Conference 7.286::digital

    Language is cheapened for many reasons. One reason is to confuse, which
    is maddening since the only way we have to communicate is through
    language. Another reason is to create a false sense of increased
    professionalism or competence. The prime guilty party here is
    education. Thus, "classroom" becomes "positive enhanced learning
    environment," and "rotten kid" becomes "student experiencing negative
    peer-self actualization."
    
    Organizational name changes that serve no discernable purpose commonly
    occur during times of uncertainty, when people who are worrying about
    their jobs hope that a change in appearance will somehow be mistaken
    for a change in performance.
    
    kbs
    
    

    
    Reminds me of a book I read about 10 years back. "Winning Images" was
    the title. The premise of it was " What's in a name?....Everything!".
    
    Corporations spend millions on names in the hope it will improve an
    image. Groups do the same, but on a smaller scale. 
    
    In the end, it's all smoke 'n mirrors. They can run but they can't
    hide.
    
    Neil
    

    "a name by any other rose just smell as good"

    by shakspehere.

    i always wanted the chance to use that quote .

    \bye
    \nasser

    Here, now.  No need to get upset.  Part of reorganization (which
    nowadays is A Good Thing To Do) is to rename the organizations.  In
    fact, sometimes that's ALL you need to do to reorganize ...  ;^)
    
    Steve

    We change the name to protect the guilty.

    My favorite discussion topic with "HRO" people:
    The change from "Personnel" Rep, Dept.. to "HRO" isn't that innocent:
    "Personnel" kind a contained "Person, personality"......
     (usually something you can't manage)
    
    "Human Resources" sounds like "Another resource that incidently
    (unfortunately ?) happens to be human.
    (resources are easy to mange)
    
    This is why I am happy that there still are a few "HRO" reps left who
    forgot or ignore the change...
    
    As our U.S collegues use to say:"Your milage may vary"
    /fred
                                 
    

    BTW:
    Can someone update me on military terminology ?
    Do anti-personnel mines, etc still exist or have they changed as
    well to anti-human resources mines, etc.
    Just curious,
    Fred

re .-1

I expect so.  The military crowd are one of the major exponents
of confusing nomenclature ("collateral damage", etc).

Although to pick up on your actual example, no, they wouldn't
have "anti-human-resource-mines".   That makes it far too
obvious that someone's getting killed by them!

    This is indeed a maddening subject.  As if we don't have enough
    to do just to keep up with the latest and greatest new product
    acronyms, every time a new bozo takes over an organization he/she
    almost feels compelled to change the organization's name/acronym.
    My favorite is the Field order management group...  Only a short
    time back they were CAS (Customer Administrative Services).  Then
    someone got the brainstorm that they should be called OMS (order
    management services).  NOW they've changed to Logistics (whatever)
    just to keep us further confused.  Not only did they manage to 
    change their name again, but it's now redundant with the Customer
    Services (formerly Field Service!!!!) parts organization.  Don't 
    ya just wish Bob Palmer would say "STOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"?

    
    I saw a name recently that I *really* liked.  No BS, straightforward.
    
    The company is called 'Phil's Pretty Good Software'.
    
    Glenn

>                     <<< Note 2414.9 by MSDOA::JENNINGS >>>
>                -< What Would They Like To Be Called TOMORROW? >-
    
>    change their name again, but it's now redundant with the Customer
>    Services (formerly Field Service!!!!) parts organization.  Don't 

    Tsk, tsk, tsk. Everyone knows it's called "MULTI-VENDOR Customer
    Services!"

    At least that's what they're calling it today.

    -=- Paul

    re:.11
    
    Let's get the name right.......Multivendor (small v no hyphen) Customer
    Service........ . .
                    \ /  
    
    ( as told too me by the MCS  Business manager last week when I also
    made the same mistake)  
    
    FWIW (smile)
    

    I've called that group Field Service for years and will continue to.
    When I do people know what group I'm talking about. MCS? I doubt it,
    and when they do someone will change it again.
    
    Jim C.
    

    Used to be a 'Warehouser.' Now a 'Logistics Associate.' Still have
    to drive a forklift every day. Go figure.

How do these name changes cause increased customer satisfaction?
What customers asked for them?
Who has committed to how much extra profit because of them?
Is this what "The New Digital" means?

ditto for the new logo.

Customers laugh when they hear that Digital has renamed something so simple and
honest as "Field Service" to a term that no-one will remember or understand and
is as meaningless as "Customer Services" or "Multivendor Customer Services". 
For a while, I tried to refer to Field Service as Customer Services but I got
blank stares until I said Field Service.

These stupid names hurt our credibility with customers.

Paul

George Carlin did a routine about names of things changing.
He pointed out that the new names usually had more sylables that
the old name, and that this was to REMOVE meaning from the words...

He had an example that I can't remember most of that started
with WWI soldiers being 'shell shocked', I've forgotten
what it was in WWII and Korea, but by the time Vietnam rolled
around, it wa Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome...

    Speaking of names, who names the systems that us in
    field/customer/mult*ender service have to determine what the
    product are. Example PM36B = a decstation 5000/240 a PCW10 is a
    PC433 workstation and so on. This does make things a little
    confusing for us and the customer. Like someone said earlier
    call it what it is.

Another chameleon (sp) product.... this week it is called PathWorks, before
that it was 1 or two other names... LANworks...?!?!

    Whats worse is when someone give a presentation or meeting using the
    accronyms for theses new names, and never bothers to tell us (who don't
    carry the latest version of the digital dictionary in our head) what
    the heck they are talking about.  It seems as it is just another way
    that they think they are superior to us!  
    
    The names have changed only to protect the incompetant! :-)
    
    - Mike

>Example PM36B = a decstation 5000/240 a PCW10 is a
>PC433 workstation and so on. This does make things a little
>confusing for us and the customer
    
    I think the problem there is that a 'thing' needs a name of sorts
    almost as soon as you start working on it - that's when the
    'part name' or 'part number' (the PM36B one) gets assigned.
    
    Much later on, product management or marketing figure out where
    they want to position it in the product set, and come up
    with the name by which it's known to the real world.
    
    Also, consider that 'things' as manufactured are not the
    same as 'things' that are sold.  Example, you could
    have a mythical FOO32 system unit being sold in
    the "DEC 1234567/12345" configuration and the "DEC 1234567/12346"
    configurations.  Manufacturing still only builds
    one sort of FOO32 box.
    

>   <<< Note 2414.19 by CSOADM::ROTH "ELVIS:: is alive... and reachable!!" >>>
>
>Another chameleon (sp) product.... this week it is called PathWorks, before
>that it was 1 or two other names... LANworks...?!?!

This change was legitimate.  There is a company in Maryland that already had 
LANworks as a trademark.

    
    		A simple "fan" is no longer just a fan...its an "air moving
    device" and if you call it anything else your not gonna get what you
    need.  Go figure!
    
    Dave

    i really think the world is getting too complicated, we dont need to
    complicate it any more, i been deeply thinking in this matter and i
    have decided that computers, yes, computers, is the sole source of all
    these problems the world is facing whether it be in the business levels
    which is what DEC is about or the socio-political-ebvironmental-emotional 
    platforms, any level you look at you can see the world is getting more 
    complicated, and this renaming of products and entities within the DEC 
    managements structures is only a flicker of symptoms of the main problems 
    that faces as for now and beyond and for all to see as the world turns
    around for our future generations and beyond in the distance horizons.

    i dont know what is the solutions, but many of us old timers remember
    the good old days where simple life was the pre dominant and no
    computers where around and you never heard of these complications of
    life as we see now and around any corner we uncover.

    i think it is worth while it for every DECeee to set down and reflect and 
    ponder on this and postulate on the impact of computers and 
    take it as face value for whatever it is, and always remember 
    that computers are here to help us live a happy and
    long life and not to make our lives more complicated as the leaves of
    the winter passes over all of us on the long road across the river
    of living.

    thank you for listening and giving me the opportunity to express my
    thought on this subject which iam sure might vibrate deep emotional 
    feeling among every DECeee since computers after all is our bread 
    and better for all of us and our loved ones for all and all.

    \nasser

re: .23

Hey, like i always say, no point worrying til the fecal waste by-product
impacts the rotary air circulator!

								paul

Re: .3
	Actually :   "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet"
	(Though whether anyone would be as pleased to say "my boyfriend
	sent me 2 dozen red stinkworts", no matter how well they
	smelt I don't know.

Re: .10
	Apparently there is a company out there somewhere called 
	"Two guys and a VAX"

	Cathy

RE: .26

	It's now called TGV. They make a very good VMS based TCP/IP
	from what I understand.

							mike

    Carlin's routine goes like this:
    
    Language has become more complicated in order to obscure. Also to
    create an image of greater professionalism for those involved with the
    subject.
    
    In World War I we had "shell shock." Two syllables. Clear. Right to
    the point.
    
    In WWII, this had become "com.bat fa.tigue." Four syllables. Less
    clear.
    
    In Vietnam we got "post trau.mat.ic stress dis.or.der." Eight syllables.
    Completely unclear. Don't have a clue what it means without an
    explanation from a "professional."
    
    
    kbs
          

    Nit - "TGV" never officially meant "two guys and a VAX" - it's an
    abbreviation of some French phrase (makes sense for a Santa Cruz based
    outfit?) that I can't remember, but "two guys and a VAX" became sort of
    a joke colloquialism for the company. Or so I understand. These days
    they have a bunch more than two employees.

    isn't "two guys and a VAx" not a PC name? should that not be instead 
    "two persons and a VAX" ?

    i think a company name should be selected to be a PC name.

    i think too that names are important because they give a feeling to
    what is behind the name. a trade name is also very important. allot of
    people buy based on names and the reflection they get from it after
    many years of seeing it.  that is why i think too that we should make
    our company name more popular than it is , many people outside
    masshshsusshshstes and new Hamshire dont know what DEC is or where it
    is and that should be changed.

    \bye
    \nasser

    Since VAXes aren't PCs, it shouldn't be a requirement for them to pick a
    PC name...

    RE: .29:
    
       Paul, are you sure?  Isn't TGV also the name of the very fast French
    railway?
    
       I had always understood that the company TGV did in fact stand for
    Two Guys and a VAX.
    
    					-mjg

My understanding is that TGV stands for the same French phrase that
the TGV train is named for, and which roughly translates
(I'm sure that I will be corrected here) as "Very Very Fast".

    
    Trop Grande Vitesse?
    
    

Well, the majority of the tech writers in Digital used to be in Corporate
User Publications. That was unacceptable. It was changed to Corporate
User Information Products. *That* was unacceptable. Now we're Information
Design and Consulting (IDC for short).

We used to be writers and course developers. Now we're Information
Providers.

We used to have Managers and Supervisors. Now we'll have Performance
Design Leaders and Coaches. There are Resource Coaches and Business
Coaches.

It'll all go in a management text book some day...

    
    Reminds me of an episode of the Flintstones where Fred takes a
    job as a "Resident Stationary Engineer"
    
    That's "Janitor" folks!
    
    -Ed

    RE: .36  by ROBOAT::HEBERT 
    
    >Well, the majority of the tech writers in Digital used to be in
    >Corporate User Publications. That was unacceptable. It was changed to
    >Corporate User Information Products. *That* was unacceptable. Now we're
    >Information Design and Consulting (IDC for short).

    Look on the bright side.  At least we talked them out of calling it
    "Knowledge Solutions".
    

    re .32 re .29 (am I sure?) -

    No, just passing along something I'd read, which doesn't equate with
    certainty.

    (Spreading rumors is another was of putting it, I suppose...)

    Tres Grand Vitesse does ring a bell as sounding like what I'd read
    (what's French for "mixed metaphors"?).

re: TGV

The way I hear it, it used to be "Two Guys and a VAX", but now that they've
grown, it's "Ten Guys and a VAXcluster". 

Ray

    
    Actually at last count it was Twenty Five Guys/Gals and a VAX.
    
    BTW, this is one slick outfit with some GREAT software.
    
    Developer software engineers answer the support phones - this gives the
    engineers a clear, direct and strong incentive to make their releases
    as bug free as possible, their software as easy to use as possible and
    their documentation as clear as possible. As a result they wind up with
    far fewer calls and much happier customers.
    
    They keep a FULLY stocked gourmet kitchen which is available to all
    employees 24 hours a day. This includes a fridge full of soda, juice,
    fruit, etc. and a freezer full of milky ways. :-) They also do special
    things on different days of the week - one day is bagel and cream
    cheese day with all sorts of fancy flavors of cream cheese, etc. The
    reasoning is that their employees will probably spend long hours at
    work and they want to make them as comfortable as possible.
                                               
    -Joe
    

Re " .37

	     "Resident Stationary Engineer"
                                     ^

  or         
             "Resident Stationery Engineer"?
                                     ^

	Could get a guy a bad name!!! :-)

	Cathy

    re: "TGV"
    A few folks here in VBO would agree that "TGV" stands for 
    "Two Guys and a VAX":
    There used to be a European Support Model called TGV
    (which stood for "Three Geography Version" of the original "TCM,
    Three Center Model....)
    The results (in VBO) are just about two guys and a VAX left...
    :-)
    fred
     

	And for $64K from here in Reading, England...

	Compare and contrast:

	PSS, SPS, PSG, SPG, SSO, CAS, CSO, ISV, EIS, EIC, ARC, SRS, ESE, SCC...

	Candidates should under no circumstances attempt to write on both
	sides of the paper at once.

	(These are just the ones that immediately spring to mind - we have
	hundreds more).

	/Tom

>	Candidates should under no circumstances attempt to write on both
>	sides of the paper at once.

    hi Tom, what does the means really means? is it a say? why should one
    not write on both sides of the paper? isn't this more cost effective
    to do and it saves trees too? 

    i know you must mean something by it other than the literal sense, but
    iam not sure what it is.

    \bye
    \nasser

ESE is "European Software Engineering" - back from when Reading engineering
was in Fountain House.  I have my ESE poster (featuring I.K.Brunel
and some heavy-duty anchor chains) hung outside my cube in LKG.

	re .46:

>>       Candidates should under no circumstances attempt to write on both
>>       sides of the paper at once.
>
>    hi Tom, what does the means really means? is it a say? why should one
>    not write on both sides of the paper? isn't this more cost effective
>    to do and it saves trees too? 

	This is an English in-joke. It's a rough quote from a book
	called "1066 and All That", which is a spoof on English history
	text books (e.g. "Compare the Dauphin with the Great Seal", etc).

	The quote is poking fun at exam paper directions, which often
	used to tell you to write on one side of the paper only. In any
	event, it's very hard to write on both sides of the paper *at once*.

	/Tom

    re .48
    
    > This is an English in-joke.
    
    Surely you mean a British in-joke, Tom?
    
    dave_P

>Surely you mean a British in-joke, Tom?

Depends on whether Mr. Welsh is Welsh, I suppose.

    
> Depends on whether Mr. Welsh is Welsh, I suppose.
    
    If Mr Welsh were Welsh he'd be Mr Cymraeg
    as his "Welsh" name is English
    However, if he were Welsh, then he *would* 
    be a Briton (Brython) and not a Saxon (Saesneg)
    so his humour *would* be British, not English.
    
    My head hurts now, I'm going to lie down.....
    
    Colin

    No,  I think he meant "English" as opposed to "American".  After all, 
    over here,  amongst ourselves and those non-native English speakers, we
    speak English (or one of it's many dialects!).  But,  when dealing with
    you, i.e. those in the USA,  since you don't speak it, we have to fall
    back on talking American (yes,  even the spellings when writing!).

	Mr Welsh is Scots-Irish (no English blood I'm afraid, and no
	Welsh either). "Welsh" is a form of "Wallace", a common Scots
	name.

	"1066 and All That" is definitely English. You should see the
	contemptuous references to the Scots and Irish etc. "running
	around in their bogs and pales". Shocking. A disgrace to the
	Scottish Empire, in fact... but enough of this, before we
	become enmired in national enmity, or even open up a rathole.

	/Tom

>    I have worked for Field Service, Customer Service, Multi-vendor 
>    Customer Service (MCS), and probably a few others I can't remember.


	and we have a new name in the works for Field Service



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