All I needed to do was transfer a file to a fellow cow-orker. That's it. We were in a meeting, via Microsoft Teams. I was using the dreaded Corporate Overlords' mandated managed Microsoft Windows laptop [1]. The file in question was on my work related Linux laptop (it was the first laptop I received when I started working at The Corporation 11 years earlier). So on the Windows laptop, I open up CMD.EXE:
Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.18363.1621]
(c) 2019 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
C:\Users\sconner>cd Desktop
C:\Users\sconner\Desktop>scp spc@linux-laptop:work/file-to-trans .
spc@linux-laptop's password:
file-to-trans 100% 6246KB 10.2MB/s 00:00
C:\Users\sconner\Desktop>dir
Volume in drive C is Windows
Volume Serial Number is 267D-3086
Directory of C:\Users\sconner\Desktop
08/23/2021 06:55 PM <DIR> .
08/23/2021 06:55 PM <DIR> ..
08/23/2021 07:18 PM 6,395,862 file-to-trans
1 File(s) 6,395,862 bytes
2 Dir(s) 436,294,770,688 bytes free
C:\Users\sconner\Desktop>
I then open up File Explorer (sigh … that took entirely too long to find the name of that program), select “Desktop” and … the file is not there.
What?
Is the “Desktop” in the File Explorer not the same as “C:\Users\sconner\Desktop”? When did that happen?
My fellow cow-orker had to talk me through finding the file in question in the File Explorer, because “Desktop” there isn't the same one as “Desktop” in CMD.EXE.
What?
My brain broke.
Anyway, the file found, I then had to be talked through how to initiate a file upload through Microsoft Teams, and on this point, said fellow cow-orker and another fellow cow-orker had to work through how to send the file. Yes, apparently it takes three software developers to initiate a file upload through Microsoft Teams.
And then I had to describe to fellow cow-orkers that yes, this will take some time because I'm behind an honest-to-God DSL (Digitial Subscriber Line) connection and **NOT** a multi-gigabit ethernet connection, because Chez Boca exists outside the service area for anything faster. It took several minutes of convincing them of this.
And the upload failed, probably because I'm behind an honest-to-God DSL connection and **NOT** a multi-gigabite ethernet connection.
Seriously, how hard is it to transfer **SOME BITS?**
So, not only did I have trouble with sending a fellow cow-orker a file, I somehow destroyed CMD.EXE's ability to display text as I was writing this entry. WTF? All I was trying to do was find a way to cut-n-paste the text from CMD.EXE and somehow, I manged to XXXX CMD.EXE so bad, it wouldn't show text any more. Several minutes later, I got the text back up (how? XXXX if I know) but now the cursor is missing.
XXXX it! I can deal with that.
<slow-clap>
Way to go, Microsoft!
But when did I become so computer illiterate?