[H-GEN] QUT experiences the real world?

[Ben Fowler]

On Thu, 30 Apr 1998, A Bruce in the Land of the Bruces wrote:

> From: postmaster at qut.edu.au
> To: general-owner-x.xxxxxxx=student.qut.edu.au at humbug.org.au
> Subject: Inaccessible e-mail address
> 
> The following addresses are no longer accessible at QUT:
> 
> 		x.xxxxxxx at student.qut.edu.au
> 
> You should treat this as if it were an 'unknown user' message.
> 
> We have implemented an Internet Volume Charging system for incoming 
> traffic.  This includes incoming e-mail.  So an e-mail address can be
> inaccessible because:
>
>  [loads more Computing Service dribble here, blabber blabber ad nauseam] 

It never ceases to amaze me how QUT Computing Services can never seem to
do the right thing, ever since they implemented their brain-dead Internet
Volume Charging System.

Their rationale for originally implementing this system was something
along the lines of reining in their 'massive Internet bill' which was
~$500k last year (this is a University with about 30 000 students, mind
you). 

The system was rolled out over the Christmas/New Year break, and the first
thing most students knew about it was when their browsers started asking
for authentication details when browsing external URLS.  This was probably
done to suppress any cries of indignation and any chance of having the
project stopped before it was completed.

Ever since the beginning this system bas been broken.  For ages, the
authentication server was down more often than up and  external sites had
been mysteriously blocked for reasons only the CS people themselves know.
This latest crap with delivery on incoming mail is yet another episode in
the ongoing saga that is the QUT Internet Volume Charging System.

The system must have taken months, if not years to plan and deploy, and
would have cost millions.  It makes my wonder why CS would have bothered,
with such a lousy cost/benefit tradeoff.  I guess this could be held up as
one example of how NOT to make people more accountable for the costs they
incur.  

-regards,

Ben.

+-- Ben Fowler, 2nd Sem. InforTech QUT, Brisbane Australia ----------------+
| [email]: b1.fowler at student.qut.edu.au   ben.fowler at humbug.org.au         |
|          my.tongue.is.like.a.crowbar at meesha.humbug.org.au                |
| [web page]: http://azure.humbug.org.au/~zuul                             |
+-----------  vincit omnia veritas  ... truth conquers all things ---------+


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