poster or ex-lurker . . . but . . . well, here are my "credentials" such as they are.   You be the judge.

I'm an IBM mainframe (MVS => OS/390) application programmer.  I work in S/360 Assembler, COBOL II, VSAM, DB2 and the other typical languages/systems you'll find at a Big Blue shop.  I first realized the potential severity of what was later to be labeled "Y2k" during the late 1980's, when I picked up a copy of Murray & Murray's excellent "Computers In Crisis" from a booksellers closeout table.

In the 1980's, 2000 was "so far away" as to be a non-issue, at least at our shop.  As far as I know, it didn't even start to show up on the project plans until the mid-1990's.  And quite frankly, I wasn't too concerned about Y2k until I did a rollover test ("just for grins") on a brand-new Digital laptop I'd bought in late 1997 -- and it failed.  That woke me up.

Fortunately, our company hadn't been complacent.  Better minds than mine had been watching the seas ahead, and had incorporated Y2k remediation into the steering plan.   It started relatively late, I thought (ain't hindsight perfect?), but start it did.   I joined the Y2k Team at our shop at the end of 1997, and was involved with code fixes as well as assessment and project planning.

During this time, one of our CICS gurus mentioned to me that there was "...quite a bit of excitement on the Internet..." about Y2k.  I started looking around, and that's when I became alarmed.  I subscribed to comp.software.year-2000, and read what   Cory Hamasaki and Rick Cowles and many others were saying.  I learned that there was a significant unknown, the embedded systems, that no one could guarantee wouldn't cause widespread havoc.  That's when I started working for the Y2k activist cause.

I attended Jim Lord's seminar, "A Year 2000 Alert," at Medford, Oregon in May of 1998.  I signed up to help locally, and was recruited by Will Reishman to work on the newly-formed Rogue Valley Y2k Task Force web site (http://www.rv-y2k.org).   I was webmaster of that site from inception through its first six months of operation, working for Liza Christian.  I hosted the RV-Y2k Forum on my own site (http://www.angal.com/forumtf/) until my successors came up with a better forum mechanism.

I began making personal preparations.  Some of these preps went a little overboard -- understand that I'd recently married, into  an "instant family," and that significantly changes the way a formerly-single-guy looks at the world.  For example, I was one of those who bought a generator, which is not entirely rational if you're looking at a global catastrophe (it's not a sustainable power source).  Oh, well, never said I was a genius.  I'm keeping the generator anyway, because we live on the Cascadia Subduction Zone, and a generator makes quite a bit of sense in a localized earthquake disaster.  Same for the long-term food storage.

I began to seek a lower profile beginning in 1999.  I passed the web site on to talented hands [to my wife's relief] and stood on the sidelines to watch.  My rationale was that people had pretty much established their positions on Y2k, and further efforts on my part wouldn't really make much difference.  And truthfully, I was getting a bit paranoid.

I watched with everyone else as key trigger dates came and went with few apparent problems.  I began to wonder if we as a technological society weren't a bit more resilient than I'd thought.  In the back of my mind, though, hovered the great unknowns -- the embedded systems, and the undiscovered faults that would lead to deterioration over time after rollover.

When the day finally arrived, I got up with my stepson at 01:50 PST and began watching the ABC2000 coverage.  That was a surreal day.  As the first 'significant' rollover happened in New Zealand, I honestly expected to see power outages.  Sydney, same thing.  After that, each rollover began to feel like a victory to me.  When Red Square stood bathed in 2000 light, I was astonished.  When the GMT rollover occurred, I was ecstatic.  By the time rollover reached us on the U.S. Pacific Coast, I was euphoric.

This brings me, finally, to my point (sorry for rambling).  You see, like the survivor of an automobile crash in which everyone should have suffered terribly or died, I've been babbling, in shock, to whomever is willing to listen.  I feel like I'm standing in a group of untouched survivors, and I'm marveling at what appears to have been some sort of intervention.  I know this feeling will pass in time, but I'm reveling in it for the moment.  We have light!  We have warmth!  We have water and food!

I know it's not over, that there are significant Y2k hurdles ahead and that there are other dangers in this world, perhaps more profound.  But I feel we've been blessed, deserving or not.  So here I am, butting in to the forum, interrupting conversations in-progress, showing up uninvited . . . crowing, "Did you see that?   Did you see?"

P.S. - For those of you who might be interested, our shop's first batch processing occurred Saturday, January 1st, 2000, during the day, with full on-site coverage.  It went well, with no abends or obvious problems.  Note that I don't work in a critical industry, and no lives would have been threatened by failure -- aside from my current livelihood, that is -- but I still count this as another victory.

 



-- =DSA. (dsangal@attglobal.net), January 04, 2000

Answers

DSA, if you had been here before now, you would know why those responses were posted. Just bear with us and you'll begin to see a glimmer of understanding. You might try joining Bok's chat--perhaps someone will post a hotlink.

-- Jaded and tired (Oldtimer@the.forum), January 04, 2000.

Well, welcome anyway- too bad you didn't chime in long before as you seem to be intelligent and articulate. Know what you mean- by being amazed that all has gone well so far. Still can't figure it out- but why argue with it??

-- farmer (hillsidefarm@drbs.com), January 04, 2000.

Great story to hear -- it's always good to hear from someone who was not only preparing but working on the problem as well. A good balance, as it were! I'm new myself, but nonetheless, welcome. I look forward to any further thoughts and insights you might have as time goes on.

-- Ned Raggett (ned@kuci.org), January 04, 2000.

DSA,

Welcome! Seems like we have another beautiful voice of reason on board. And I think I see some wonderfully infectious giddiness in you as well (as I feel). A good balance, indeed!

-- eve (123@4567.com), January 04, 2000.


=DSA, a very warm welcome to you, from fellow Cascadians :-)

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Catastrophe OUTWITTED ;^)

We are SSSOOOOOOO happy! Ecstatic! WheeeeeeHeeeeeeeee !!!!!

Talk about a MIRACLE !!! No way it could be happening! Still!

Glitches popping up all over, but with power, phones, 'n water, it is fixable!

God are we happy! HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY Deliriously happy!

We feel like ppl caged in a dungeon on Death Row for years who have gotten a REPRIEVE and have been dumped out in the sunshine to start life anew.

All still velly vewry strange, strange indeed, and even getting stranger!

The Twilight Zone has not evaporated. Keep your tinfoil hats nearby!

Our predictions were foiled and our prayers answered.

Still praying Let the good times keep rolling! Keep the miracle holding!

Less than a BITR! YES !!!!!!!!

Party on!

-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), January 04, 2000.



Chat room link - http://homest ead.deja.com/user.bok0non/index.html

All are welcome, except trolls. And, FWIW, pollies PLEEEEASE try to keep the gloating to a minimum. It makes for a nicer conversation. And all others PLEEEEASE keep the safety on, until you're sure it's a troll, for the same reason.

-- Bokonon (bok0non@my-Deja.com), January 04, 2000.


Glad you're here DSA, I feel the same. Very happy, but still cautiously watching and waiting.......So far, so good.

-- Michael (michaelteever@buffalo.com), January 04, 2000.

Watch your manners, Polly.

Ashton & Leska have been astute members of this forum from its git-go. When I see you post something as useful as their 'shelter-in-place' instruction thread, I'll be prepared to take you more seriously.

-- silver ion (ag3@interlog.com), January 04, 2000.


Bokonon,

Thanks for the open invite. I haven't yet done chat rooms, but yours would certainly be the first one. Someday soon I hope to take the plunge.

-- eve (123@4567.com), January 04, 2000.


DSA:

Not all new handles are new people to the forum. Many have been long- time antagonists and several have been loyal forum members and lurkers who suddenly mutinied and bolted for the exit door spewing insults and throwing tantrums (looking for a cat to kick). It has been the ugliest display of human character I've ever seen.

My apologies to have offended any 'innocents' caught in the cross- fire. My other two fellow-forum-lugnuts would agree with me I'm sure. Welcome.

-- Will continue (farming@home.com), January 04, 2000.



That's correct Will, I did not mean to imply that every single newbie was to be included in that assessment. But I think most of us regs that were here during the rollover will agree that probably 90% of those strange new names were part of a troll attack, and there were probably several hundred anatagonistic types deleted within the first couple days. You know who you are, and if you're not here to annoy us, then you've got no reason to feel unwelcome. We treat newbies by the way they behave, not how long they've been around.

-- Hawk (flyin@high.again), January 04, 2000.

Will, Hawk,

See my newbie thread below. There's not a single person on it who I'd call mean-spirited in any way. In fact, they all seem like nice, reasonable people.

I have seen some pretty nasty ones, however, in other threads.

I guess they're all like the rest of us -- all different.

-- eve (123@4567.com), January 04, 2000.


I'm a newbie - a family member sent me the link to this forum last week and I just recently started posting. I don't even know what a troll or polly is, nor do I care to. While there are a lot of intelligent, insightful threads here, there are also WAY too many insults being thrown back & forth (maybe I just discovered what "trolls" and "pollys" are in reference to!). I'm not sure what that's all about, other than possible ego conflicts, but it has left me with a negative impression...I mean, it's a free country right (for now, anyway!)? Shouldn't people be able to express their opinion in a forum like this without getting pummeled? I've seen some very interesting thoughts expressed (and have not necessarily agreed with all of them) result in insult throwing and arguing, about everything from the poor guy's opinion, to the way he/she spelled a word!

I'll probably stick around for a couple days and continue to check things out, but wanted to give you an "outsiders" humble opinion...

-- Hope Full (notareal@address.com), January 04, 2000.


Man survives again, with his skill and sheer dumb luck.

-- plonk! (realaddress@hotmail.com), January 04, 2000.

DSA, a warm welcome to you. I enjoyed your perspective and post. I've wonder if the technological community isn't "resilient" than we thought, and defying previous technology project laws because of the Internet and the exchange of information on it. It might be one of the unmeasurable variables.

Eve: There are interesting conversations in Bok's chatroom. Last night, a person who is characterized and regarded as a "polly," recounted the intriguing story of how he came to the conclusions he did about y2k. It was not only quite illuminating, but very interesting. (Of course, we had to gag and tie a couple of "assertive" doomers before he was allowed the chance, but we managed to do so.) Hope you, and DSA and Ned make your way over there at some point.

-- (resolved@this.point), January 04, 2000.



Newbies need to understand that this is NOT a forum to discuss the pros and cons of canister vacuums versus uprights, ok? Emotions get hot and opinions have had life threatening consequences for many. It must be similar to watching a 3 year old soap-opera for the first time. To become critical of the participants (without any background) or conduct some Siskel and Eibert thumbs up or thumbs down is not going to attract good cheer. If you are offended by our grammar, spelling or presentation, I ask, so what? If harsh tones offend you, find a 'softer' subject.

Otherwise, feel free to dive into the archives or ask a question. Please keep in mind that tension fills the air and ALL of us have been attempting to bring newbies into the fold for a couple of years in the face of verbal and emotional ABUSE from co-workers, friends, family, OUR GOVERNMENT, the media and neighbors and 'suddenly' you all start showing up??????

Just something to consider.

-- Will continue (farming@home.com), January 04, 2000.


I understand how forums work Will. Just giving an obviously unwanted observation. Could care less how anyone spells or presents. Your tone seems to be frustrated by "newbies" but weren't you ALL new to the group at some point? Sure hope you had someone more patient and open to fresh views.

Signing off...

-- Hope Full (notareal@address.com), January 04, 2000.


Was that a thumbs down, Hope?

:)

-- Will continue (farming@home.com), January 04, 2000.


No Will, it was a new-comer trying to add value who instead was turned off by uncivilized characters. And when I tried to express my opinion, I received a "Forum 101" class. So what you saw was a display of frustration. I'm not here to judge (thumbs up or thumbs down). Just wanted to share an opinion, but it seems like opinions from new-combers aren't welcome so this will be it for me! Ta ta, folks...

-- Hope Full (notareal@address.com), January 04, 2000.

Waaaaaa waaaaaa waaaaaa. Another thing we don't tolerate is whiners. Good riddens, hopeless.

-- can't take heat (get.out@of.fire), January 04, 2000.

DSA: I was wrong -- you're a cybergeek.

8^)

-- dinosaur (dinosaur@williams-net.com), January 04, 2000.


That's MISTER Cybergeek to you, you . . . you . . . big ancient reptile-like critter!

Uh, sir. (Or ma'am . . . don't want a repeat of the trouble I got into with Ms. Will Continue.)

Hey, dinosaur, when you were buying all those toilet seats, did you clean out the blue cotton towels too? My wife and I were out yesterday spending like there IS a tomorrow, and we couldn't find a single blue towel in town. . . .

8^b

-- =DSA. (dsangal@attglobal.net), January 04, 2000.


Resolved,

Thanks for the Bok chatroom info. Now my interest is rising; maybe I'll start with a lurk session or two this weekend...

-- eve (123@4567.com), January 05, 2000.


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