That day in the middle of the week
Mar. 28th, 2012 09:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
altivoWell, at least it's nearly done for this week. And Friday is payday. This was a 3 paycheck month. Yay.
New computer equipment that we've been expecting since January finally arrived today. These are multiuser stations that cluster six keyboards and monitors around a single Linux CPU. Same software we've been using for six years now, but the hardware is new and from HP/Compaq (shiver.) It's going to pose many problems I fear, not the least of which is getting it installed. It came with what amounts to no documentation. A "quick start" booklet that has no words and only pictures in it, and is essentially worthless. A CD full of PDF files containing manuals, but no index to what's in which file and the files have names consisting just of a string of numbers followed by ".pdf". Good job, HP. Really useful.
This stuff was shipped in the first week of February from Canada and has apparently been languishing in customs ever since. You know, because the US has to open every box and inspect it a dozen times to make sure it doesn't contain "drugs."
My big worry right now is the "multiuser adapter" units. Each workstation seat has one. These are little boxes into which you plug keyboard, mouse, monitor, and a couple of added USB gadgets if desired. The box in turn connects by USB 2.0 to the actual CPU unit. Those units are about 1x5x3 inches and will be stolen. Never mind that they are useless without the proper software and computer unit, they will still get stolen. So they have to be screwed down to the table somehow. The means for this are provided, but I've already learned that if we make hi tech gadgets hard to steal, they will be smashed instead to get even with us.
Anyway, off to bed now. Can't keep my eyes open any longer.
New computer equipment that we've been expecting since January finally arrived today. These are multiuser stations that cluster six keyboards and monitors around a single Linux CPU. Same software we've been using for six years now, but the hardware is new and from HP/Compaq (shiver.) It's going to pose many problems I fear, not the least of which is getting it installed. It came with what amounts to no documentation. A "quick start" booklet that has no words and only pictures in it, and is essentially worthless. A CD full of PDF files containing manuals, but no index to what's in which file and the files have names consisting just of a string of numbers followed by ".pdf". Good job, HP. Really useful.
This stuff was shipped in the first week of February from Canada and has apparently been languishing in customs ever since. You know, because the US has to open every box and inspect it a dozen times to make sure it doesn't contain "drugs."
My big worry right now is the "multiuser adapter" units. Each workstation seat has one. These are little boxes into which you plug keyboard, mouse, monitor, and a couple of added USB gadgets if desired. The box in turn connects by USB 2.0 to the actual CPU unit. Those units are about 1x5x3 inches and will be stolen. Never mind that they are useless without the proper software and computer unit, they will still get stolen. So they have to be screwed down to the table somehow. The means for this are provided, but I've already learned that if we make hi tech gadgets hard to steal, they will be smashed instead to get even with us.
Anyway, off to bed now. Can't keep my eyes open any longer.
