MIT/IS Watchmakers

Watchmakers are I/S staff developers who attended MIT as students while working for Information Systems or Project Athena.

The name comes from a book by Niven& Pournell, "The Mote In God's Eye" (Simon& Schuster 1974, ISBN: 0-671-64074-7) and dates back to the earliest days of Project Athena. In the book Watchmakers are small rat like creatures on a alien world which have a number of interesting qualities:

• There is an infinite supply of them (they breed quickly).
  
• They are extraordinarily clever.
  
• They are not too bright.
  
• They can build, and rebuild anything. In fact, every constructed physical object on their planet was made by watchmakers.
  
• They are quick, hard working, and eager to please.
  
• When you have too many of them you simply terminate them (usually by tossing them out into space).
  
• They don't eat much.
  
• They don't take up much room
  
• But, they do tend to make a bit of a mess.
  

Metaphorically speaking:

• There is an infinite supply of them (new freshman arrive each fall).
  
• They are extraordinary clever.
  
• They are not too bright.
  
• They can build, and rebuild anything. In fact every part of the Athena Computing Environment was made by watchmakers.
  
• They are quick, hard working, and eager to please.
  
• When you have too many of them, or some you don't like, you simply terminate them (by not rehiring them the next semester).
  
• You don't have to pay them much.
  
• They don't take up much room
  
• But, they do tend to make a bit of a mess.
  

Info for new Watchmakers
Filling out the Personnel form
Weekly report/time card policy
Watchmaker workstation policy
Map of the watchmaker zone
Team Athena UROP and student employee application form
Watchmaker business cards

Zephyr authentication strategy

Windows Network Installers