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Paul Brunk [MSAI]
administrator" (plural)? Or did the two originate at the same time? I'm
especially curious to hear whether any of you once called yourselves the
first but then changed to the second. I first encountered the singular
term, and it seems to me that during the past year the use of the plural
has been on the rise, but I have limited data.
Similarly for "system programming" vs "systems programming", though if
there was a number shift here I think it happened longer ago than in the
sysadmin case.
In either case, can anyone explain the rationale behind the plural (and I'm
not saying there isn't one)?
--
Paul Brunk <--- who I speak for
UGA Artificial Intelligence <--- where I do it from
pbr...@ai.uga.edu <--- who I do it as
Dan Birchall
>Does anyone know when "system administrator" (singular) changed to "systems
>administrator" (plural)?
>In either case, can anyone explain the rationale behind the plural (and I'm
>not saying there isn't one)?
Maybe a "systems" administrator is capable of adminstrating multiple
systems at once (brain runs UNIX) and a "system" administrator can only
keep track of one machine at a time (brain runs DOS)? ;)
Alternately, it may refer to operating systems, in which case a "UNIX
System Administrator" would know only UNIX (and maybe even only one flavor
thereof), while a "PC Systems Administrator" would be expected to know
at least 2 flavors of DOS, plus Windows, OS/2, etc.
Of course, if that theory made any sense, I'd be making a lot more money
than I am right now. :)
-Dan
--
Dan Birchall Freelance writer and online support services consultant
birc...@pilot.njin.net
sh...@arginine.umdnj.edu
WorldWideWeb URL: http://arginine.umdnj.edu/people/dan/homepage.html
RalphB8649
[MSAI]) writes:
> Does anyone know when "system administrator" (singular) changed to
"systems
> administrator" (plural)? ...
My assumption has always been that this was a change promoted by
"management"
based on an assumption that the plurality would be self-extending. This
concept, in turn,
forms the basis of the widely held notion that a systems administrator can
do the work of
several people. ;-)
Matt Beal
: Does anyone know when "system administrator" (singular) changed to "systems
: administrator" (plural)? Or did the two originate at the same time? I'm
It's possible that when the term originally started the administrator only
had one system to administrate :) Seriously though, when big corporations
needed someone to handle their computer, they likely only had one mainframe.
Now that mainframes are no longer the rage, replaced by powerful workstations,
organizations can afford to have many of them and need one or more persons
to handle more than one system. Hence "system"->"systems".
*shrug* Just a guess...
Matt
John Shardlow
|> >administrator" (plural)?
|>
|> systems at once (brain runs UNIX) and a "system" administrator can only
|> keep track of one machine at a time (brain runs DOS)? ;)
Yes, that figures. I used to be a "System Manager" when I looked after
a small VAX cluster. Now I'm a "Systems Manager" because I look after
lots of flavours of Unix and a VAX cluster and I even lower myself to
sorting out the odd pee-cee if I have to !
--
+----------------------------------+
| John Shardlow |
| jsha...@london.micrognosis.com |
| jo...@iceberg.demon.co.uk |
+----------------------------------+
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Matthew SAMS
Paul Brunk [MSAI] <pbr...@ai.uga.edu> wrote:
>Does anyone know when "system administrator" (singular) changed to "systems
>administrator" (plural)? Or did the two originate at the same time? I'm
We used 'Systems Programmer' here but unofficially changed to 'System
Programmer'. Systems Programmer just sounds too much like Assistant
Programmer, especially when you're talking to your bank manager or your
parents.
I prefer the plural but switch to the singural in cases of auditory
confusion.
Matthew
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Matthew Sams | "Contrary to the popular Errol Flynn
Systems Programmer | notions about pirates, more pirates
School of Computer Science | died of syphilis than of sword wounds."
McGill University |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joel Garry
>|> >Does anyone know when "system administrator" (singular) changed to "systems
>|> >administrator" (plural)?
>|>
>|> Maybe a "systems" administrator is capable of adminstrating multiple
>|> systems at once (brain runs UNIX) and a "system" administrator can only
>|> keep track of one machine at a time (brain runs DOS)? ;)
>
creating job descriptions, confusing Systems Analysts with System
Administrators. So look at least 30 years back in big city classified
ads. In what context are you asking?
--
Joel Garry joe...@amber.rossinc.com Compuserve 70661,1534
These are my opinions, not necessarily those of Ross Systems, Inc.
%DCL-W-SOFTONEDGEDONTPUSH, Software On Edge - Don't Push.
panic: ifree: freeing free inodes...
Pat Wilson
>>|> >Does anyone know when "system administrator" (singular) changed to "systems
>>|> >administrator" (plural)?
>>|>
>>|> Maybe a "systems" administrator is capable of adminstrating multiple
>>|> systems at once (brain runs UNIX) and a "system" administrator can only
>>|> keep track of one machine at a time (brain runs DOS)? ;)
I've always used the plural to indicate that my responsibilities were
for multiple _machines_, not OSes (though multi-OS admins could also
be "Systems"). There are some fundamental differences between running
lots of (primarily single-user) workstations and running one large
multi-user machine (which is not to say that one is automatically more
different that the other, just that different issues arise).
--
Pat Wilson
p...@coos.dartmouth.edu
Pat Wilson
>p...@coos.dartmouth.edu (Pat Wilson) writes:
>>--
>>Pat Wilson
>>p...@coos.dartmouth.edu
>In which case, how do you define someone who looks after
>multiple networks of single OS workstations, plus a handfull of
>multi user mini systems of the same OS, plus a handfull of multi
>user mini systems of two or three different OS's and looks after
>all networking and has a hand in running over 30 DOS LAN
>networks?
It all depends - I was answering the question posed: "when did
system administrator change to systems administrator?". I think
I'd define the person you describe as "overworked".
--
Pat Wilson
p...@coos.dartmouth.edu
Doug O'Leary
: in1...@ccub.wlv.ac.uk (A.Parkes) writes:
: >p...@coos.dartmouth.edu (Pat Wilson) writes:
: >>>In article <33a7a8$9...@zeus.london.micrognosis.com> jsha...@london.micrognosis.com (John Shardlow) writes:
<< BIG SNIP >>
: It all depends - I was answering the question posed: "when did
: system administrator change to systems administrator?". I think
: I'd define the person you describe as "overworked".
Hear hear!!
Doug O'Leary
dkol...@clark.net
Jeff Bacon
: >In which case, how do you define someone who looks after
: >multiple networks of single OS workstations, plus a handfull of
: >multi user mini systems of the same OS, plus a handfull of multi
: >user mini systems of two or three different OS's and looks after
: >all networking and has a hand in running over 30 DOS LAN
: >networks?
: It all depends - I was answering the question posed: "when did
: system administrator change to systems administrator?". I think
: I'd define the person you describe as "overworked".
*laugh* well, that describes a whole sh*tload of us then. :)
-bacon
(hence, my self-given title below.)
--
= Jeff Bacon General Systems Hack, Michigan Technological Univ. =
= ba...@mtu.edu ph-(906)487-2197 fax-(906)487-2782 DoD#2110 I'm the NRA =
= if you think it's bad here, imagine what Hell is like. sure you wanna go? =
= GE d?@ p+ c++ !l u++ e* m+(--) s n+ h f g+ w t r y? =
Paul Brunk [MSAI]
: My guess is the confusion came from unknowing Human Resources people
: creating job descriptions, confusing Systems Analysts with System
: Administrators. So look at least 30 years back in big city classified
: ads. In what context are you asking?
Primarily, what sysadmins call themselves when someone asks them "So what
do you do for a living?" Thanks all for responses. The "use 'systems' for
multiple system managing" explanation makes sense linguistically, but my
intuition is still that the singular and the plural mean the same thing,
and not different things. I was hoping to verify this by having people
post who couldn't really explain why they changed from one to the other.
I'm aware that the specific post I'm following up to offers a different
explanation.
Is a troop commander who suddenly commands a lot more troops than before a
"troops commander"? :)
I am similarly curious about "system programming", where I think I see a
similar change. I even once saw a resume where the person was looking for
a job doing programming "at the systems level". I assume he meant what I
would call the "system level". Though the plurality explanation could also
be offered here, making reference to subsystems I suppose.
MARKERT ERICH L. MR.
|> explanation.
|>
|> Is a troop commander who suddenly commands a lot more troops than before a
|> "troops commander"? :)
No, he is then a Squadron Commander!
Troop, squadron, regiment, division, corp, army.
|>
|> I am similarly curious about "system programming", where I think I see a
|> similar change. I even once saw a resume where the person was looking for
|> a job doing programming "at the systems level". I assume he meant what I
|> would call the "system level". Though the plurality explanation could also
|> be offered here, making reference to subsystems I suppose.
|>
|> --
|> Paul Brunk <--- who I speak for
|> UGA Artificial Intelligence <--- where I do it from
|> pbr...@ai.uga.edu <--- who I do it as
--
______________________________________________________________________________
Mr. Erich L. Markert ae6...@euler.math.usma.edu
Systems Administrator TEL (914) 938-5624
Department of Mathematical Sciences FAX (914) 938-2409
United States Military Academy
West Point, NY 10996
Dennis Taylor
L. MR.) writes:
>
> Msg-ID: <4...@trotter.UUCP>
> References: <34evd4$9...@hobbes.cc.uga.edu>
> Posted: 6 Sep 94 12:23:26 GMT
>
> |> I'm aware that the specific post I'm following up to offers a
> different
> |> explanation.
> |>
> |> Is a troop commander who suddenly commands a lot more troops than
> before a
> |> "troops commander"? :)
>
> No, he is then a Squadron Commander!
> Troop, squadron, regiment, division, corp, army.
so whats the word for multiple systems? gaggle? herd? covey?
system scrum manager?
system gaggle manager?
Benjamin Z. Goldsteen
David Breneman
: p...@coos.dartmouth.edu (Pat Wilson) writes:
:
: >I've always used the plural to indicate that my responsibilities were
: >for multiple _machines_, not OSes (though multi-OS admins could also
: >be "Systems"). There are some fundamental differences between running
: >lots of (primarily single-user) workstations and running one large
: >multi-user machine (which is not to say that one is automatically more
: >different that the other, just that different issues arise).
: multiple networks of single OS workstations, plus a handfull of
: multi user mini systems of the same OS, plus a handfull of multi
: user mini systems of two or three different OS's and looks after
: all networking and has a hand in running over 30 DOS LAN
: networks?
:
: much. In the above example, one person could handle it all, one
: could handle the DOS workstations, one the UNIX worksations, one
: the mini systems or one for each OS, one for networking. How do
: you differentiate, the different people? The are all systems
: administrators of different sorts. Is the one who would cope
: with it all a super-systems administrator?
Just give that person the current trendy catch-all title: System Analyst. :-)
--
David Breneman Email: da...@jaws.engineering.dgtl.com
System Administrator, Voice: +1 206 881-7544 Fax: +1 206 556-8033
Product Development Platforms
Digital Systems International, Inc. Redmond, Washington, U. S. o' A.