The answer is, "Yes."
Here it is:

(Oh, yes.  For those who don't know: "SPR" stands for Software Problem Report".
And some names have been changed to protect the inocent -- or not so inocent.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                               NEW  www  STANDARD;  ONE
                               SPR RESPONSE DOES IT ALL

Since this is a general problem, we are indebted to xxx for having
adopted a standard SPR response from yyyy-20.  This standard response
is being considered for zzz systems as well.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                       xxx Version 3

Please stop submitting SPR's.  This is our system.  We designed it,
we built it, and we use it more than you do.  If there are some features
you think might be missing, if the system isn't as effective as you think
it could be, TOUGH!    Give it back, we don't need you.  See figure 1.

               ---------------------------------
               !               _               !
               !              { }              !
               !              | |              !
               !              | |              !
               !           .-.! !.-.           !
               !         .-!  ! !  !.-.        !
               !         ! !       !  ;        !
               !         \           ;         !
               !          \         ;          !
               !           !       :           !
               !           !       |           !
               !           |       |           !
               !                               !
               !_______________________________!
                           Figure 1.

Forget about your silly problem, let's take a look at some of the features
of the xxx operating system.

1)  Options.  We've got lots of them.  So many in fact, that you need two
strong people to carry the documentation around.  So many that it will be
a cold day in hell before half of them are used.  So many that you are
probably not going to do your work right anyway.   However,  the number of
options isn't all that important, because we picked some interesting values
for the options and called them ...

2)  Defaults.  We put a lot of thought into our defaults.  We like them.
If we didn't, we would have made something else be the default.  So keep
your cotton-picking hands off our defaults.  Don't touch.  Consider them
mandatory.  "Mandatory defaults" has a nice ring to it.  Change them and
your system crashes, TOUGH!  See figure 1.

3)  Language Processors.  They work just fine.  They take in source, and
often produce object files as a reward for your efforts.  You don't
like the code?  Too bad!  You can even try to call operating system services
from them.  For any that you can't, use the assembler like we do.
We spoke to the language processor developers about this, they think a lot
like we do, they said "See figure 1".

4)  Debuggers.  We've got debuggers, one we support and one we use.  You
shouldn't make mistakes anyway, it is a waste of time.  We don't want to
hear anything about debuggers, we're not interested,  See figure 1.

5)  Error Logging.  Ignore it.  Why give yourself an ulcer?  You don't
want to give us the machine to get the problem fixed and we probably
can't do it anyway.  Oh, and if something breaks between 17:00 and 18:00 or
9:30 and 10:30 or 11:30 and 13:30 or 14:30 and 15:30 don't waste your
time calling us, we're out.  See figure 1.

6)  Command Language.  We designed it ourselves, it's perfect.  We like
it so much we put our name on it, ***- *******'s Command Language.  In
fact we're so happy with it, we designed it once for each of our operating
systems.  We even try to keep it the same from release to release, sometimes
we blow it though,  See figure 1.

7)  Real Time Performance.   We got it.   Who else could have done
such a good job?  So the system seems sluggish with all those priority 18
processes, no problem, just make them priority 1.  Anyway, realtime isn't
important anymore like it used to be.  We changed our groups name to get
rid of the word realtime,  we told all our realtime users to see figure 1
a long time ago.

In conclusion, stuff your SPR.  Love xxx or leave it, but don't complain.

                               -adapted from yyyy-20

Mon 30-Aug-1982 15:51 TLZ

--
     Charlie Hammond -- Hewlett-Packard Company -- Ft Lauderdale  FL  USA
         (hammond@not@peek.ssr.hp.com -- remove "@not" when replying)
     All opinions expressed are my own and not necessarily my employer's.