While I was consulting
Me, to office PFY (pimply-faced youth, in this case six months out of college and in his first job): OK, please email the users to say the email server's going down at 12, and we'll let them know when it's back up.
PFY: Righto

Much installing of patches later.

Me: OK, PFY, please email all of the users and tell them it's back up
PFY: OK, no problem.

Lounging by the coffee machine, the blackened scar tissue of my heart was warmed slightly by overhearing hysterical laughter. It was the PFY's slightly more experienced co-workers explain the problem with that little mission to him.

He was a little aggrieved. So I explained that he wouldn't be falling for that one again, would he? He eventually agreed.
(purplegod counting down for Christmas!, Tue 29 Sep 2009, 22:19, 3 replies)

... what was the problem?
I don't get it. Don't email clients try to reconnect to the server every so often? If so once it was patched and back up (which you said it was) the email would be received by the staff. So yeah, they wouldn't have got it straight away, but they'd have got it as soon as their PC reconnected to the email server.

Unless there's another joke I've missed. Or you didn't think about it. Or I'm wrong (at least concerning the software you were using), which is always a possibility.
( uberdeity Wondered why Owen Lars knew of the term "hell" on, Wed 30 Sep 2009, 0:06, closed)

Did you then send him
for some elbow grease, a glass hammer and a tin of stripey paint?
(Juan Quar is clinging to her front teeth on, Wed 30 Sep 2009, 6:08, closed)

? whut
Unless you mean the guy was told to email the users and let them know it would be back up in 10 minutes' time, in which case: O_O ah ha. ahahahah. ahah. ha.
( Dixipoos Bye Bye Blackbird, Wed 30 Sep 2009, 8:05, closed)