From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: * X-Spam-Status: No, score=1.6 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_40,FREEMAIL_FROM, REPLYTO_WITHOUT_TO_CC autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,3d892c006426c5e6,start X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2003-04-24 07:57:20 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!news1.google.com!newsfeed.stanford.edu!news-spur1.maxwell.syr.edu!news.maxwell.syr.edu!small1.nntp.aus1.giganews.com!nntp.giganews.com!nntp3.aus1.giganews.com!nntp.gbronline.com!news.gbronline.com.POSTED!not-for-mail NNTP-Posting-Date: Thu, 24 Apr 2003 09:57:21 -0500 Date: Thu, 24 Apr 2003 09:57:34 -0500 From: Wesley Groleau Reply-To: wesgroleau@despammed.com Organization: Ain't no organization here! User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; PPC Mac OS X; en-US; rv:1.2.1) Gecko/20021130 X-Accept-Language: en-us, en, es-mx, pt-br, fr-ca MIME-Version: 1.0 Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Subject: Tools vs. Parts Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Message-ID: <6LidnfIK-pvMZjqjXTWcog@gbronline.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: 216.117.18.37 X-Trace: sv3-h7DHIeDHhJ3HNtoZ1IaT1qkMqULmZsoUX4+B0pmuJV2z0w/UN/94IAW86F2COtPllfjjsELA+Ka3P4q!f0uFd28WbhkZGqk0ugKtfCUn82sP1MFsdlp+2l9973WjxnUKfdaY0b8J/hGm0z921T1zobXck8z0!5n8B X-Complaints-To: abuse@gbronline.com X-DMCA-Complaints-To: abuse@gbronline.com X-Abuse-and-DMCA-Info: Please be sure to forward a copy of ALL headers X-Abuse-and-DMCA-Info: Otherwise we will be unable to process your complaint properly X-Postfilter: 1.1 Xref: archiver1.google.com comp.lang.ada:36478 Date: 2003-04-24T09:57:34-05:00 List-Id: A little imagination and analogy: You are an expert mechanic and automotive engineer, with two job offers. Abe's is a well-equipped shop. A wide variety of modern, quality tools, well-lighted, clean. Charlie & Joe's is fairly clean, but the tools stink: One socket set, with the 12 mm and 9/16" missing and no Phillips screwdriver. No "special-purpose" tools like Torx drivers, wheel-pullers, etc. The assignment in both shops is to build and maintain a race car. Think the choice is obvious? Well, let's talk to current workers before we decide .... Abner: Oh, I'm so glad I got out of Abe's. The parts department sucks. Once I got a carb with a jet missing. I had to find a machine screw of the right size and drill the right size hole myself. Here, I'd just grab another carb off the shelf. James: At least you had the right size drill. And a screwdriver to put the thing in with! Carlos: Oh, bull! Any competent mechanic has the skill to clamp a ViseGrips so that it doesn't slip and chew up the screw head. Or the strength and coordination to hold a standard screwdriver at an angle so that it stays in the slot. John: Well, maybe that's a little extreme. But it doesn't matter anyway. We just pull another carb off the shelf. Alex: Well, I'M glad I got INTO Abe's. I'd much rather machine my own carburetor than get one from Detroit, where the only job title in the testing department is "customer." We're building a race car--you can't just afford to pull over and call for a tow when something happens! Jenny: But even with race cars, stuff happens. Would you like to machine a new block when you throw a rod on the track? WE just grab a new engine and drop it in. Andrew: Drop it in how? You don't have a hoist! Carrie: So what? We keep in shape. Carlos, Abner and I lower it in and hold it still while Jenny handles the vise grips. Amos: How do you keep it running smoothly? No scope or timing light.... John: Scopes are over-rated. More complicated, so they malfunction more easily. A _real_ mechanic only needs a tachometer to adjust everything. Amos: But when I worked there, we didn't have a tachometer, either. Jane: We do now! We built our own! Besides, a _real_ mechanic can tune an engine by listening to it and smelling the exhaust. Abner: If you remember, I did that quite well when I worked with you. I can still do it. But I really prefer hooking up the scope. (I could drag this on for a long time .....) I'm sure we all get the point, no matter which side of personality spectrum we're on. But just in case someone needs a hint, look at the initials of all the names. (or make up an acronym for "carb off the shelf")