conversation with IT guy:

[deird1]

IT guy: "Hi, what can I do for you?"

Me: "Yeah, hi. My browser needs to be upgraded."

IT guy: "Huh? What do you mean?"

Me: "My... browser? It... um... needs upgrading. I need a better browser."

IT guy: "Really? Why?"

Me: "Because this one is old and doesn't work?" *is getting confused*

IT guy: "Oh, so you want a new one?"

Me: "Yes please! ...any chance I could get Firefox instead of Internet Explorer?"

IT guy: "Hmm. I'll have to get approval from your manager."



So...
1) Why else would I want a new browser? ("Because I'm trying to collect all ten so I can win a prize!" ???)
2) You're working in IT, and you don't know what I mean by "upgrading a browser"? Really?
3) My manager has to approve me using Firefox? WTF?


These people confuse me.

Comments

[velvetwhip]

Oh my word...

And yes, it's scary that the IT guy is unfamiliar with the concept of upgrading a browser.


Gabrielle

[juliet316]

Oh wow. Way to fail IT guy.

[watchingtheaeroplanes.blogspot.com]

Technically, going from IE to Firefox is migrating, rather than upgrading (although it's certainly an upgrade in the sense of being an improvement) — but your IT guy should have known what you meant anyway and appears to be quite a twit.

Also, WTF re needing your manager's approval. If you have your own computer at work, I'd have hoped they'd let you just download Firefox yourself.

[klme.livejournal.com]

I seem to reply just left of topic to a lot of your entries, but...

Today I rang the jewellers:
K: I'm calling about a ring I'm having repaired, just wanting to check if it's ready?
J: Sorry...you're what?
K: Um, I'm calling about a ring I'm having repaired, just wanting to check if it's ready?
J: You don't know that?
K: ???
J: You want to check it?
K: I want to know if my ring is ready!?
J: Um, did you bring it here? And do you have a docket?
K: Yes, I just want to know if it's ready!!
J: I don't know about it. Um, I can call you back? What is the problem?
K: I'M CALLING ABOUT A RING I'M HAVING REPAIRED!! JUST WANT TO CHECK IF IT'S READY!!
J: Oh right. OK. I think so. I can call you back. We're probably repairing it...

Eventually called back later and spoke to someone else. Ring will be ready tomorrow.

I commiserate with you in your phone dealings...

[slaymesoftly]

Oddly enough, I do understand that conversation. If you work somewhere like I do, where there is system-wide consistency and upgrades are made on all machines at one time. I work for a school system. The entire network is run in exactly the same fashion and uses exactly the same programs and versions of programs. (for the machines used on the education side - admin machines are a little different). There are very strict controls on what sites can be visited, etc. Included in those restrictions is that we only have one browser (Explorer). Users cannot add, change, or otherwise mess with either the browser being used or anything else. Like an upgrade to Google Earth, for instance, which is always being offered by Google, but would, I'm sure, set off sirens and screaming if anyone tried to do it. So, the IT guy's confusion may have been because you are on a system that uses only one browser and only gets updated when the whole system is updated. Obviously, if he can ask your manager for permission to give you a different one, yours is a bit more flexible than what we have. But, I'd guess that's what's going on. Having users ask for something not part of the regular network probably doesn't happen very often.

ETA: re something someone said above: Work computers belong to the company/organization, not to the users. Hence, lack of independence in choosing things. The organization gets to decide those things in most cases.

[bruttimabuoni]

I'd be fired for using Firefox at work. No joke. Central control and systems standardisation is all.

[padawanspider.livejournal.com]

Heh. I can understand the manager approval because of security concerns (for instance, at Black&Decker we weren't supposed to use any external media with the machines - no USB drives, no cds, no nothing) but the rest of that is kind of sad.

Although the IT person might have been so stunned at the mostly proper use of the term "upgrade" that he didn't know what to do for a second.