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I'm not sure how many companies still use "pagers" aka "beepers", but this person is talking about the device you carry that would alert you when there is a pro

I'm not sure how many companies still use "pagers" aka "beepers", but this person is talking about the device you carry that would alert you when there is a problem with one of your systems. https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=593535494&q=pager&tbm=isch&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjB4vmfgKqDAxWkMDQIHfqODaYQ0pQJegQIDBAB&biw=1440&bih=754&dpr=2 https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=593535494&q=pager&tbm=...

kyriakos 3y ago
Yes I know what a pager is but was surprised the word is still in use.
- tarxvf 3y ago
  The name will live on in "PagerDuty" at a minimum.
  - erik_seaberg 3y ago
    Before mobile phones and beepers, institutions would use a public address system to announce “paging dr. whoever.” Makes me wonder whether the word comes from sending a “page” (an errand boy) to go look for dr. whoever and bring him back. I guess now “carrying the pager” is a metaphor like “copy and paste” (from the glue used in newspaper layout).
    - chirau 3y ago
      "paging dr. whoever" Can't help but think of that epic line in The Hangover "Paging doctor F.....!" - Phil
    - binary132 3y ago
      There’s a website for people like us. Merry Christmas! https://www.etymonline.com/word/pager https://www.etymonline.com/word/pager
- sneak 3y ago
  Pagers are still in use. They receive signals much better (UHF) than GSM two-way devices. https://americanmessaging.net/ https://americanmessaging.net/
  - dredmorbius 3y ago
    Amazing range, and battery life (often weeks) as well. Not to mention being robust against all kinds of physical abuse, which may itself be a useful characteristic for an on-call comms unit.
    - nightfly 3y ago
      More months than weeks
      - dredmorbius 3y ago
        YMMV Policy I've seen employed was that the current on-call remained on-call until the pager was fully charged. Dead pagers may be more fun than dead puppies, but that's not a high-prestige contest.
- nrb 3y ago
  I think they're still prevalent in hospitals due to their reliability and higher connectivity.

kyriakos 3y ago

Yes I know what a pager is but was surprised the word is still in use.

tarxvf 3y ago
The name will live on in "PagerDuty" at a minimum.
- erik_seaberg 3y ago
  Before mobile phones and beepers, institutions would use a public address system to announce “paging dr. whoever.” Makes me wonder whether the word comes from sending a “page” (an errand boy) to go look for dr. whoever and bring him back. I guess now “carrying the pager” is a metaphor like “copy and paste” (from the glue used in newspaper layout).
  - chirau 3y ago
    "paging dr. whoever" Can't help but think of that epic line in The Hangover "Paging doctor F.....!" - Phil
  - binary132 3y ago
    There’s a website for people like us. Merry Christmas! https://www.etymonline.com/word/pager https://www.etymonline.com/word/pager
sneak 3y ago
Pagers are still in use. They receive signals much better (UHF) than GSM two-way devices. https://americanmessaging.net/ https://americanmessaging.net/
- dredmorbius 3y ago
  Amazing range, and battery life (often weeks) as well. Not to mention being robust against all kinds of physical abuse, which may itself be a useful characteristic for an on-call comms unit.
  - nightfly 3y ago
    More months than weeks
    - dredmorbius 3y ago
      YMMV Policy I've seen employed was that the current on-call remained on-call until the pager was fully charged. Dead pagers may be more fun than dead puppies, but that's not a high-prestige contest.
nrb 3y ago
I think they're still prevalent in hospitals due to their reliability and higher connectivity.