[SAGE] Programmers as.. sysadmins..

[Dustin Puryear <dustin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I was having a conversation the other day with a friend that works for a 
decently sized software/services shop that works almost strictly for the 
government. They were looking for a Linux sysadmin (they only ever have 
one, even though they have quite a few Linux and Solaris servers).

Generally their sysadmin helps manage the applications running on the 
servers, but a lot of the sysadmin work on the Linux and Solaris boxes 
(testing and production) are done by the programmers.

I noted "Programmers make the worst sysadmins." He didn't quite get my 
meaning.

So, my question: Have you found, in your experience, that programmers 
make bad sysadmins? I have. I'm not saying that all programmers are bad 
sysadmins, or that PAST programmers make bad CURRENT sysadmins, but that 
CURRENT programmers almost always make bad CURRENT sysadmins, even if 
small settings.

Some reasons I've found this to be true:

o programmers want to get the job done, and taking short-cuts on the 
server often comes into play.
o programmers don't seem to get it when it comes to managing more than 
one box.
o programmers treat a UNIX server like they treat their home Linux box.
o etc.

The thing is, I see this in A LOT of sites, although it tends to happen 
more often in smaller tech-focused companies.

Thoughts?

P.S. Yes, I know that "it depends on the person". I'm generalizing, but 
I'm also saying that my generalization tends to be correct on this point. ;)

--
Puryear Information Technology, LLC
Baton Rouge, LA * 225-706-8414
http://www.puryear-it.com

Author, "Best Practices for Managing Linux and UNIX Servers"
  http://www.puryear-it.com/pubs/linux-unix-best-practices

Identity Management, LDAP, and Linux Integration