Editing System Administrator Appreciation Day

{{Short description|Annual observance for IT workers}}
{{Infobox holiday
|holiday_name = System Administrator Appreciation Day
|type = secular
|longtype =
|image = System Administrator Appreciation Day.jpg
|caption = A cake celebrating System Administrator Appreciation Day with [[Tux (mascot)|Tux]] the [[Linux]] penguin on the top
|official_name =
|observedby = Worldwide
|begins =
|ends =
|date =
<!-- next four if holiday is the same day of the same week every year -->
|week_ordinal = last
|weekday = Friday
|month = July
|celebrations = 
|relatedto = [[Day of the Programmer]]
}}

'''System Administrator Appreciation Day''', also known as '''Sysadmin Day''', '''SysAdminDay''', or '''BOFH Day''' is an [[list of minor secular observances#July|annual event]] created by [[system administrator]] Ted Kekatos. The event exists to show appreciation for the work of sysadmins and other [[Information technology|IT]] workers.  It is celebrated on the last Friday in July.

== History ==

The first System Administrator Appreciation Day was celebrated on July 28, 2000. Kekatos was inspired to create the special day by a [[Hewlett-Packard]] magazine advertisement in which a system administrator is presented with flowers and fruit-baskets by grateful co-workers as thanks for installing new printers. Kekatos had just installed several of the same model printer at his workplace.<ref>{{cite web
| url=https://community.spiceworks.com/topic/149581-interview-with-the-founder-of-system-administrator-appreciation-day-ted-kekatos
| title=Interview with the founder of System Administrator Appreciation Day Ted Kekatos
| author=Nic
| date=2011-07-28
| publisher=[[Spiceworks]]
| access-date=2020-08-07}}</ref>

The official SysAdmin Day website includes many suggestions for the proper observation of the holiday. Most common is cake and ice cream. There are many international websites which celebrate the holiday.

Many [[geek]] and [[Internet]] culture businesses, such as [[O'Reilly Media]], also honor the holiday with special product offerings and contests. Various [[filk music|filk]] songs have been written to commemorate the day.<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.deadtroll.com/sysadmin/
| title=Happy Sysadmin Day!
| format=Flash
| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200130215754/http://www.deadtroll.com/sysadmin/
| archive-date=2020-01-30
| url-status=dead
| access-date=2020-08-07}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.ukuug.org/sysadminday/
| title=UK Unix & Open Systems User Group: Happy SysAdmin Day
| publisher=[[UKUUG]]
| access-date=2020-08-07}}</ref><ref>{{YouTube|id=h77tKa5ZHoE|title=Sysadmin Appreciation Day 2012 Tribute}}</ref><ref>{{YouTube|id=M32SJ2GGX3Q|title=Always Near: A SysAdmin Day Musical}}</ref> The songs have reached a level of popularity where they are also covered by other performers.

Attempts to have [[Hallmark Cards]] recognize the holiday as a [[Hallmark Holiday]] have yet to be realized. Many e-card websites already have special SysAdminDay cards available.<ref>{{cite web
| url=https://mcpmag.com/articles/2001/07/27/system-administrator-appreciation-day.aspx
| title=System Administrator Appreciation Day
| first=Elizabeth
| last=Hoyt
| date=2001-07-27
| access-date=2020-08-07}}</ref>

The holiday has been recognized and promoted by many IT professional organizations, the [[League of Professional System Administrators]], [[SAGE (organization)|SAGE]]/[[USENIX]] and SNIPhub.
[[File:Ekaterinburg Sysadmin Day Keyboard Monument 2011.jpg|thumb|Ekaterinburg Sysadmin Day near [[Keyboard Monument]] in 2011]]

== "Sysadmin Day" around the world ==
===Russia===
Since 2006, the All-Russia System Administrator Gathering is held annually near [[Kaluga]] city. In present times thousands of people come there from more than 150 cities of [[Russia]], [[Ukraine]], [[Belarus]] and [[Kazakhstan]].{{cn|date=May 2021}} There is also a separate event near Kaluga called [[:ru:LinuxFest|LinuxFest]] which is held on the last Friday in July. There is also a similar regular event in [[Novosibirsk]] on the bank of [[Novosibirsk Reservoir]].

[[Ekaterinburg]] technicians also celebrate the last July Friday. Before 2010 there were spontaneous gatherings, and since 2010 the event received official permission from Ekaterinburg authorities<ref>{{cite web
| url=https://www.e1.ru/news/spool/news_id-331716.html
| title=В Екатеринбурге впервые официально отметят День системного администратора
| trans-title=System Administrator Day will be officially celebrated in Yekaterinburg for the first time
| language=ru
| date=2010-07-29
| access-date=2020-08-07}}</ref> to be annually held near famous [[Keyboard monument]] in the city centre with support from IT companies. There are "sysadmin competitions" between participants: they throw defunct [[Computer mouse|PC mice]] to reach maximum distance and also throw such mice (with their "tails" cut out) within an empty distant [[computer case]] used as basket. Additionally, they [[powerlifting|powerlift]] a bundle of unused [[Hard disk drive|HDDs]].<ref>{{cite web
| url=https://www.ural.kp.ru/photo/66600/
| title=Cисадмины Екатеринбурга отмечали свой профессиональный праздник у памятника клавиатуре
| trans-title=Yekaterinburg sysadmins celebrated their professional holiday at the keyboard monument
| date=2016-07-29
| publisher=[[Komsomolskaya Pravda]]
| access-date=2020-08-07}}</ref> In 2016 during such an event a memorial plaque was set up at the monument to honor {{ill|Eugene Zorin|ru|Зорин, Евгений Александрович}}, the Ekaterinburg [[FidoNet]] organizer and Internet pioneer who died recently.<ref>{{in lang|ru}} [[n:ru:Память уральского общественника Евгения Зорина увековечили на одной из клавиш Памятника клавиатуре]] [The memory of the Ural public figure Yevgeny Zorin was immortalized on one of the keys of the Keyboard Monument]</ref>

== See also ==

* [[World Information Society Day]]
* [[Programmers' Day]]

== References ==

{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{commonscat}}

* [http://www.sysadminday.com/ The official System Administrator Appreciation Day website]

[[Category:Unofficial observances]]
[[Category:Awareness days]]
[[Category:Internet culture]]
[[Category:July observances]]
[[Category:System administration]]
[[Category:Recurring events established in 2000]]
[[Category:Holidays and observances by scheduling (nth weekday of the month)]]