The Byte Before Christmas


            'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house,
            Not a user was using ... not even a mouse;
            The programs were hung from the bugs in their code,
            In hopes that a guru would soon cure their woes;

            The data were nestled all snug in their beds,
            While versions of software danced in their heads;
            The boss dimmed the lights as I locked up my desk,
            A couple days off and a well-deserved rest;

            Then all of a sudden there came such a clatter,
            I sprang from my chair to see what was the matter.

            Away to the processor I flew like a flash,
            What a terrible sound .. like a massive headcrash;
            The lights they were blinking and beaming aglow,
            The hardcopy printout said "Let service know!";

            When what to my wandering eyes should appear,
            On a silicon wafer ... a field engineer;
            A little device driver, so lively and quick,
            I knew in a moment it must be St. Chip!

            More rapid than Macro, his cursor insane,
            He whistled and shouted like a video game.

            Now, Pascal! Now, Basic!, Now, Fortran and Cobol!
            On RPG! On PL/1, On Dibol and Snobol!
            To the top of the registers, the bottom of core!
            Run diagnostics and see what they store!

            As memory leaves when electricity flies,
            The 'Rep' cracked a smile and loosened his tie;
            He was chubby and plump, said the place was a wreck,
            And I laughed when I saw him (in spite of high tech).

            A wink of his eye, and a twist of his head,
            Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.
            He was dressed from his head to his feet in a suit,
            His briefcase was heavy with tools to re-boot.

            With bundles of bits bulging out of his slacks,
            He looked like a pro 'bout to fix a blown pack.
            He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
            Reseated PC boards, then turned with a smirk;

            Hit return with his finger and said "Here it goes,"
            And giving a nod, into the CRT he dove.
            But I heard him exclaim, 'ere leaving the site,
            "Restore the data, and all will be right!"
             
             

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