How Dumb Is That, Johnny?

[W3WN]

My firm, an insurance agent/broker, uses two software packages. One to manage our accounting and everything except our Benefits business, the other just for Benefits. (Why two is a long story and academic right now).

For the two systems to pass data back & forth, we run a Sync procedure several times a day. But, for the Sync to work, we need a license. Which requires an annual renewal. Doesn't cost us any $$, that's handled between the two vendors.

So, 5 weeks ago, we get the automated notice that it's renewal time. I put in the request via the website for the new license. Nothing comes. Rinse and repeat once a week for 5 weeks. Nada.

Sync fails yesterday due to license issue. Duh. Get ahold of the help desks at the two vendors and scream bloody murder. Tech from the one vendor that issues the license calls me back to take care of the issue.

Anybody want to guess WHY we never got the license file? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

OK, time's up:

The license file they're sending is actually an installation program. An executable. Yes, the dumb schmucks are EMAILING an .EXE FILE.

Which... I hope you're sitting down for this one... THEIR email system is blocking because THEIR email system will NOT permit anyone to email an executable file for safety & security reasons.

And the poor tech can't get his superiors to pay enough attention to this to FIX the problem.

Un. Fracking. Believable.

...yes, we're looking into a new vendor, that's not the only reason why, but it certainly doesn't help...

[WØTKX]

Good Grief, Charlie Brown.

But it's typical stupidity.

Rename the file is usually an easy way around it... and if that does not work there was plenty of time to send out a CD, since floppy drives don't exist anymore.

Epic Fail.

[n2ize]

Rename the file is usually an easy way around it... and if that does not work there was plenty of time to send out a CD, since floppy drives don't exist anymore.

Epic Fail.

They exist around here. Although they were no longer included on new systems when I bought mine I still had one put in because.,, at the time, I still had some things archived to 3.5 inch floppies. And one of my older decommissioned machines has both a 3.5 and a 5.25 inch floppy drives. So, in the event the need arises I could press that machine back into service and use it to read/write 5.25 inch floppies. Thus far that need has not arisen and it is highly improbable that that need will ever arise.

[n2ize]

My firm, an insurance agent/broker, uses two software packages. One to manage our accounting and everything except our Benefits business, the other just for Benefits. (Why two is a long story and academic right now).

For the two systems to pass data back & forth, we run a Sync procedure several times a day. But, for the Sync to work, we need a license. Which requires an annual renewal. Doesn't cost us any $$, that's handled between the two vendors.

So, 5 weeks ago, we get the automated notice that it's renewal time. I put in the request via the website for the new license. Nothing comes. Rinse and repeat once a week for 5 weeks. Nada.

Sync fails yesterday due to license issue. Duh. Get ahold of the help desks at the two vendors and scream bloody murder. Tech from the one vendor that issues the license calls me back to take care of the issue.

Anybody want to guess WHY we never got the license file? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

OK, time's up:

The license file they're sending is actually an installation program. An executable. Yes, the dumb schmucks are EMAILING an .EXE FILE.

Which... I hope you're sitting down for this one... THEIR email system is blocking because THEIR email system will NOT permit anyone to email an executable file for safety & security reasons.

And the poor tech can't get his superiors to pay enough attention to this to FIX the problem.

Un. Fracking. Believable.

...yes, we're looking into a new vendor, that's not the only reason why, but it certainly doesn't help...

That is bizzare. Incredible. A real example of short sighted inneficiency. They might as well send it out on CD's or on thumb drives. Or better yet, couldn't they just put it up on an FTP daemon and email you a pass code so you can just log in and download it ?

[NQ6U]

Or just put the damned thing into a ZIP file.

[W3WN]

That is bizzare. Incredible. A real example of short sighted inneficiency. They might as well send it out on CD's or on thumb drives. Or better yet, couldn't they just put it up on an FTP daemon and email you a pass code so you can just log in and download it ?That's what the tech can't get his supervisors (I refuse to call them "superiors") to realize. Or care about.

[N2CHX]

Or just put the damned thing into a ZIP file.

Better yet, make it available via FTP or HTTP and just email the link. Who the hell emails executables anymore?

[KC2UGV]

Who the hell uses proprietary sync tools... Pump and dump from one DB to another...

But yeah, just tar up that exe and send it out... Or, just post it up on an FTP site.

[W3WN]

Who the hell uses proprietary sync tools... Pump and dump from one DB to another...

But yeah, just tar up that exe and send it out... Or, just post it up on an FTP site.
Not so easy when the online system has to "talk" with multiple applications -- not just the software we use, but competitors as well.

I know. It sounds insane. Yet there it is.

Hell, our primary P&C package was originally written about 28 years ago... in dBase III. Today, they're allegedly rewriting it to move the from codebase from Visual Foxpro to .NET, yet the old DBF's survive. You think I'm complaining? It's because I know how to read and manipulate dBase that I got this job!

[W3WN]

Better yet, make it available via FTP or HTTP and just email the link. Who the hell emails executables anymore?The idiots that I'm dealing with.