Bastard Operator from Hell II (Son of the Bastard)

Sysadmins should at least pretend to be nice to their users, but we all can think of times when some of them aren't. Craig Maloney may not endorse cruelty to users, but he contributed the following review, which should amuse at the very least the bastards among you, and anyone who's chortled at previous Plan Nine books.

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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make users suffer!

[Anonymous Coward]

"Sysadmins should at least pretend to be nice to their users"

no! sysadmins should be allowed to crucify users that get out of line and then set the crosses on fire.

Re:Sysadmins are sad

[djweis]

System administration is a job for people that enjoy it, not one for people that enjoy feeling important. Even though we know that we are important, we let the programmers feel good about themselves, too.

It's a dirty job, but someone said I have to do it...

Re:.PDF

[Lendrick]

A .PDF would be all over the internet within days. They're better off printing a book.

Re:make users suffer!

[laserjet]

Exactly. And after you crucify the user and burn the cross, if you are a true BOFH, the other users will come and thank you, and ask if you can do the same for them. This, is a key element to Bastard-Operator-From-Hellness.

Re:.PDF

[Bonker]

The originals are already all over the internet. You're paying $12 for a bathroom reader and Illiad's art... although I much prefer Pete Abram's art to Illiad's.

Re:.PDF

[Larne]

You're also paying as a way of giving something back to Simon Travaglia (and Illiad) for entertaining you. And as a way to encourage them to create more. By releasing this stuff free on the net first he's clearly not expecting payment, but that's not the same thing as saying he doesn't deserve any.

It's the same with GNU software. It's great that it's (beer) free, but that's no reason not to give something to the FSF if you can and want to.

Don't really understand the BOFH thing...

[Jokkey]

I must admit that I don't really grasp the BOFH perspective. I figure that as a sysadmin, my job is to serve users; torturing them really doesn't seem to be part of the job description. Yeah, they can be pretty annoying at times, but I figure that's partly because being a computer expert isn't necessarily part of their jobs - any more than it's my job to know the ins and outs of accounting or financial aid or anything else that my users do.

And yes, I should probably just learn to take a joke. I was a bit curious, though, to learn if anyone else felt the same way...

Re:Don't really understand the BOFH thing...

[GTRacer]

I figure that as a sysadmin, my job is to serve users...

Well, yes, it is. Mine too. But that's not the allure. Where I work now, there are only a handful of people I have to support. The user/luser ration is pretty user-heavy.

BUT...at a previous posting, I worked with a lrger group with a lower average "computer IQ". There's only so much you can take before revenge fantasies pop to mind, and from there, jail.

BOFH is a release, much the way a quality FPS is a release. Only a brave few will actually emulate the BOFH. The rest will take solace in the fact that somewhere, some luser just got some more free disk space ;)

P.S. Where you work, does your HR insist on some level of computer experience before hiring? We just hired a data-entry person who had NEVER used a PC on her 55+ years on the planet: "Press the Tab key to enter your password." "The what key? Enter?" Aaargh!

GTRacer
- Glad to have moved on from support to analysis!