Bastard Operator from Hell II (Son of the Bastard) 125
| Bastard Operator from Hell II (Son of the Bastard) | |
| author | Simon Travaglia (Illus., J. D. "Illiad" Frazier) |
| pages | 152 |
| publisher | Plan Nine Publishing |
| rating | 9 |
| reviewer | Craig Maloney |
| ISBN | 1-929462-40-9 |
| summary | The continuing adventures of the Bastard Operator from Hell in paperback format, illustrated by User Friendly's J.D. "Illiad" Frazier. |
> DUMMY MODE ON <
If you've been around computers for a while, you've probably read the adventures of "The Bastard Operator from Hell" (or BOFH). Throughout the years, Simon Travaglia's version of the BOFH has become the canonical version with its witty and humorously sadistic vignettes. Bastard Operator from Hell II (Son of the Bastard) is a compilation of some of the more recent tales of treachery similar to the ones that appear at http://www.theregister.co.uk.
"Hello?"
If you've enjoyed reading any of the BOFH stories, you'll love this collection. The stories are written with the same overall style that has made the BOFH series so popular. Whether the BOFH is trying to revive his boss with PC parts (after showing his boss the bill for his new "work wear") or taking the reins of (horrors) management (where the managers have such exciting meetings such as trying to figure out whether to rent the plants for the building), Bastard Operator from Hell II delivers 37 fiendishly funny glimpses into the life of a truly evil operator. The stories themselves are only a few pages, so the casual reader can take in a few without much trouble. The truly voracious reader will look at this book as merely an appetizer. What it lacks in quantity it more than makes up for in quality. There are some real laugh-out-loud moments in this book which have to be read in context in order to appreciate them. Suffice to say, readers of this book won't be disappointed.
"It's a dog's life really..."
Plan Nine Publishing did a great job of laying out this book. The six illustrations "Illiad" illustrated are sprinkled in various sizes throughout the 151 pages of the book (with some repetition, but unless you're really picky it won't bother you too much). Speaking of nitpicks, a small table of contents would be helpful in locating choice stories quickly.
So, what's in it for me?
At $12.95, the book is a bit pricey for the amount of content. Fans of the BOFH series should not hesitate to get this latest installment. Those who don't feel the need yet should check out the older stories archived in various places on the net before pulling out their wallets. Once you've picked this book up, though, you'll want to read it cover to cover. You'll find it hard not to wish you were inflicting some of the bastardly acts yourself. Now where did I leave my clue-by-four ...?"
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BOFH At The Register (Score:5, Informative)
BOFH 2000 [theregister.co.uk]
Ancient BOFH [ntk.net]
BOFH Archive (Score:4, Informative)
If anyone is interested in reading the old BOFH posts, there is an archive [iinet.net.au] available.
Two thumbs up (Score:2, Informative)
I really enjoyed the first book, but it wasn't really meant to be read in one sitting; it was starting to get tedious towards the end. Having said that, if you don't have diarrhoea, then it's eminently dippable, and well worth keeping in the bathroom.
Buying the books (Score:5, Informative)
OctaneZ
BOfH Administrator
Re:Daily Excuses (Score:3, Informative)
It's good, but... (Score:3, Informative)
But there are a few critical points that should be made about the second book, and that can hopefully be avoided in the next installment:
- The PFY comes from nowhere. The stories that introduce him aren't included, so if you don't already read BOFH online, he appears rather abruptly.
- Illiad's illustrations are cute, but there are only about four of them, repeated over and over, which is a real shame.
- The price, as previously noted, seems a bit much for the quality of the paper, etc. used, but obviously, the market will bear (has borne) it.
As compared to the first BOFH book, you get a lot more BOFH vs. corporation (especially accountants) and less BOFH vs. users. Depending on your outlook, this may be a very positive thing or not.Re:BOFH Archive (Score:3, Informative)
Salmon Days (Score:5, Informative)
I think Salmon Days [salmondays.tv] is going to start running a BOFH-ish broadcast series.
If you haven't seen The Trailer [salmondays.tv] you're missing out.
All I can say is, "ROFLMAO!"
Re:make users suffer! (Score:3, Informative)
BOFH - 1st USENET posting ... (Score:3, Informative)
(You have to love the classics
pherris
Re:Sysadmins are sad (Score:2, Informative)
My first posting... (Score:4, Informative)
While here, I thought I would address a few points/questions brought up in the posts.
1) Order of the stories - I pulled the stories from Simon's web site in the order they were posted, so I had assumed they were in order. I'll read through both books tonight and double check.
2) BOfH in PDF - I am not a big believer in electronic versions of books. While I feel they have there place in the realm of college texts, people still want a tangible book to read. Besides, the book doesn't need batteries.
3) Price of BOfH - I would love to get the price down, but given the very small print runs, that is hard. As demand for the books increases, this will happen. The good news is that a fair chunk of the purchase price goes to Simon (he makes more than we do, which is how it should be)
All of Plan Nine's books are more expensive than the average "Dilbert" (of course I think our stufff's funnier, but I am biased), but I can't afford to print 250,000+ copies.
A side note, if you buy the Bastard Pack, you save $4.00.
4) Availability from Amazon - The book is available from Amazon, they just have to get their act together. Once upon a time, they used to allow publishers to upload title info directly. Now they only do that if you sign up for their "Advantage Program", which only is advantageous if you are Amazon. I personally don't have the money to make interest-free 60-day loans to multi-billion dollar companies.
Besides, when you buy direct from Plan Nine, the artist/author gets twice the royalty that they get if you buy from Amazon or a book store.
Thanks for supporting Simon and the other folk at Plan Nine.
David Allen
Publisher, CEO, Janitor
http://www.plan9.org
Re:BOFH - 1st USENET posting ... (Score:3, Informative)
Irregular Striped Bucket #1 [iinet.net.au]