Bonjour! Wait, I’m not in Cannes right now at VMworld Europe 2009. No, I’m watching the competition’s desperate partnership and vaporware announcements online, just like many of you. I felt like writing about something completely different this time. What are the worst hostnames you’ve come across? I think I’ve got mine narrowed down to these two:
A Fish Named Ghoti
At a previous company, a very clever person decided to name a very important server ghoti. You might be wondering where this came from, and you’re probably thinking “go-tee.” Actually, this special concoction of irregular English spellings is pronounced “fish.” Some thought it fun to tell the new guys to connect to ghoti, knowing they’d be looking in vain for a host named “fish.” Wikipedia explains it well.
No, Por Favor!
Spanish speaking or not, most people are familiar with one word — basura. After unboxing a bunch of new equipment, the simple application of a basura tag makes the leftover shipping materials go away, overnight. Whether you like this situation or not is another topic — it is what it is.
One of my good friends told me how a system administrator at his company thought that he would be really clever and name a new PC “basura” — complete with the proper hostname label on the front of the case. Image their surprise the next day to find an empty spot where the computer once stood. It was seemingly stolen, but an an oddly targeted way; nothing else was missing. It didn’t take long for someone to find the system out back in the dumpster — the night crew had dutifully executed according to procedures.
Sometimes things are not what they seem — other times, exactly as directed!
We know who got “vExpert”, so we’re waiting for vIdiot 🙂