I think that every major piece of equipment should have a designated maintenance window, 
that the downtime schedule should be clearly communicated to all users, that firmware 
upgrades should be done on a routine basis, and that I should have been born with 
x-ray vision and the ability to fly.

But I'm not in charge here; I'll grow wings before I see that implemented.  
It's a shame, really.  Who tells their mechanic that they simply do not have 
time to get their car's oil changed for years?  Not our customers, I'll bet.  

But those same people expect 24/7/365:5:49:19 continuous operation of the systems 
that support their applications, with no maintenance of those systems whatsoever.

And that's why I like computers more than people.  Computers make sense.

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I've got an awesome boss!  He replied:

Even worse, I feel like the following analogy is in play. 
   
I need to take my car in for an oil change and maintenance because I  
am accountable for its ability to operate and get me to work and 
generally be reliable.

However my neighbor has a set of car keys and is constantly driving my
car so I cannot get it into the shop for upkeep because he always 
needs it.  Every time I implore him to give me my car so I can have   
work done on it he vetos the work because he needs my car.
   
Then he ends up on the side of the road in a dead car and calls me up
to scream at me for not maintaining my vehicle and demands to know    
what I am going to do to prevent it from ever happening again.
   
   -----
   
A boss that gets it!  Priceless!