At the end of the January 2002 RoboHelp newsletter, eHelp Corporation copied the Dr. Seuss computer poem almost word-for-word as it appears in other locations:
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HELP HUMOR
If a packet hits a pocket on a socket on a port,
and the bus is interrupted as a very last resort,
and the address of the memory makes your floppy disk abort,
then the socket packet pocket has an error to report.
If your cursor finds a menu item followed by a dash,
and the double-clicking icon puts your window in the trash,
and your data is corrupted 'cause the index doesn't hash,
then your situation's hopeless and your system's gonna crash!
If the label on the cable on the table at your house,
says the network is connected to the button on your mouse,
but your packets want to tunnel on another protocol,
that's repeatedly rejected by the printer down the hall,
and your screen is all distorted by the side effects of gauss,
so your icons in the window are as wavy as a souse,
then you may as well reboot and go out with a bang,
'cause as sure as I'm a poet, the sucker's gonna hang!
When the copy of your floppy's getting sloppy on the disk,
And the microcode instructions cause unnecessary risc,
Then you have to flash your memory and you'll want to RAM your ROM
Quicky turn off the computer and be sure to tell your mom!
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This particular poem had been posted on the WinHlp-L list in September 1997
and then discussed as part of a discussion of copyright issues on the WinHlp-L list in
October 2000. In the latter discussion, this poem was finally correctly
credited to its author, Gene Ziegler. Note that on his
home
page, Ziegler calls this a "frequently stolen poem", and adds "Read and enjoy, but don't steal".
eHelp Corporation never credited this poem to Dr. Ziegler when they added it to their newsletter. The
poem's homepage
specifically states "Reprint or repost only with permission", which eHelp Corporation apparently didn't do. The page also gives the history of the poem, including the following disturbing note:
"Unfortunately, the internet being what it is, some scoundrel whose editing skills exceeded his or her ethical standards edited the poem, reduced it by half, removed my name, and recirculated it under the title "If Dr. Seuss were a Technical Writer", attributed to the ever prolific "Anonymous." Dr. Zseuss, the real Dr. Seuss impersonator, responded with
Hang the Information Highwayman!
in the summer of 95."
This cut portion of the poem is what eHelp sent in their newsletter, which indicates they didn't look for the poem's actual source.