Chalkface Blog

When any online service goes wrong, there are four possible loci for the problem

1. The program
2. The server
3. Proxy server en route
4. The browser

Of these, 1 and 2 are under our control (‘us’ being the people who run the service). Problems can generally be found and fixed quickly. 4 is generally something that we can replicate on our own desktops; there aren’t that many popular combinations of browsers and computers.

But the one we fear more than piranhas is 3. Proxy servers come in endless flavours and their configurations are jealously guarded by their owners. Most secondary schools have one. Grids for Learning (GFLs), LEAs, Regional Broadband Consortia (RBCs) also have them.

What they are supposed to do is manage the flow of data so that the network, particularly the ‘last mile’ into the school, does not get overloaded. What can easily happen instead is that data gets bounced around between them like so many billiard balls randomly hitting each other instead of rolling directly into the pocket.

This is not to say that proxies are a bad thing. A single, simple proxy in the school can make a huge difference when an entire class of 30 all need to access the same 20M movie file down a typical Secondary school’s 10 megabit connection. In my perfect world, that would be it. One proxy per school, preferably externally managed by specialists in that single narrow field, and nothing else.

Today we celebrate an anniversary. It is precisely one month since telecoms company Easynet (via their UK Online brand) cut off my broadband connection. In the name of ‘upgrade’, I’d foolishly let myself be seduced by the promise of an 8meg connection for the same price as the half-meg connection I’d had from BT.

Every day I phone them to politely ask about progress, and one of their trying-their-best but hopelessly undertrained customer service people adds another note to my file. About one day in three, I’m promised that an engineer will look into it real soon now but no, they don’t know just when.

Yesterday – great excitement! One of their customer service people actually phoned us, to tell us it was all alright now! I’m not quite sure what’s all alright, because my broadband certainly doesn’t work.

Nor is this an instance of a few poor employees. The people I’ve spoken to generally keen to help, but all they are permitted to do is take notes. I’ve hit point-blank refusals to let me speak to someone at even supervisory level. Customer Services people don’t know anything about Tech Support, Tech Support don’t have access to Engineers’ diaries.

I run a small but successful company. I know how to set up business systems that work. And what I see at Easynet is systems that are broken at every point. Bad internal communication, employee disempowerment, poor supplier relations, the works. It’s a case-study in management incompetence.

What’s really scary about this is that Easynet are chasing the schools market. They boast on their website about a deal with Reading schools.

I acknowledge that Reading may be having a different experience; I certainly hope so. But from where I’m sitting, this is what the ten-foot bargepole was invented for.

I’ll not repeat my previous rant about how appallingly disadvantaged young people who cannot touch-type really are. But I will point you to goodtyping.com and their Free online Typing course. Via Jane.

From Friday’s Doonsbury:

Education is the membrane between [social] classes, and it’s permeable.