OFFICE MEMO Light Bulb Date: 9/28/96
Q. How many senior managers does it take to change a light bulb?
A. We've formed a task force to study the problem of why light bulbs
burn out and to figure out what, exactly, we as managers can do to
make the light bulbs work smarter, not harder.
Q. How many Help Desk people does it take to change a light bulb?
A. PC Repair has received your mail concerning your hardware problem
and has assigned your request Service Order Number 39712. Please
use this number for any future reference to this case of trouble.
As soon as a technician becomes available, you will be contacted.
Q. How many support staff people does it take to change a light bulb?
A. We have an exact copy of the light bulb here and it seems to be
working fine. Can you tell me what kind of system you have? Ok.
Just exactly how dark is it? Ok. There could be four or five
things wrong. Have you tried the light switch?
Q. How many integration testers does it take to change a light bulb?
A. We only find the problem. We don't fix them.
Q. How many software engineers does it take to change a light bulb?
A. That's a hardware problem.
Q. How many hardware engineers does it take to change a light bulb?
A. Tell software to code around it.
Q. How many contract programmers does it take to change a light bulb?
A. Two. One always quits in the middle of the project.
Q. How many help desk techs does it take to change a light bulb?
A. I think that's a device driver problem.
Q. How many Windows programmers does it take to change a light bulb?
A. 472. One to write WinGetLightBulbHandle, one to write
WinQueryStatusLightBulb, one to write WinGetLightSwitchHandle...
Q. How many C++ programmer's does it take to change a light bulb?
A. You're still thinking procedurally. A properly designed light bulb
object would inherit a change method from a generic light bulb
class, so all you'd have to do is send it a bulb change message.