COBOL Manual

[ThexDarksider]

I was taking a COBOL course at my undergraduate institution. One day I was working in the lab and need to look up something in the manual. The students had access to one in the student support room, usually staffed by students just off the lab. The procedure was just to go in and ask for the manual.

* Me: "Can I have the COBOL manual, please?"

* Attendant: "There is no COBOL manual."

I turned, and I saw what looked to be the correct binder there on the shelf.

* Me: "It's not here, or I can't have it?"

* Attendant: "There is no COBOL manual."

I grabbed the binder with "COBOL" and "manual" on it.

* Me: "This looks like the COBOL manual to me."

* Attendant: "It is not a COBOL manual. There are no manuals in this room. You do not want this."

I opened the book and looked and inside.

* Me: "Looks like a manual to me. Yes, this is the information I want."

* Attendant: "THERE IS NO COBOL MANUAL OR ANY OTHER MANUAL IN THIS ROOM."

* Me: "Look. You're new here, you have had lousy training, and you likely don't know much about computers. See these things on the wall? They are all manuals of various sorts."

* Attendant: "No, they are not."

* Me: "Can I take this book for a moment, please?"

* Attendant: "Get out of my office, and stop bothering me."

I later commented to someone that they were hiring incompetent student help. The response I got indicated that the person I had spoken to wasn't actually a student but a university staff member in charge of various computing services and student help desk staffing, and he even taught a course. Needless to say, I never took the course.

I love these. LOL

(Edited for formatting.)

Edited April 2, 2011 by ThexDarksider