From: sunley@csuvax1.csu.murdoch.edu.au (Ralph Sunley)

Subject: A Poem for All Seasons

Date: 24 Oct 1994 14:21:13 GMT

Here is a little poem I found at work today - I'm sure you'll
all enjoy it.

--


Twas the night before implementation and all through the house
not a program was working, not even a browse.
The programmers hung round their tubes in despair
with hopes that a miracle soon would be there.

The users were nestled all snug in their beds
while visions of inquiries danced in their heads.
When out of the cpe there arose such a clatter
I sprang from my desk to see what was the matter.

And what to my wandering eyes should appear
but a super programmer with a six pack of beer.
His resume glowed with experience so rare
he turned out great code with a bit-pushers flair.

More rapid than eagles, his programs they came -
he whistled and shouted and called them by name;
On update, on add, on inquire, on delete,
on batch jobs, on closing, on functions complete.

His eyes were glazed over, fingers nimble and lean
from weekends and nights spent in front of a screen.
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head
soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word but went straight to his work
turning specs into code; then he turned with a jerk
and laying his finger upon the enter key,
the system came up and worked perfectly.

The updates updated, the deletes they deleted,
the inquiries inquired, the closing completed.
He tested each whistle, he tested each bell,
and with nary an abend, all had gone well.

The system was finished, the tests were concluded,
the clients' last changes were even included.
And the user exclaimed with a snarl and a taunt,
"It's just what I asked for but not what I want."

- Author unknown.


--
Ralph Sunley         |  "The Path of Excess leads to
Commerce Department  |      the Tower of Wisdom"
Murdoch Uni Perth WA | - W. Blake : Enigma MCMXC a.d.
       >>>sunley@csuvax1.murdoch.edu.au<<<



Jesper Nilsson // dat92jni@ludat.lth.se or jesper@df.lth.se