Fired for not being qualified to administer Linux

[darklemming54]

link (http://www.thisweeknews.com/?sec=home&story=sites/twn/content/pool/exclusives/051107-News-Bexley.html)

This is pretty ridiculous IMO. They didn't even give it a chance.

[saxofoner]

Well, I'm a student, and I was suspended for a day for installing Ubuntu on a school computer.

:KS

[tehkain]

For one he wasn't fired for recommending linux. He was let go because he was found to be unable to support their new setup. He is under qualified for their new linux system. They will be adopting linux and they will be dumping Windows ME. He is mad because he was the one who recommended linux, they researched it and decided to go with linux but also concluded that he wasn't capable to handle it.

[yoasif]

misleading post.

he was fired because he didn't have degrees that they suddenly decided he needed, and possibly as scapegoating for lack of funds.

[maniacmusician]

While I think the OP missed the point of that article, it's true that most schools dont seriously consider.

My school has been much more flexible in that department. They allowed me to take a fairly modern computer from the computer lab and install linux on it. After a few months, I also persudaed the tech board to consider a LTSP setup for our labs, and they're seriously deliberating it. It would certainly save them a lot of money, and the hassle of dealing with Vista when XP is discontinued.

[weblordpepe]

Burn!!!
But suspended for putting Ubuntu on a school computer? Krikey. Well I can understand messing with school computers. However they need to be explicit on what you can & can't do.

I got banned from school computers for clicking on the Start menu. Aparently I was only meant to click on shortcuts in a open window that was rigged to the startup folder.

When I clicked on the start menu to see what apps the computer had (I was in the library, go figure) it made some hard drive buzz in the librarian's office that she hadn't seen buzz before and she freaked.

Idiots in control turn us all into idiots. If there's one thing I really don't like...its when I am repremanded or held back because of ignorance on someone else's part.

And dont even get me started on the number of times I've been accused of 'hacking' by opening windows telnet or the command prompt to do stuff.

[some_random_noob]

Suspended? Ha! On my course I installed Linux. On the same afternoon my tutor changed settings (boot.ini and also CMOS) and tampered with everyones hardware to make Windows and the computer unbootable (it was a test sorta thing) He said he was tempted to delete Ubuntu off my computer, but apparently he wasn't able to remove it because of the GRUB boot loader or some ****. LOL. Owned.

I felt like such a smartass, as everyone in my class has this anti-linux attitude (they've never used it and feel threatened by the existence of an OS they've never used) So it was pretty funny installing it there on my course, mostly to **** people off, aside from that there was really no point in installing it :lolflag:

[weblordpepe]

Yeah the anti-linux thing is mostly fear of the unknown.
Silly really since there are many self-proclaimed 'geeks' or 'tech enthusiasts' who have never gone near a Linux distrobution.

Every day my Linux machine sits on my desk. Not really doing much except looking cool. And having a BSOD screensaver.

[starcraft.man]

Well, I'm a student, and I was suspended for a day for installing Ubuntu on a school computer.

:KS

LOL, well that I can't blame. I assume that was a public PC and not your personal computer, its the schools property... would you install ubuntu on your bosses' PC at work without asking him?

As for the original link, doesn't really fit with the title like the others said. Guy was a windows person, and suggested linux, should have known better >.>.

[MontanaMax]

misleading post.

he was fired because he didn't have degrees that they suddenly decided he needed, and possibly as scapegoating for lack of funds.

Sounds to me like he was fired for not having developed and maintained his customers (the teachers) and his boss' confidence in his ability to deliver what they felt they needed. Just the wording where he was quoted has a very superior "I told you so" attitude that obviously didn't sit well with those who had him removed.

Just like with doctors - if you don't have a good bedside manner you will get left behind or sued by your patients. Doesn't matter how technically skilled you are - if you can't get along with the people who are counting on you, they will eventually realize that they should replace you with someone who can do the job and be sincerely helpful at the same time.

[yoasif]

Sounds to me like he was fired for not having developed and maintained his customers (the teachers) and his boss' confidence in his ability to deliver what they felt they needed. Just the wording where he was quoted has a very superior "I told you so" attitude that obviously didn't sit well with those who had him removed.

Just like with doctors - if you don't have a good bedside manner you will get left behind or sued by your patients. Doesn't matter how technically skilled you are - if you can't get along with the people who are counting on you, they will eventually realize that they should replace you with someone who can do the job and be sincerely helpful at the same time.sounds like the problems that OSS advocates often have -- diplomacy and public relations.

also, it reminds me of house md (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_(TV_series)).

personally, i think it's utter ******** to fire someone who was doing their job just fine.

[aysiu]

I've retitled the thread to not be as misleading. If anyone thinks the new title could even use some tweaking, let me know.

[Tundro Walker]

Time and Money (which Time can usually be converted to, also). Always have to translate anything you want a company, a school, etc to convert over to into those 2 values. You can argue until you're blue in the face over how much better security will be, it'll be easier to maintain, etc, etc, but whether that's tangible or intangible facts, if you translate it into time and money, it basically speaks for itself.

"Why should we convert to Linux?"

"Because it's more stable, more secure, easier to maintain."

"Yeah, yeah, Johnson, I've heard that before...."

"Because, it'll save us $1.5 million per year in IT costs having to maintain servers and software licenses."

"What?! Really? Is that for the whole company or just your department? How hard would it be to implement this? How soon could we do it? Is there some kind of contract involved? What about our current contracts with (insert names)?"

(...now that the numbers have gotten your foot in the door, you better be able to answer the next questions pretty quick, too, because you know they're going to ask them.)

[samjh]

Sounds like he was fired for:
1. Not being able to deliver results
2. Not being able to convince bosses to get the things he needed to do his job
3. Not being able to update and expand his qualifications to maintain future infrastructure.

Mostly his fault, now just crying because of bitterness.

As for those who are tempted to install Linux on any computers at work, school, etc.: get permission first. There are few things worse for an administrator than a wannabe computer expert installing whatever the heck they want on computers that are not their own. Computers in public or in non-tech organisations tend to be configured for computer illiterate users. If you consider yourself more knowledgeable then that, you'll need to earn the recognition, instead of sticking out your neck.

[sloggerkhan]

What I wonder is if an MIS degree will help. At my University, MIS is part of the Business school and synonymous with "Microsoft Only" (Ontop of the "lazy retard" only associated with Business majors anyway). So it seems kinda funny that they'd think it be needed if the really are switching their infrastructure to linux like this admin supposedly got them to do.

[samjh]

What I wonder is if an MIS degree will help. At my University, MIS is part of the Business school and synonymous with "Microsoft Only" (Ontop of the "lazy retard" only associated with Business majors anyway). So it seems kinda funny that they'd think it be needed if the really are switching their infrastructure to linux like this admin supposedly got them to do.

"Microsoft Only" perception is only because Microsoft is the dominant platform in pretty much every market, including business. The only possible exception are web servers. If you had to design a 3 or 4 year degree on information systems to make your graduates employable, choosing a curriculum emphasising Microsoft technologies makes sense.

MIS is generally a degree for those who deal with IT infrastructure at strategic, rather than operational, level. It also has heavy emphasis on database design, which is not really affected by operation system choice.

Don't judge degrees based on uni folklore. I used to believe them myself, until I graduated and got a job. It was then I realised most of the uni folklore about "lazy retard" degrees, etc., are just nonsense. You'll probably end up working for a business graduate, and a business degree teaches many more useful skills (communication skills, how to market and sell, how to deal with budgets and finance, how to negotiate, management skills, business sense, basic legal knowledge, etc.) for real-world jobs than a purely technical degree like CS or IT.



<- computer grad working in corporate marketing.