Something is wrong with my mouse

szboardstretcher · 03-18-2011, 11:28 AM

I am a computer and network technician.

I have read countless funny IT stories about silly customers or frankly stupid customers. Some I believe. Some I dont. And some, I've even endured myself.

Yesterday was one of those days.

I went over to help someone on a Macintosh. I don't know much about them. So, I called over a guy, a programmer on my team, to help.

I kind of figured, well, a programmer is a pretty smart person. Right? They know how to make computers do what they want. I was about to find out that this is not true for all programmers.

He grabbed the mouse and tried to move it up into the right hand corner of the screen. But the problem was, the mouse kept hitting the keyboard before it would get up there. He just kept looking around, completely dumbfounded.

Let me explain something.

If your mouse doesnt get all the way up to the top of the screen, because you ran out of room... you pick up the mouse, right? You move it back and press forward. You can have a 3 inch square mouse pad, and navigate a 60000" screen.

But this guy. A programmer. With an education. Nearly a PhD in fact. Does not know this. The idea escapes him.

Before I give up and walk away, Im pretty sure I heard him say "Something's wrong with your mouse. I think you need a bigger desk."

bsdunix · 03-18-2011, 11:48 AM

PEBKAC

Too funny! Thanks for the laugh.

Wellesly · 03-18-2011, 12:16 PM

Either he was joking, or he uses Ratpoison.

silvyus_06 · 03-19-2011, 10:00 AM

looool are you serious? even average Joe would figure that out :|

XavierP · 03-19-2011, 10:41 AM

Oddly enough I had a call that yellow wasn't working on a printer - this was in the '90s. I talked the person through checking the cartridges, asked them check their print settings and the document itself. Finally, out of desperation (because my chair was comfy and I didn't want to visit the user) I asked what colour the paper was. "Yellow" I was told.

What shocked me is that I had read of something very similar about a week before in a "Daily WTF" type story.

silvyus_06 · 03-19-2011, 11:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XavierP

Oddly enough I had a call that yellow wasn't working on a printer - this was in the '90s. I talked the person through checking the cartridges, asked them check their print settings and the document itself. Finally, out of desperation (because my chair was comfy and I didn't want to visit the user) I asked what colour the paper was. "Yellow" I was told.

What shocked me is that I had read of something very similar about a week before in a "Daily WTF" type story.

maann.... i can not even imagine that persons IQ

Slackyman · 03-19-2011, 11:14 AM

I'm not laughing at all.
Really.
Seriously.
PEBKAC is a reality sad enough to stop me laughing.
Computer Viruses, Internet Frauds, Phishing: I'm not saying their presence is justifiable, but surely who runs threats like those is eased by n00bs and lUsers.
Just stop kidding and make 'em pay our time.

SigTerm · 03-19-2011, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by szboardstretcher

But this guy. A programmer. With an education. Nearly a PhD in fact. Does not know this. The idea escapes him.

A good programmer doesn't use mouse often. Maybe he had a busy day or had a lot on his mind, was tired, etc. Everybody makes a blunder once in a while, you know.

silvyus_06 · 03-19-2011, 01:09 PM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Any_key

MTK358 · 03-19-2011, 07:03 PM

From http://www.rinkworks.com/stupid/cs_mice.shtml:

Quote:

My boss had recently learned how to use spreadsheet software. He proudly called me into his office to show me a new trick he'd learned. At one point during his demonstration he was moving his mouse toward himself, and it reached the edge of his desk. I watched in amazement as he deftly rolled his mouse around the edge of the desk and underneath.

I stifled my giggling and politely said, "You know, you don't need to do that with the mouse."

Whereupon he took offense and said, "I know. I usually grab a book and put it next to the desk and roll the mouse onto it, but I just can't reach my books right now."

I said, "Yeah, that's what I do," and excused myself before I broke a rib trying not to laugh.

frankbell · 03-19-2011, 11:31 PM

Having spent eight years wearing a headset, I find this completely believable.

98% of the callers were great.

They may have been ignorant, but ignorance can be cured. That's what tech support is for.

The rest, well, that's why God gave us Scotch Whisky.

H_TeXMeX_H · 03-20-2011, 04:13 AM

Lol, funny story, I'm sure it's true, because I've seen similar things.

Me, I've had plenty of experience with mice, since I've been a gamer for a very long time. I'm sure most gamers know how to tilt and flick the mouse to get it exactly in the right place for a headshot

silvyus_06 · 03-20-2011, 02:32 PM

Quote:

* Customer: "I had an important document that was password protected, and I can't get in it. I don't know the password."
* Tech Support: "Ok, we do have a program the get passwords from Word documents. Can you email me the document?"
* Customer: "No, it is very sensitive. That's why it was password protected. I won't even keep the file on the server. I keep it secure on a floppy."
* Tech Support: "It would be much safer if you kept it on the server. Floppies are easily corrupted. At least on the server it would be backed up each night."
* Customer: "That is exactly what I don't want to happen. For legal reasons, I don't want any copies of this file. I want you to come down here and get the password for me."
* Tech Support: "I'm not in the same office as you are, so I'll need to send someone there to your desk to help you out."
* Customer: "Have them call ahead first so I can get security here when they are work with the file."
* Tech Support: "Security? Sir, We sign a non-disclosure agreement, so that won't be necessary."
* Customer: "Yes, it will be necessary! This is a very important and sensitive document, and we don't want anyone touching it without some security."
* Tech Support: "Ok, that's fine. I'll let them know to bring the password software so they can get the password you forgot."
* Customer: "I didn't forget it!"
* Tech Support: "Excuse me?"
* Customer: "I didn't have to remember it."
* Tech Support: "What do you mean?"
* Customer: "The password was written on a yellow post-it note attached to the disk and must had fallen off. It has be somewhere on my desk, but there are so many papers here I can't find it!"

maaan are you serious

))))))))))))

Mr. Alex · 03-20-2011, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by silvyus_06

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Any_key

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hJXS0eCEKA

szboardstretcher · 03-21-2011, 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MTK358

From http://www.rinkworks.com/stupid/cs_mice.shtml:

Sounds like it isn't an isolated problem then.

I also read this in a dilbert strip years ago. Where the dogbert service said "Apparently you need to invest in my extra large mouse pads."