The "we got a problem" trope.
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S: But we still have problems on that display
Me: Again? I tested it pretty thoroughly.
S: Looks like the select window is not refreshing the data.
Me: Under what conditions? I definitely tested that. Search button, on open, etc.
S: I'm testing the fix now.
Me: You fixed it?
S: No, the fix from you.
Me (sighs) : If you can give me a detailed description of the problem, I'll take a look at it when I get a chance.
S: Let's talk to R to see if he sees the same problem
... WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?
This is from the same guy that only types "[my name]" and waits until I say Yes to say anything at all. Gives me half a sentence and expects me to type Yes again for him to continue. It's like a real life version of "press space to continue".
Sorry, had to get this off my chest.
This guy stalled me for 2 hours yesterday for something he could have explained in one post.
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My standard response to this is, "'X doesn't work' is the least useful phrase in the history of error reporting. Please tell me what you're trying to do and what is happening instead. With that, I can actually figure out the problem."
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@masonwheeler This is a guy on my team, reviewing my work.
So, balancing being nice and telling someone to stop beating the bush is complicated.
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@xaade said in The "we got a problem" trope.:
This is from the same guy that only types "[my name]" and waits until I say Yes to say anything at all. Gives me half a sentence and expects me to type Yes again for him to continue. It's like a real life version of "press space to continue".
That's easy to fix (the follow ups).
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@xaade said in The "we got a problem" trope.:
This is from the same guy that only types "[my name]" and waits until I say Yes to say anything at all. Gives me half a sentence and expects me to type Yes again for him to continue. It's like a real life version of "press space to continue".
I hate people who do this. It makes me hate instant messaging software like Lync
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there's a shell utility 'yes' that will help you here. It just prints "yes\n" in a loop forever.
Does lync have an Api for this kind of thing?
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@AyGeePlus said in The "we got a problem" trope.:
It just prints "yes\n" in a loop forever.
http://thatwritingthing.com/wp-content/uploads/scene03871.jpg
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@Yamikuronue fuck yeah Jojo!
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@AyGeePlus said in The "we got a problem" trope.:
there's a shell utility 'yes' that will help you here. It just prints "yes\n" in a loop forever.
Liar!
ben@australium:~$ yes | head y y y y y y y y y y ben@australium:~$
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@fbmac said in The "we got a problem" trope.:
I hate people who do this. It makes me hate instant messaging software like Lync
When I'm IM'ing a coworker, I'll generally just lead with "hello" and wait for them to respond. This way, if they're AFK for an extended period, I don't waste time typing up all the details of what it is I'm going to them for help about, when I could be talking to someone more responsive instead.
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@masonwheeler said in The "we got a problem" trope.:
@fbmac said in The "we got a problem" trope.:
I hate people who do this. It makes me hate instant messaging software like Lync
When I'm IM'ing a coworker, I'll generally just lead with "hello" and wait for them to respond. This way, if they're AFK for an extended period, I don't waste time typing up all the details of what it is I'm going to them for help about, when I could be talking to someone more responsive instead.
Easy: Just type of everything you want to say to describe your inquiry, then start a group chat with all the people who may be responsive. Those who aren't responsive can chime in later if necessary, those who don't care will just close the window anyway, and those who are responsive will reply immediately.
Stop implementing IRL TCP!
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Except I do not prioritize "hello".
If I see a "hello" or my name with a question mark... that gets on the bottom of my list of things to respond to. Obviously the person wants to waste my time to save theirs. And I risk dealing with someone like the above, where I'm only going to get 5 words at a time.
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Whenever I IM a coworker I start with "ASL?"
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@xaade said in The "we got a problem" trope.:
Except I do not prioritize "hello".
If I see a "hello" or my name with a question mark... that gets on the bottom of my list of things to respond to. Obviously the person wants to waste my time to save theirs. And I risk dealing with someone like the above, where I'm only going to get 5 words at a time.Exactly. Case in point, here's a (redacted) convo I had with the busy DBAs that started and concluded within one minute:
: Are there any known performance issues in the sql server QQ8VSQL4\SQLDVL2 right now? I'm trying to batch insert stuff into the Document_Stores database and it's exceptionally slow...
: Not that i'm aware. We have a production issue going on right now but i'll take a look when i get a chance.
Though there are times when I post a relevant question to someone who is busy:
And the information is sufficient that I don't have to be present for when they finally respond. Additionally, it generates a free email if they don't respond within 5 minutes or so automatically, how nice, two birds and all that!
Also, I'll leave this here:
Sometimes saying more is saying less...
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@ben_lubar bah humbug.
yes | sed 's/./yes/'
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@xaade said in The "we got a problem" trope.:
the same guy that only types "[my name]" and waits until I say Yes to say anything at all.
In my experience, this is usually in the hope you'll answer and then be unable to politely ignore their actual question. In most cases I just ignore the initial "Hi [name]" instead.
Of course then there is also the co-worker who will be heavily insulted if you don't spend at least 5 minutes on social chat before engaging work stuff if you need him in the morning.
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@AyGeePlus said in The "we got a problem" trope.:
@ben_lubar bah humbug.
yes | sed 's/./yes/'yes yes
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@ben_lubar said in The "we got a problem" trope.:
ben@australium:~$
The name of your server sounds like the name that Mozilla gave their shit-tastic new UI for Firefox. It's triggering me. I demand you change it.
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@Lorne-Kates said in The "we got a problem" trope.:
@ben_lubar said in The "we got a problem" trope.:
ben@australium:~$
The name of your server sounds like the name that Mozilla gave their shit-tastic new UI for Firefox. It's triggering me. I demand you change it.
It's the name of element 79 in TF2.
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@masonwheeler said in The "we got a problem" trope.:
@fbmac said in The "we got a problem" trope.:
I hate people who do this. It makes me hate instant messaging software like Lync
When I'm IM'ing a coworker, I'll generally just lead with "hello" and wait for them to respond. This way, if they're AFK for an extended period, I don't waste time typing up all the details of what it is I'm going to them for help about, when I could be talking to someone more responsive instead.
I usually do "Hey you there" or something. If it's urgent I do more of "Hey - we've got an issue".
I then explain the entire problem when they respond... none of this press "Yes" to continue crap :)
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@sloosecannon said in The "we got a problem" trope.:
I usually do "Hey you there" or something. If it's urgent I do more of "Hey - we've got an issue".
I then explain the entire problem when they respond... none of this press "Yes" to continue crap :)
Yes, exactly.
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@masonwheeler said in The "we got a problem" trope.:
@sloosecannon said in The "we got a problem" trope.:
I usually do "Hey you there" or something. If it's urgent I do more of "Hey - we've got an issue".
I then explain the entire problem when they respond... none of this press "Yes" to continue crap :)
Yes, exactly.
And if they're a software dev I say "Ping!"
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@AyGeePlus
Yes
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@sloosecannon said in The "we got a problem" trope.:
And if they're a software dev I say "Ping!"
Pong!
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It is just a matter of politeness, a matter of initialising the communication protocol with a proper handshake. Classic example:
#99060 +(31502)- [X]
t0rbad> so there i was in this hallway right
BlackAdder> i believe i speak for all of us when i say...
BlackAdder> WRONG BTICH
BlackAdder> IM SICK OF YOU
BlackAdder> AND YOUR LAME STORIES
BlackAdder> NOBODY HERE THINKS YOURE FUNNY
BlackAdder> NOBODY HERE WANTS TO HEAR YOUR STORIES
BlackAdder> IN FACT
BlackAdder> IF YOU DIED RIGHT NOW
BlackAdder> I DON"T THINK NOBODY WOULD CARE
BlackAdder> SO WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THAT FAG
*** t0rbad sets mode: +b BlackAdder*!@.*
*** BlackAdder has been kicked my t0rbad ( )
t0rbad> so there i was in this hallway right
CRCError> right
heartless> Right.
r3v> right
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@dcon said in The "we got a problem" trope.:
Pong!
Ron! Pinfu dora dora rinshan kaihou!
All your points are belong to me!
Filed under: Mahjong
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@fbmac said in The "we got a problem" trope.:
I hate people who do this.
Do you hate them as much as you hate people who ask you permission to ask you a question?
JUST ASK THE B•••••MING QUESTION!
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@masonwheeler said in The "we got a problem" trope.:
My standard response to this is, "'X doesn't work' is the least useful phrase in the history of error reporting. Please tell me what you're trying to do and what is happening instead. With that, I can actually figure out the problem."
Some people manage to find that kind of statement offensive. I have resorted to something like "please send me a screenshot showing the {exact error message,incorrect behavior,etc} so I can find the problem faster."
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@ben_lubar said in The "we got a problem" trope.:
Liar!
...or until something kills it. Try it again without the pipe and let us know when it stops.
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@AyGeePlus said in The "we got a problem" trope.:
bah humbug.
yes | sed 's/./yes/'Been a while, but won't
yes yeswork?
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hello?
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@Tsaukpaetra knock knock
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@fbmac said in The "we got a problem" trope.:
@Tsaukpaetra knock knock
That's not the next line of the song!
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@fbmac said in The "we got a problem" trope.:
hello?
Hello, hello
Are you out there?
M.O.D. are you out there?
I can't see your face
But you left a trace on a data back-road
That I almost erased
Not even God takes this long to get back
So get back
'Cause I hit a fork in the road
I lost my way home
I'm cut off from out main line
Like a disconnected modemHello
Tap in the code
I'll reach you below
No one should brave the underworld alone
Hello, hello, hello
How do I reach you?Word has it on the wire
That you don't who you are
Well if you could jack into my brain
You'd know exactly what you mean here
Mothers are trails on stars in the night
Fathers are black holes that suck up the light
That's the memory I filed on the fringe
Along with the memory of the pain you lived in
HelloI don't have the password
But the path is chainlinked
So if you've got the time
Set up the tone to sync
Tap in the code
I'll reach you belowHello, hello
Are you out there?
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Where I work, all such questions are described as being "quick."
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@AyGeePlus said in The "we got a problem" trope.:
there's a shell utility 'yes' that will help you here. It just prints "yes\n" in a loop forever.
Does lync have an Api for this kind of thing?
No, but Homer Simpson made something like this.
My company currently has a client who gives us his stream of consciousness over the course of a few minutes by email to describe a problem. So you'll find yourself with an email thread like:
10:14 - Problem
Hi! I have a problem with X. When I do this, it does [foo] when it should do [bar].
Cheers,
Mark10:17 - Re: Problem
Oh, btw, when it does [bar] I should mention this is using just my account. On Molly's account it does [foo].
Cheers,
Mark10:21 - Re: Problem
Also, it used to do [foo] on mine last week.
Cheers,
Mark10:23 - Re: Problem
Actually it might have been two weeks ago.
Cheers,
Mark10:27 - Re: Problem
I should also let you know that when it does [bar] it also does [baz] in this other section of the app.
Cheers,
Mark10:30 - Re: Problem
I just tried this once more just to see if it is consistent. It is always doing [bar], and not [foo].
Cheers,
Mark10:32 - Re: Problem
I just spoke to Molly. She told me that it's actually doing [bar] on her account now, not [foo] as we expect.
Cheers,
Mark
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@The_Quiet_One sounds like my emails. I usually click submit without enough thinking
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@PleegWat said in The "we got a problem" trope.:
co-worker who will be heavily insulted if you don't spend at least 5 minutes on social chat before engaging work stuff if you need him in the morning.
I hate all that.
Hi Jaloopa
Hi
Good weekend?
You don't give a shit, you're coming to me because you need my help. Let me know what you want and we can talk shit afterwards if we actually get on.This is, of course, why I was apparently considered spiky and unapproachable by certain coworkers
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@FrostCat said in The "we got a problem" trope.:
Some people manage to find that kind of statement offensive.
And I find people who don't like to learn and improve themselves offensive.
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@dkf said in The "we got a problem" trope.:
@fbmac said in The "we got a problem" trope.:
I hate people who do this.
Do you hate them as much as you hate people who ask you permission to ask you a question?
JUST ASK THE B•••••MING QUESTION!
Date: my time in an American university
Scene: a room in the Student Union building full of pool tables, pinball machines, and arcade video game kiosks./me brings a new pool stick, bought the previous evening.
Friend: Hey cool. May I ask how much it cost?
/me: Yes.
(Pause)
Friend: ...
(Pause)
Friend: How much did it cost?
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@Jaloopa said in The "we got a problem" trope.:
@PleegWat said in The "we got a problem" trope.:
co-worker who will be heavily insulted if you don't spend at least 5 minutes on social chat before engaging work stuff if you need him in the morning.
I hate all that.
Hi Jaloopa
Hi
Good weekend?
You don't give a shit, you're coming to me because you need my help. Let me know what you want and we can talk shit afterwards if we actually get on.This is, of course, why I was apparently considered spiky and unapproachable by certain coworkers
Been there, done that, quite happy to not be working there anymore.
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@Jaloopa said in The "we got a problem" trope.:
@PleegWat said in The "we got a problem" trope.:
co-worker who will be heavily insulted if you don't spend at least 5 minutes on social chat before engaging work stuff if you need him in the morning.
I hate all that.
Hi Jaloopa
Hi
Good weekend?
You don't give a shit, you're coming to me because you need my help. Let me know what you want and we can talk shit afterwards if we actually get on.This is, of course, why I was apparently considered spiky and unapproachable by certain coworkers
Well, I've only got one co-worker like that, and we share a room, so we usually get it covered in the 10 minutes between me turning my PC on and thunderbird being ready for use.
It's only annoying on the 2 days per week he's working from home.
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@PleegWat I don't mind so much if it's talking in person. I guess I mainly see work IM as a way of discussing work
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@Jaloopa Same here. It's also easier to convey urgency or disinterest in person.
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@r10pez10 said in The "we got a problem" trope.:
Hmmm, timecube?
Filed under: All hail harmonic cube!
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@FrostCat said in The "we got a problem" trope.:
@masonwheeler said in The "we got a problem" trope.:
My standard response to this is, "'X doesn't work' is the least useful phrase in the history of error reporting. Please tell me what you're trying to do and what is happening instead. With that, I can actually figure out the problem."
Some people manage to find that kind of statement offensive. I have resorted to something like "please send me a screenshot showing the {exact error message,incorrect behavior,etc} so I can find the problem faster."
That's a race condition.
It's similar to trying to find a scientific name for retardation. Eventually it will be used to make fun of people, and the sensitive types will demand you find a new word.
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@PleegWat said in The "we got a problem" trope.:
It's only annoying on the 2 days per week he's working from home.
Because, you're talking in person. People generally at least try to catch you in a downtime to ask questions, or you get some kind of warning that it will be a minute.
When it's IM, I'm assaulted constantly throughout the day with these messages. If I were to stop and answer each one immediately, I wouldn't get anything done. So, I really don't appreciate 20 messages, when you can send just one and explain the problem.
If people do that, I'll generally type a simple response to indicate that I've started looking at it.
"Looking into it."
If I haven't started it, I don't respond.
This is a very effective and efficient method of communicating issues to someone who is already full time working on new features.
If I was working in a maintenance only capacity, I'd entertain these assaults in a more open door manner.
