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**Hugh** · 18-04-2021, 14:15

In the mid-80s, working on a client site, installing a new programme which had been developed back at the office (IBM S/36 programmed in RPG).

It was after 5pm on a Friday, so no one was on the system (in those days, in small companies, the clients didn’t have development environments on site). I put a comma in the wrong place on the Delete command, so instead of deleting the old programme, I deleted the entire programme library of compiled programmes - oopsy!

Found out the customer hadn’t backed up the source programme library in over six months (many changes had been made in that time), so I dashed back to our office (after ringing my Development Manager to let him know what had happened), took our copy of the library back to the customers, and I and two colleagues spent the weekend re-compiling and testing the programmes before the client arrived back on site Monday morning.

We had also let the customer know about the problem, as we had a very good relationship with them, and they brought staff in to help with the testing.

Everything worked fine after that, but was a brown trousers/career-limiting moment for a couple of hours whilst we put a recovery plan in place.

(A learning point from that was that we ensured all of our clients had current programme library back-ups in place from then on, both on and off site, as well as us having a copy).

Other worst thing I’ve done on a computer was implement SAP.

18-04-2021, 14:15	#71
Hugh laeva recumbens anguis Cable Forum Mod Join Date: Jun 2006 Age: 69 Services: Premiere Collection Posts: 43,917	Re: Worst thing you've done to a computer In the mid-80s, working on a client site, installing a new programme which had been developed back at the office (IBM S/36 programmed in RPG). It was after 5pm on a Friday, so no one was on the system (in those days, in small companies, the clients didn’t have development environments on site). I put a comma in the wrong place on the Delete command, so instead of deleting the old programme, I deleted the entire programme library of compiled programmes - oopsy! Found out the customer hadn’t backed up the source programme library in over six months (many changes had been made in that time), so I dashed back to our office (after ringing my Development Manager to let him know what had happened), took our copy of the library back to the customers, and I and two colleagues spent the weekend re-compiling and testing the programmes before the client arrived back on site Monday morning. We had also let the customer know about the problem, as we had a very good relationship with them, and they brought staff in to help with the testing. Everything worked fine after that, but was a brown trousers/career-limiting moment for a couple of hours whilst we put a recovery plan in place. (A learning point from that was that we ensured all of our clients had current programme library back-ups in place from then on, both on and off site, as well as us having a copy). Other worst thing I’ve done on a computer was implement SAP. __________________ Thank you for calling the Abyss. If you have called to scream, please press 1 to be transferred to the Void, or press 2 to begin your stare. If my post is in bold and this colour, it's a Moderator Request.