Slashdot Mirror


Full Frontal Quickies

Lady and Gentlemen, sit back and brace yourself for the assault of the quickies: AlexPixel sent us the curiously named Bilbo.com which actually sells feet keyboards for key modifiers and mouse clicks. cadfael sent us a sordid tale of a coder scorned. Some billboards: first from Ant we have a windows error and from mazur we have a bit of unix (must be california ;) mmca noted that scientists have discovered why candy wrappers are loudest in movie theaters. IcesTorm-I noted a supposed windows bug that will make ya wonder. DuncMonk sent us a cool comic strip called Sinfest that you might wish to add to your morning coffee. How about the x86 Still for those of you who believe that controlling your stereo, lights, garage door, and neighbors dog just isn't enough for your PC. Not out there enough for ya? How about RSA implemented entirely in javascript? (Doesn't work for me ... I leave that crap turned off ;) And finally to leave everyone on the proper melodic note, gribbly Symphony #2 for Dot Matrix Printers. Fortunately it's available in MP3 just in case you don't have a dot-matrix printer still handy...

166 comments

  1. Mr. Coder Scorned by mindstrm · · Score: 2

    Though I sympathize with Mr. Coder Scorned, I would say that, by setting up such a service on his own personal site without compensation, and by not setting such a service up as part of the company's own infrastructure (which it is his job to build), he failed in his duties, and didn't do his job right.

    We can all look at it and say 'This guy was being nice, running it himselef!'.. but... your duty to the company is to design systems that protect the companies interests from everyone else, includeing YOURSELF.

    1. Re:Mr. Coder Scorned by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1
      Due to this I think Nordquist has his site hosted here .

      Oh, and i've temporarily hosting company pages on my personal site just because the company servers didn't have PHP and although I told the server guys it was required it took them two months to bother installing it. Shitty companies can force these strange circumstances on workers - I sympathise. I think the way he went about announcing that the company was a bitch was pretty classy - actually.

    2. Re:Mr. Coder Scorned by radja · · Score: 1

      I bet that wasn't anywhere in the job contract.. The contract describes his duties. It's the company's own fault.

      //rdj

      --

      No one can understand the truth until he drinks of coffee's frothy goodness.
      --Sheikh Abd-Al-Kadir, 1587
  2. Symphony by mindstrm · · Score: 2

    Isn't that the same symphony for dot matrix printers that was posted to /. 2 other times before?

    1. Re:Symphony by mindstrm · · Score: 1

      I bet that's what all you karmaless bums say...

  3. x86 still is a repeat article by bugg · · Score: 1

    But it's quite a scary thought that with the coming of the Crusoe and perhaps StrongARM replacing x86 for many usage, the world will lose out on the x86 processors biggest advantage.. distilling booze. So even when the computer crashes, you won't care- you'll be drunk off your horse!

    --
    -bugg
  4. Okay, now I have a project... by baka_boy · · Score: 5

    That shot of the crashed video board has inspired me. Those damn things are like animated GIF's on the highways, and I've been looking for some way to mess with them without being totally destructive and getting my ass thrown in jail.

    It's all so simple...I just need to get a copy of BackOrifice installed on it, and put up my own subversive messages. Subtly, of course...I was thinking of something along the lines of:

    "News Flash: Animated billboards reported as #3 cause of fatal car crashes, following drunk driving and cell phones!"

    Okay, maybe not, but I still hate them.

    1. Re:Okay, now I have a project... by Yottabyte84 · · Score: 1

      Dude! great idea, you could make it start showing porn banners, and other cahotic junk. One problem tho. Are those things on the net? And do they keep the boxs up by the billboards? it seems to me those things would be transmited remotly (from the box)they wouldn't need more then dial-up access. This is a great idea but improbable.

  5. "windows bug" by Stary · · Score: 1

    Didn't we just see this a few weeks ago on /. ?

    --
    Tomorrow will be cancelled due to lack of interest
    1. Re:"windows bug" by quonsar · · Score: 1

      Didn't we just see this a few weeks ago on /. ?

      I think we did... :-)

      "I will gladly pay you today, sir, and eat up

    2. Re:"windows bug" by seligman · · Score: 1
      Since the article is archived, I guess I can't provide the direct link (or is that a bug?), but go to this quickie article and search for my user name in the document.

      As others have mentioned, while searching for this, I ran across most of these quickie entries in past articles.

      Wouldn't it be easy to do a quick search of the hyperlink you're posting about in past articles first? That's not 100% perfect, but it would probably stop a lot of the repeats going on around here.

      --
      -- It is too late for the pebbles to vote, the avalanche has already started.
    3. Re:"windows bug" by Yivit · · Score: 1

      I remember the first (and only) time I heard one of these sounds. My heatsink/CPU fan had popped off which, of course, allowed the CPU temp to rise above the alarm threshold. It took me a few minutes to figure out what the Sam Hill was happening. I can imagine a luser would probably have a herd of cattle if it happened to him/her. :)

      --
      --- Patches?!? We don't NEED no steenking PATCHES!!!
  6. http://www.xs4all.nl/~mazur/unixbb.jpg by eMBee · · Score: 1
    california?

    look again, mazur is from .nl, there is an url with .nl, and Hilversum is in the netherlands as well (been there...)

    greetings, eMBee.
    --

    --
    Gnu is Not Unix / Linux Is Not UniX
    1. Re:http://www.xs4all.nl/~mazur/unixbb.jpg by BorgDrone · · Score: 2

      Yep, it's definatily dutch, I know couse I live in the netherlands and have seen this billboard IRL on train stations.
      ---

    2. Re:http://www.xs4all.nl/~mazur/unixbb.jpg by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2

      Being an ignorant american I'll try and translate:

      jewerkisjehobby = your work is your hobby

      creatief/innovatief = creative/innovative

      je baan is in hilersum = your job is in hilversum

    3. Re:http://www.xs4all.nl/~mazur/unixbb.jpg by BorgDrone · · Score: 1

      correct, and www.omroep.nl is the website of the public television
      ---

  7. Scorned Coder by pheonix · · Score: 2

    It almost makes me want to host my company's web site from home, in case I decide one day that their health insurance policy just isn't comprehensive enough.

    Seriously, though, if his company allowed their site to be hosted by/on his personal equipment, they've earned whatever happened.

  8. Negative humor... by cluening · · Score: 1

    > from the SELECT-*-FROM-quickies-WHERE-humor--0; dept

    What? Grabbing all quickies with humor less than 0? That seems pretty bad...

    --
    Posted from the wireless couch.
    1. Re:Negative humor... by gotih · · Score: 1

      perhaps he meant for humor to equal -1 which in many databases is 'true'. However, in that case it should have been = not
      Personally, i'm annoyed that he used * instead of listing the column names.

      --

      fear is the mind killer
  9. Sinfest, the best strip on the net. by BilldaCat · · Score: 1
    It rocks. Go.

    Link 1..

    Link 2..

    Beats the crap out of anything Illiad has ever drawn.

    --
    BilldaCat
  10. Windows error? by dark_panda · · Score: 2

    Microsoft is getting free advertisements from electronic billboard operators!

    No wonder there's so many Windows bugs! Bill Gates, in all of his genius and luminating brilliance, told his Windows devs to include a sneaky billboard function into the win32 api (WinCreateBillboardError()) that's called on all billboards to secretly promote Windows!

    Or some pro-linux billboard operator has been playing tricks on poor Bill

    Q: How many Bill Gates' does it take to screw in a lightbulb?

    A: Just one. He just holds the lightbulb still and lets the world revolve around him.

    J

    1. Re:Windows error? by Stary · · Score: 1
      Q. How many Microsoft coders does it take to change a lightbulb?

      A. None, they just declare darkness as the new standard.

      --
      Tomorrow will be cancelled due to lack of interest
    2. Re:Windows error? by dark_panda · · Score: 2

      Q. How many Microsoft support personel does it take to replace a lightbulb?
      A. We have issue this problem Support Number 31415567 and are currently assigning a technician to help you solve your lightbulb problem. We will contact you when a technician becomes available.

      Q. How many Windows programmers does it take to create a lightbulb?
      A. 472 -- one to write WinGetLightBulbBox(), one to write WinRemoveLightFromBox(), one to write WinCheckLightSwitch()....

      Q. How many Microsoft support tech's does it take to fix a lighbulb?
      A. Well, actually you must be the problem, because we have a copy of the lightbulb here in our office and it's working fine...

      Q. How many Microsoft debuggers does it take to replace a lightbulb?
      A. None, they just notice it's burnt out.

      Q. How many Microsoft programmers does it take to fix a lightbulb?
      A. None, they just write darkness up as a new and useful feature.

      Q. How many Microsoft developers does it take to replace a lightbulb?
      A. Three -- two to hold the ladder steady and one to screw the lightbulb into a sink faucet.

      Q. How many Microsoft employees does it take to replace a lightbulb?
      A. None. They live in eternal darkness.

      I've got a million of them.

      J

  11. Hey hey! by Ravagin · · Score: 1

    So these foot pedals are by default set to be Shift, Ctrl, and Alt. That means I only need 1 finger to reboot my computer! Heck, I can use my nose if I'm doing something silly like playing the bass and using the computer simultaneously. Amazin'.
    In all seriousness, I like the idea of being able to set macros to foot pedals. As the site points out, HTML coding could become much easier.
    -J

    --

    Karma: T-rexcellent.

    1. Re:Hey hey! by Black+Parrot · · Score: 1

      > That means I only need 1 finger to reboot my computer! ... Amazin'.

      I think you spell it "Amazon".

      --

      --
      Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
  12. I have another billboard for you. by netik · · Score: 2
    The excalibur also crashed during Interop '99. I'm quite sure that many of the billboards run Windows.

    It's amazing that this happened during an industry conference, when there was such a wonderful chance to embarass M$.

    You can see it here on my web site: http://www.retina.net/~jna/g allery/16/r113-mssucks.jpg
    1. Re:I have another billboard for you. by spankenstein · · Score: 1

      I've seen a surprising amount of crashed windows billboards. I saw one in New York while attending Linux World and 2600 had one the same month that Netware 5 came out.

    2. Re:I have another billboard for you. by Vanders · · Score: 1

      I've seen several crashed Cash Machines (ATM's) here in the UK. Natwest has decided that NT is the perfect embeded OS for them, aparently.

      Kind of funny when you walk up to the machine and see a memory exception in Green screen.....

    3. Re:I have another billboard for you. by Van+Halen · · Score: 1

      Sounds like most of the Vegas casinos use NT for their billboards. I got a nice chuckle back in '98 when I saw the BSOD on the billboard at the MGM Grand. Too bad I didn't have a camera on me at the time...

  13. WebComics (SinFest & All) by PopeAlien · · Score: 2

    I must agree SinFest is an excellent independent web strip. The art is excellent and the writing is great - If it whets your appetite for more independent webcomics check out BigPanda or both excellent sources of online comic goodness that you wont find in your daily paper (and who wants to get ink all over their fingers anyhow).

    1. Re:WebComics (SinFest & All) by EliFool · · Score: 1

      Indeed, but it isn't the only good webComic floating in the void of cyberspace, one of my personal favorites is living in greytown by Dave Kelly, it is definatly worth a look another great source for online comics is KeenSpot and if you're into the indy comic sceen KeenSpace and of course my own comic(yeah I know it is a shameless plug)Fool's Life

      --
      www.foolslife.net click the link, or not
  14. windows bug really a bios bug by Alien54 · · Score: 1
    The windows bug really is a feature of the bios.

    As posted on the Microsoft link:

    During normal operation or in Safe mode, your computer may play "Fur Elise" or "It's a Small, Small World" seemingly at random. This is an indication sent to the PC speaker from the computer's BIOS that the CPU fan is failing or has failed, or that the power supply voltages have drifted out of tolerance. This is a design feature of a detection circuit and system BIOSes developed by Award/Unicore from 1997 on.
    This of course would be a real bummer.

    now if you are running an Olde Dos System (TM), you might run into a virus that plays a happy melody, but your antivirus would have to be about 5 years out of date, to say the least.

    --
    "It is a greater offense to steal men's labor, than their clothes"
    1. Re:windows bug really a bios bug by oh+shoot · · Score: 1

      Maybe I'm crazy, but wouldn't it make more sense for it to actually tell you about the problem?

      --Jeff

    2. Re:windows bug really a bios bug by DrEldarion · · Score: 1

      The thing I'm wondering is... Why the heck did they pick those two songs? Couldn't they think of a better sound, perhaps maybe an ALARM? I'd tend to think that would make people a lot more worried than a little Beethoven...

      -- Dr. Eldarion --

    3. Re:windows bug really a bios bug by YU+Nicks+NE+Way · · Score: 2

      Maybe I'm crazy, but wouldn't it make more sense for it to actually tell you about the problem?

      I'd be inclined to think so. Unfortunately, Microsoft didn't put this particular Easter egg into the code; it's a feature of the BIOS itself.

  15. Translation of the Unix billboard? by torpor · · Score: 5

    From what I can tell, the translation of the Unix billboard (which isn't an error - it looks like Dutch unix) is something along the lines of:


    For anyone who has listed in their CV (resume) that their work is their hobby and they are creative or innovative, send them an email with the subject set to "Your place is in Hilversum" (?), and tell 'em to go check out the URL: http://www.omroep.nl/gurus/


    Not sure about the subject line, but that's a pretty darn nifty advertisement, for damned sure. I'd send 'em my resume...

    --
    ; -- the corruption of government starts with its secrets. a truly free people keep no secrets. --
    1. Re:Translation of the Unix billboard? by ESD · · Score: 1

      This billboard indeed struck me as one of the most original ones I have seen so far.. When I saw it, I just stared at it for 3 minutes before figuring out that it *really* was a un*x commandline (solaris?).

      Anyway, it's an ad for the central ISP of the dutch public tv/radio-broadcasting companies, looking for un*x-people. The part I didn't like however is that I visited their site with lynx, and got a not-so-friendly message telling me I was using an antique browser.

      The subject of the mail says: "Your job is in Hilversum", Hilversum is the city where (almost?) all public broadcasting companies in NL are located.

      For dutch people: if you go to their site, you can request a small version of the ad (don't know if that's still on the site btw).

    2. Re:Translation of the Unix billboard? by ThrobbingGristle · · Score: 1

      I've seen similar adds on billboards in Amsterdam as well, which is where I am for the time being. I almost went and checked it out; anyone who uses find in an job ad can't be all bad.

    3. Re:Translation of the Unix billboard? by Basje · · Score: 1

      I live I the netherlands, and I'm native dutch. The advertisement hung on all trainstations in the area here and some billboards.

      However, I didn't send in my cv. It's an advertisement for the public television/radio. Some of my friends/collegues have worked there, and didn't like it.

      ----------------------------------------------

      --
      the pun is mightier than the sword
    4. Re:Translation of the Unix billboard? by Black+Parrot · · Score: 1

      > Not sure about the subject line, but that's a pretty darn nifty advertisement, for damned sure.

      So now I'm wondering whether all those cryptic Windows error messages are actually ads for MCSEs to come work at Microsoft. Gurus know the lingo, and all that.

      --

      --
      Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
    5. Re:Translation of the Unix billboard? by knarf · · Score: 1

      This billboard (only a static, traditional, paper version I'm afraid...) is a job ad for the Dutch public broadcasting foundation (Nederlandse Omroep Stichting). They maintain the www.omroep.nl website which is the hub for the other public broadcaster's sites. They make a point of using Unix for their website and related operations, and are in the market for sysadmins and developers. So if you're interested and feel California is getting dangerous, what with all the forest fires and such...

      --
      --frank[at]unternet.org
    6. Re:Translation of the Unix billboard? by sozin · · Score: 1
      Visited the web site; it looks like they are UNIX specialists or something.

      They give a UNIX test ( in Dutch, of course ); me and a co-worker took it, and scored 83% ( without using Babel fish :).

      I'm really feeling guru level now :)

  16. So that's why! by Gord · · Score: 2

    From the Microsoft support article listed above

    During normal operation or in Safe mode, your computer may play "Fur Elise" or "It's a Small, Small World" seemingly at random. This is an indication sent to the PC speaker from the computer's BIOS that the CPU fan is failing or has failed,-snip-

    So is my computer oppening more and more windows when I try to leave pr0n sites a sign of a failing computer?

  17. Candy Wrapper Acoustics by TrIaX · · Score: 1

    When I follow the link to the Candy Wrapper Acoustics story, I get the following response from the CNN servers:

    Not Found

    The requested object does not exist on this server. The link you followed is either outdated, inaccurate, or the server has been instructed not to let you have it.

    Anybody have the correct URL? :)

    1. Re:Candy Wrapper Acoustics by Zurk · · Score: 1

      no. it looks like it got pulled. if you go one link down, you can see the directories and theres only one story about blueberry farms.

  18. My GOD thats ugly.. by PopeAlien · · Score: 2

    What I mean to say is BigPanda.Net and keenspot. Good online comic stuffs.

  19. Candy wrapper article cached by / · · Score: 4

    Cached: here. I could've sworn that story was from months ago, and it was (June 2).

    --
    "If one is really a superior person, the fact is likely to leak out without too much assistance" -- John Andrew Holmes
    1. Re:Candy wrapper article cached by iElucidate · · Score: 1

      Yes, perhaps someone forgot that AP stories expire after one week... Definetally saving up this quickie for a while.

  20. OOOO, a new feature by cvd6262 · · Score: 1
    Quote from Microsoft:

    This is a design feature of a detection circuit and system BIOSes developed by Award/Unicore from 1997 on.

    Notice how M$ uses Feature to describe bugs and easter eggs.

    --

    I'd rather have someone respond than be modded up.

  21. Feet? by Black+Parrot · · Score: 2

    > the curiously named Bilbo.com which actually sells feet keyboards

    The name makes sense if you've read Tolkien. However, Bilbo would insist that it's "foots" rather than "feet".

    --

    --
    Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
  22. Windows Bug?? Not likely by rikkards · · Score: 2
    IcesTorm-I noted a supposed windows bug that will make ya wonder

    I don't think this can be called a "windows bug" since it sounds like the BIOS does this. Doesn't matter if you are running M$, Linux, or *BSD, it would happen anyways.

    1. Re:Windows Bug?? Not likely by rikkards · · Score: 1
      Don't say that! The poor dears need to find all the Windows bugs they can! Linux isn't an operating system, it's a religion! (Remember: if MS reports a bug it's their incompetence, but if any Linux company reports a bug it's laudable honesty.)

      Ah but the ignorant masses look at any OS that has found more bugs to be the worse OS (I think that is why we call them ignorant)>, of course they don't realize the benefit of opening up the source allows more people to find the bugs. See related link here

    2. Re:Windows Bug?? Not likely by photozz · · Score: 1

      It's a small world after all, it's a small world.........

      --


      Dirty Pirate Hooker
  23. Re:Symphony (not the only old thing) by Kris_J · · Score: 4
    The foot-pedals thing is ancient. I found out about it from a /. comment, ordered one, had it shipped to Australia, used it for a few months, decided it wasn't particularly useful and on-sold it to a friend about a year ago (he thinks it's great).

    The musical error was linked to in a comment attached to a set of quickies maybe a month ago (I posted it to my journal, so I can get an exact date)

    Quickies? More like Oldies. The very best /. from 6 months, 12 months and 2 years ago...

  24. old hacks never die by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    While I suppose you youngsters of the .com crowd
    are fairly easy to entertain with cheap dot matrix printer symphonies, I would really love to see the history of IBM drum drive hacking, such as the famous "waking" drive, where one synchronizes the heads to slam against the same side of the drive repetivily until it starts moving across the room, or the more sufisticated music of mainframe drive head symphonies...

  25. Foot pedals = ankle strain? by blackwizard · · Score: 1
    So, about this pedal -- does anyone know if there is an equivalent of carpel tunnel syndrome for the ankles? It may be helping carpel tunnel syndrome, but my ankles are going to be damned sore after a hard day coding, I think!

    Ah well. All in the name of load balancing, I suppose.

    1. Re:Foot pedals = ankle strain? by SEWilco · · Score: 2

      You might ask an organist, they play with pedals also. You could also check if there tended to be injuries caused by foot-pumped portable organs or foot-pumped sewing machines; although this is an easier motion than erratic selection, a pattern of injuries would be an indicator of problems.

    2. Re:Foot pedals = ankle strain? by Hooptie · · Score: 1
      I didn't belive it, but apparently there is a syndrome called Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome. Check out
      http://www.smartfoot.com/patien ts/tarsaltunnel.html
      and...
      http://www.podiatrychannel.com /tarsaltunnelsyndrome/

      Hooptie

      --
      "Heavens, it appears that my weewee has been stricken with rigor mortis!" -- Stewie Griffin
  26. C'mon, repeating this quickly? by barracg8 · · Score: 1

    I know that slashdot repeats itself every so often, but the javascript RSA one was in a bunch on quickies posted by emmett on June 30, barely more than a month ago.

    Should I expect to see it again in 30 days time?

    CmdrTaco should have used the preview button.

  27. Windows bug by Brave+Little+Toaster · · Score: 1
    That windows bug reminds me of the time I went to the airport to pick up my mother... the monitors that display the arrivals/departures information all had the dread BSOD.

    She no longer flies out of that airport.

    By the way, does anyone else think the guy pictured in the other bilboard looks kinda creepy?

    --

    --

    --
    brave little toaster

    "Remember, don't try this at home until the statute of limitations has expired."

  28. Candywrapper Story Useless by iElucidate · · Score: 2

    What a great story! Four paragraphs to explain that, no matter how quickly or slowly you open a candy bar, the same amount of sound comes from it. Like I didn't know it! Their advice: Just open it quickly and get it over with. Wow, these guys are GOOD!!!

    1. Re:Candywrapper Story Useless by Zan+Thrax · · Score: 1

      The secret to not making a lot of noise with your movie junk food is to not bloody open/eat/crunch/whatever it when the theatre's quiet! Wait for the loud explosion or arguement, then munch.

      --

      Intolerant people should be shot.
  29. Queensland Trains by QuantumG · · Score: 1

    Here in Queensland Australia they use Commodore 64's for the electronic train table billboards at train stations. I found this out one day after walking down to the platform and seeing the old C64 basic blue screen.

    --
    How we know is more important than what we know.
    1. Re:Queensland Trains by QuantumG · · Score: 1

      Well, it was at Toowong station. They might have replaced them since last year.

      --
      How we know is more important than what we know.
    2. Re:Queensland Trains by QuantumG · · Score: 1

      I have made that thing crash like 20 times now.

      --
      How we know is more important than what we know.
  30. The Windows Tune of Death! by PaulWilkinson · · Score: 2

    Great! A tune to accompany the famous BSOD! Maybe the billboards could have great, big speakers attached to them.... I would've prefered "Daisy daisy..." anyway...

    1. Re:The Windows Tune of Death! by Tungz10 · · Score: 1

      Did you actually read the article? It's a FEATURE (that means INTENTIONAL) in the BIOS.

      Microsoft put it ont heir tech support because if my windows box started playing music, I would think I had a virus.

  31. Drinks For Overclockers by SEWilco · · Score: 1

    Now we know what is beyond Water Cooling: Evaporative Alcohol Cooling!

  32. I saw one like that in Perl once... by Wee · · Score: 2
    I think it was at the first Perl Conference, I dunno. But it was pretty damn cool. More than a couple people ran it (just for grins, I guess -- it was easy enough to read on it's own) to see what it did.

    I just had another thought: instead of emailing an an ascii resume as an attachment to a potential new employer, why not slurp in your resume, encode it somehow, and then send them the script/source/whatever as an attachment? As hard as it is to hire good people, I don't think that it would be a turn-off or keep you from being considered. It might piss off HR, but that's never a bad thing. If someone sent me their resume that way, I recommend they be hired on the spot. At any rate, you could use it as a filter: anyone that either didn't get it, didn't run it or didn't appreciate it wouldn't likely be a place you'd want to work anyway.

    Of course, my .sig might make me out to be a little biased... :-)

    -B

    --

    Ash and Hickory, straight-grained and true, make excellent bludgeons, dandy for the cudgeling of vegetarians.

  33. Another PR coup for Microsoft! by Black+Parrot · · Score: 1

    > Some billboards: first from Ant we have a windows error

    Now they've hired Lance Burton to pop up on a nearby billboard and prompt you whenever you need to insert a disk!

    Though a more impressive feature would be to have him whisk it in magically as soon as it's needed.

    --

    --
    Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
  34. So for Windows errors we have... by dark_panda · · Score: 4
    ... unintelligible blue screens of death that tell us lots of useless numbers and memory addresses but nothing of any use, and midi that plays randomly.

    How difficult is it to bring up a window that says, "Excel crashed, your work is gone, loser."

    Instead I get a midi of 'Start Me Up' and some memory addresses. Killer!

    For your pleasure and off-topic fun, a handy lexicon of Microsoft PR translations:

    • Loads applications 50% faster! -- experience crashes 50% faster
    • Multitasking! -- crashes multiple programs at once
    • Backwardly compatible! -- will also crash your existing software
    • Network ready! -- crashes multiple systems at once
    • Multimedia ready! -- experience the astonishing sights and sounds of crashing in vivid VGA color
    • Free MSN subscription! -- go online and talk to other Windows users about their crashing experiences
    • Mac-like interface! -- 11 years of development and it's not even original
    • User friendly! -- pictures of clouds
    J
    1. Re:So for Windows errors we have... by Th3+D0t · · Score: 4
      Did you follow the link? It's not even a windows error. It is a BIOS indication that the CPU fan is failing or that the power supply voltage has exceeded tolerances. Microsoft was probably bothered about it, though, so they threw it in their tech support database.

      And, it's not MIDI, it's the PC speaker.

      Now, this bug is funny.
      ---

      --
      I am the dot in slashdot.org
    2. Re:So for Windows errors we have... by Zan+Thrax · · Score: 1

      "... and that's why the sun sets in the west and rises in the east. Yes Timmy?"

      But, the Earth doesn't rotate that way. It goes the other way!

      Well, Timmy, I'm afraid it doesn't, or the sun would set in the east instead... who told you this Timmy?

      The Exploropaedia in the library has a movie of it.

      Well Timmy, you need to remember that the Exploropaedia is made by Microsoft...

      Timmy's expresion shifts to one of Zen enlightenment...

      --

      Intolerant people should be shot.
    3. Re:So for Windows errors we have... by Wah · · Score: 1

      TIMMY!!!!

      --

      --
      +&x
    4. Re:So for Windows errors we have... by vespazzari · · Score: 1

      quit making fun of retards its not nice

      --
      "Alcohol, cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems" -Homer Simpson
    5. Re:So for Windows errors we have... by Wah · · Score: 1

      try my new video "you can either pipe down, or I'll pop you in the mouth again." Guaranteed to cure add.

      --

      --
      +&x
    6. Re:So for Windows errors we have... by JimPooley · · Score: 1

      Microsoft probably got fed up of being blamed for it, and that's why they put it in their tech support database!|
      After all, some people round here probably blame Bill Gates if it rains...

      --

      "Information wants to be paid"
    7. Re:So for Windows errors we have... by Temporal · · Score: 2

      Blue screens are alot nicer under Win2k. After a few months of using it, I have only seen one. It happenned when my mother attempted to install drivers for her CDR drive, but accidently installed the Win98 drivers (the installer program didn't bother to check what operating system was running!). Anyway, upon rebooting, a blue screen came up that looked something like this (paraphrased since I don't remember the exact words):

      A fatal error has occurred.
      [some debug info]
      If this is the first time you have encountered this error, reboot and try again. If you encounter the error again, press F8 when you boot your computer to get a menu with more options.
      [more info *in plain english* about what to do followed]

      So, I rebooted, and the error didn't go away. Booted again and went into the F8 boot menu, and there was an option that said "Use last known good configuration." Believe it or not, it worked! It removed the bad drivers, and left everything else as it was. I was amazed.

      It turns out that Win2k is really much better than either Win9x or WinNT. I still use Linux on my primary computer, but I have a second computer next to it running W2K and I actually do alot of stuff with it.

      ------

    8. Re:So for Windows errors we have... by Rude+Turnip · · Score: 1

      I once knew someone who wanted to get Windows 95 just to have clouds as the background wallpaper.

      I don't think we've spoken together since.

  35. well there were some new links by daniell · · Score: 1

    I enjoyed the billboards and the comics... but we know the candywraper and symphony thing were around some time ago.
    BTW sluggy is catching up again.
    -Daniel

  36. Windows "Bug' Billboard a Fake! by katmaikni · · Score: 1

    Hotice that the black of the background of the billboard is different from the black of the error message.
    I *wish* it was real though.
    Oh well, M$ should adopt a similiar billboard for their Windows Me ad campain

    1. Re:Windows "Bug' Billboard a Fake! by Th3+D0t · · Score: 1
      That's the same thing I thought when I first saw it.

      But then I realized, why would anyone fake it, it doesn't make any sense. It's from windows setup, and it's not an error or a "bug".

      Then, later, I realized, why would anyone pay money to put that nonsense on a billboard?

      To quote Alex Trebek, "I don't get it."
      ---

      --
      I am the dot in slashdot.org
    2. Re:Windows "Bug' Billboard a Fake! by Grant+Elliott · · Score: 2

      Trust me, it's real. I was in Vegas last week and saw one do something like that. The screen was gibberish with the exception of the word "Microsoft" printed at the bottom. Then, of course, someone had to ctrl-alt-del it and go searching for the file to start it up again. Quite humorous indeed. My two cents...

      --

      "I believe that a scientist looking at nonscientific problems is just as dumb as the next guy." -Richard Feynman

  37. more about the UNIX billboard by Pflipp · · Score: 5

    It's not California at all, mister! It is Holland. Some folks at our national television try to attract some IT'ers.

    The bills were all around the place some time ago. I liked them.

    www.omroep.nl is the united website of national broadcasters. And Hilversum is the place where they make TV in holland (like Hollywood, only VERY different :-) Besides, it's TV, not film)

    It's... It's...

    --
    "We can confirm that Debian does *not* ship the version with the trojan horse. Our version predates it." [CA-2002-28]
    1. Re:more about the UNIX billboard by Wizard+of+OS · · Score: 1

      I agree that the bills were funny, but the first ones contained just plain rubbish that would run on _any_ shell. I didn't check the picture above, but it's probably also some meta-unix

      I wonder by the way why someone can say that it's in California when the URL is definately located in the TLD of the Netherlands (.nl).


      --

      --

      --
      If code was hard to write, it should be hard to read
  38. "Lady and gentlemen" by tie_guy_matt · · Score: 1

    At the risk of being moderated down for being off topic.

    Did you mean to say lady and gentlemen? because I thought it was pretty funny! I do think there are more than one women on /. though :)

  39. These Scientists Are Geniuses by waldoj · · Score: 2

    The sound is caused by the pops and clicks as creases in the packaging material are pulled apart, and there is very little a theatergoer can do to decrease the loudness of those sounds, according to Eric Kramer, a physicist from Simon's Rock College of Bard in Great Barrington, Massachusetts.

    Waiiit...so you're saying that the noise of opening candy is a product of the packaging? Well, hot damn! I figured it was just something in the air.

    CNN calls this news? Must be by Jeannie Frickin Moos.

    -Waldo

    -------------------

  40. Web consultant directs corporate site to pornsite by goingware · · Score: 2
    I know a web consultant who had an issue with some large site not paying its bills for his service.

    It seems that my friend often deals with clients who are not too savvy - so he often keeps the registration for the clients domain names under his own control.

    He just directed his client's DNS (which was some major company) to a porn site.

    It backfired on him though. A sheriff's deputy showed up at my friend's parent's house to serve a lawsuit process over this and I guess the parents (who are very elderly, conservative, and not hip to the ways of the web) were pretty astounded at the name of the porn site that was listed on the process.

    This same fellow makes it a practice to always register domain names under his own name and never give them up until the money is settled. I know of a number of companies that are probably unaware that they don't have control over their own DNS and that he's keeping this card up his sleeve in case negotiations turn bad.

    --
    -- Could you use my software consulting serv
  41. That's a management responsibility. by TheDullBlade · · Score: 2

    It is not the typical employee's responsibility to look out for the company's best interests, it is the managers'. That the managers did not forsee problems with this employee hosting the web site on his own personal account is not the employee's fault. It wasn't a technical issue, it was a business and legal issue.

    You are not obligated to protect the company from bad management decisions.

    ---
    Despite rumors to the contrary, I am not a turnip.

    --
    /.
  42. Old Coder News by Anomalous+Canard · · Score: 2

    Did you see the date on that story?
    Tuesday, May 9, 2000, 12:00 a.m. Pacific

    --
    Anomalous: deviating from what is usual, normal, or expected

    --
    Anomalous: deviating from what is usual, normal, or expected
    Canard: a false or unfounded repor
  43. Re:REVENGE OF THE REPOSTS!!! by Th3+D0t · · Score: 2

    Think that's bad, try reading the comments with a threshhold of -1
    ---

    --
    I am the dot in slashdot.org
  44. Dot Matrix by lazybeam · · Score: 1

    The same Dot Matrix things were posted a while ago, was it not? Plus the site is slow-as.
    --

    --
    --
    no sig for you. come back one year.
    1. Re:Dot Matrix by Art+Tatum · · Score: 1
      The same Dot Matrix things were posted a while ago, was it not? Plus the site is slow-as.

      Yes--twice. I was about to complain myself but the Dot Matrix Symphony #2 is so cool that I decided it needed as much exposure as possible. The phasing must have taken a lot of time to work out.

  45. 1541 Killer Music by foxtaur · · Score: 1

    This isn't an entirely new phenomena - back in the days of the Commodore 64, there was a program available that would knock the heads of the 1541 disk drive to the tune of "Daisy, Daisy". And now, in the days of emulators and MP3's, you can get both the program and hear the music at The amazing disk drive music page.

  46. Making the world spin backwards... by dark_panda · · Score: 1

    ... not without precedent, as I believe you will find that Superman once did it to save Lois Lane's life in Superman.

    Besides, I'm sure that Bill Gates wants to think that if there's one man who can stop the world from spinning, it's him.

    J

  47. Dead windows in airports by Booker · · Score: 2
    I see windows more and more in public embedded systems (3 guesses how I know it's windows...)

    Our airport (Austin) is new, and they have a bunch of multi-headed boxes showing departures and arrivals. I've seen 'em with windows error messages several times... wasn't there a web site of "sightings" like this somewhere?

    ---

    1. Re:Dead windows in airports by erpbridge · · Score: 1

      From time to time a couple years ago I saw, on those in-store touchscreen directories, a failed DOS boot. Seems the machines boot initially off of a floppy.

      "Bad or missing boot disk. Please insert a disk and press any key."

      Stupid thing is, it relied on an external power outlet to be powered. At the very least, they could have positioned the thing over the outlet. I'm willing to bet that was the cause of most of them.... kids being curious, and unplugging the machine.

      These things went for days without being rebooted. After about a year of that, they just disappeared all of a sudden. Guess someone got tired of redoing them. It's taken a couple years for them to come back in, and I guess now someone has learned to use the MBR.

    2. Re:Dead windows in airports by kaniff · · Score: 1

      The cash registers at our local grocery store lock up rather often and you get to see them POST and boot right into OS/2 when the employees have to reboot them. I've actually helped them fix them, they are just gutted IBM boxes with PR166 Cyrix's in them.

      Heh. OS/2. The OS is actually quite stable, it appears that the program they use to interface with the scanner/scale is rather flaky.

  48. Re:MOD PARENT UP by quonsar · · Score: 1

    I like how they say they are "researching" the problem!

    Now if someone will post a crack about correcting the rotation of the planet using nukes, we'll not only be enjoying quickies we already saw here a few months ago, we'll be having the same discussion about the same quickies we saw here a few months ago! :-)

    "I will gladly pay you today, sir, and eat up

  49. Bzzzt. Wrong. Company's mistake for allowing it. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1
    he failed in his duties, and didn't do his job right.

    The company never should've allowed official company stuff on an employee's personal web site. They compounded the mistake by letting it go on for so long. Third, they didn't pay him for the hosting. Now you have the gall to say he screwed up? The company deserves what it gets. If he wanted to put up a hot naked leprechaun porn page, the company would have no basis for grievance.

  50. Um, dept should have told us something. by Penrif · · Score: 4

    from the SELECT-*-FROM-quickies-WHERE-humor-&lt-0; dept.

    Well heck, if you're selecting the quickies with humor less than zero, they're bound to suck. I'd check the SQL server though, some of those were mildy funny.

  51. Offtopic? This isn't offtopic! by goingware · · Score: 2
    Why was my post moderated down to 1, offtopic (it got posted at 2).

    I was responding to the "coder scorned" post and meant it to be a warning to everyone reading it to keep control of your internet assets.

    You may regard my friend as an asshole - but he regards it as his business strategy, much to the dismay of his clients who do not make the effort to get informed about important things like who owns the domain name registration.

    --
    -- Could you use my software consulting serv
  52. Re:Once Again, A fucked up Link (CNN) by Zurk · · Score: 1

    the candy wrappers story got pulled. its a AP link - gets deleted in 1 week.
    heres the story in brief. sorry for the bad formatting and potential spam...i just copied and pasted it :
    ATLANTA (AP) -- Scientists have
    figured out why candy wrappers are so
    noisy when opened in a quiet theater, no
    matter how slowly or deliberately they
    are unwrapped.

    The sound is caused by the pops and
    clicks as creases in the packaging
    material are pulled apart, and there is very little a theatergoer can do to decrease
    the loudness of those sounds, according to Eric Kramer, a physicist from
    Simon's Rock College of Bard in Great Barrington, Massachusetts.

    Opening the wrapper slowly merely spreads out the pops and clicks. It doesn't
    make them softer.

    The study was released this week in Atlanta at a meeting of the Acoustical
    Society.

    Kramer and Alexander Lobkovsky of the National Institute of Standards and
    Technology in Gaithersburg, Maryland, studied the sound waves from
    unwrapping candy wrappers.

    The noise could be decreased with different wrapping materials. But for now,
    candy wrappers are going to make noise no matter how they are opened, Kramer
    concluded.

    His suggestion for movie-goers craving candy: Open it as quickly as possible and
    get it over with.

  53. Windows Error by Pinball+Wizard · · Score: 2
    did any one notice the windows error was actually the windows hardware wizard? Go back and look. The windows hardware wizard is what pops up automatically when new plug & play hardware is installed.

    Now I've never worked with these billboard systems before so I have to ask: Exactly how does a live billboard encounter a situation where the add hardware wizard pops up?

    I can see it now. Two geeks are assigned to replace the video card for this system.

    Geek #1: OK, #2, this is your first time on this job so you might be surprised. That billboard takes a video signal just like any other monitor. Its just an average PC system so this job will be cake.

    Geek #2: Cool! So all we have to do is take a spare monitor and a video card up there.

    Geek #1: Well yeah, but we don't need the monitor. We'll just watch the progress from the billboard.

    --

    No, Thursday's out. How about never - is never good for you?

  54. Re:Dot Matrix, Other Repeats by cnj · · Score: 2

    The most recent quickies contain a lot of repeats.

    Search for the others yourself. I don't expect the posters to remember every /. story, but you think that they could run a search for at least the most recent stories for the topic they're posting?

    --

    --
    Never trust anyone over 90000.
  55. Meta keys by SWroclawski · · Score: 1

    Okay, sure it would be nice to have footpedals for Emacs, the way Emacs was meant to be, but is it really worth $99?

    - Serge Wroclawski

  56. scientific humor? by craw · · Score: 2
    Don't know how seriously to take the candy wrapper study. And BTW, the study doesn't say its the loudest, just that noise happens.

    Scientist sometimes do get bored and amuse themselves by producing "funny" research. The Journal of Irreproducible Results is one example of this. At times, this "research" are presented in a more formal environment. IIRC, there was a paper published in a highly reputable journal that tried to determine what type of cheese the moon was composed of. They took actual lunar seismic velocity measurements and compared them to laboratory velocity measurements of different types of cheese.

    Another time, a talk at a meeting was to be on a newly discovered orientation of the mid-ocean ridges where seafloor spreading occurs. These ridges are normally linear. But in this case, two approaching linear ridges diverged and then overlapped at a particular point. The title of their talk was something like, "69ing Mid-Ocean Ridges." Needless to say, a lot of ppl showed up for this talk.

    Ralph Alpher and Hans Bethe wrote a paper. They then added George Gamow to produce an authorship of Alpher, Bethe, Gamow (alpha, beta, gamma).

    I once tried to published a paper where the key variables were p and q, and said that one must mind your... I had to make editorial changes.

    1. Re:scientific humor? by yakfacts · · Score: 1

      hehehehe...I've always wanted to publish a real paper with some humor, but every time I try my supervisor removes all sign of anything interesting. I like the p and q idea...

    2. Re:scientific humor? by WinDoze · · Score: 1

      There's also The Annals of Improbable Research. Hosters of the annual Ig Nobel Awards.

  57. Windows Error by Ropati · · Score: 1

    I'm floored.

    This BIOS bug was developed before 1997. My MicroQ, Pentium 75, circa 1996, with Award BIOS v4.50PG, played Beethoven for me on the tinny little computer speaker in early 1997. I had no idea what was going on. It freaked me out.

    I wasn't running any anti-virus software back then and I figured my machine was hosed. A search, at the time, of Norton and McAfee web sites mentioned a Beethoven virus with little more than a title. They had no idea who designed it or what the cure was. As expected, I bought and installed a commercial anti-virus package to clean my machine.During the Y2K brew-ha-ha, I went to Award's web site to research if my BIOS was Y2K compliant. There was no mention of this musical madness on their web site. This is the first I've heard about it.

    Since then, I have inadvertently ripped out my original computer speaker. I'm definitely going to go to the trouble of replacing it now. Wow!

    --
    machinator omnis sine licentia
  58. TACO GOT IT WRONG AGAIN by firewort · · Score: 1
    The Bios playing beethoven is not a bug, it's a feature... AND THIS TIME THEY MEAN THAT!

    the bios engineers figure, if there's truly a problem, they can't trust that they can write to the screen for output to report it...but they can grab the pc speaker... beeping won't get the attention of the user, and making a user count the number of beeps is a losing proposition... hence, MAKE IT A TUNE WE KNOW.

    So many idiots (including Taco, he chose to post it) think it's a bug... so many complained to Microsoft that windows was making their broken 'puter play music... that M$ had to put up a page saying "really, this one's the BIOS guys, not us, really, gotta believe us"

    A host is a host from coast to coast
    but no one uses a host that's close

    --

  59. Windows 9x & Programmable Keyboard Foot Pedals by Carrion · · Score: 1

    It's a perfect match!
    I just programmed the foot pedal to Ctrl-Alt-Del, glued a picture of Bill Gates on it, and hanged it on the wall.
    Now every time I get a BSOD I just punch Bill a few times in the face!

  60. Translation of the billboard by CAPSLOCK2000 · · Score: 1

    The strings in the billboard are Dutch.
    omroep = broadcasting company
    Hilversum = the town all important televison stuff is located

    translation:

    find * -name "Resume*" -group yourworkisyourhobby \
    -exec grep -il '(creative | inonvating )' \
    {} \; | xargs nawk '$1 == "email" { \
    print $2 }' | xargs Mail -s \
    "Your job is in Hilversum" \
    -body http://www.omroep.nl/gurus/

  61. Re:Dead Amigas in airports by Chris+Hiner · · Score: 1

    The Detroit airport occasionally has an Amiga Workbench screen showing up at the security checkpoint, instead of the "Cameras ok, laptops ok" type graphics. Sometimes it'll even be showing the AREXX scripting that makes it work.

    Or maybe it's a linux box running UAE. Nah...

  62. screw the printers by PotatoNO · · Score: 1

    Check out silophone, it's by the same group that did the printer symphony. It's a giant grain silo in montreal that is hooked up to the internet. You can upload/play a sound in this thing and hear it reverberate live. It's pretty amazing.

    More silophone links

  63. Foot pedals? Bah! by joeytsai · · Score: 1

    What I really want is a foot mouse. Although it sounds pretty silly at first, I would definitely love using a mouse without taking my hands away from my keyboard.

    --
    http://www.talknerdy.org
  64. Javascript Sucks! by extar-bags · · Score: 1
    Finally, somebody else who comprehends the sublime suckiness of JavaScript.

    At long last, I have been agreed with.

    --

    ----------
    "Rock over London... Rock on Chicago..." -Wesley Willis

    1. Re:Javascript Sucks! by Black+Parrot · · Score: 2

      > Finally, somebody else who comprehends the sublime suckiness of JavaScript. At long last, I have been agreed with.

      Twice in one day: I also <CmdrTaco>leave that crap turned off</CmdrTaco>.

      It's funny/annoying how endemic the assumption is that everyone does use it. I often visit sites, get bizarre error messages, report them, and find out that the bizarre message should have actually said "You need to run that crap^w^w JavaScript to do that."

      ps - Turning that crap^w^w JavaScript off works wonders for the stability of Netscape under Linux, and also disables the ever popular pop-up ads.
      --

      --
      Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
    2. Re:Javascript Sucks! by extar-bags · · Score: 1
      Seriously, what we need is a hotkey combo in browsers that triggers js on/off. Because occasionally you do need it for something.

      Or we could all protest it by not using browsers that support it. (My personal favorite is Arachne.)

      --

      ----------
      "Rock over London... Rock on Chicago..." -Wesley Willis

  65. Alcohol evaporates faster than water... by Mantle · · Score: 1

    So would that make it more efficient?

    1. Re:Alcohol evaporates faster than water... by SEWilco · · Score: 1

      No, due to the 17 year delay involved in correct processing.

  66. hmmm by the_other_one · · Score: 1

    That dot matrix printer music site is covered with Government of Canada logos. I'm glad to see that my tax dollars are being put to good use.

    --
    134340: I am not a number. I am a free planet!
  67. Re:Dead windows in airports (And at the movies!) by Cyclone66 · · Score: 1

    I actually crashed one of those touch screen terminals at the movies (to buy your tickets). After I placed my order and got my ticket (thankfully) I got one of those 16-bit windows crashed (white window). I think it still managed to charge my account though.. Darn.. Another note: Could touch screen monitor terminals be running on Win3.1 or is it 16-bit code? Who made these things??

  68. Re:Bzzzt. Wrong. Company's mistake for allowing it by mindstrm · · Score: 2

    Perhaps I assumed that, because he was a former program manager at Microsoft, that he had a somewhat managerial position at this company. I figured perhaps he was a piece of that.

    And if they weren't paying him, that's HIS fault for running it, or his fault for not asking.

    I'm not saying that the company screwed up or he screwed up, or that one is guilty and one is not, merely that the situation should not have arisen, and both parties should realize that.

    Without the full story, who can say?

  69. The windows KB article by Russ+Steffen · · Score: 5

    That Windows problem is interesting and all, but it pales in comparison to this gem. I almost feel sorry for the person who had to write that.

  70. RSA too much? Here's just MD5 in JavaScript by MattJ · · Score: 1

    http://pajhome.org.uk/crypt/md5/ is a simple page that will return the MD5 hash of a string. It stays on one page, so your plaintext never goes over the wire. Useful if you want to send someone the hash of a password, for example, rather than the password itself, and all you've got handy is a web terminal.

    1. Re:RSA too much? Here's just MD5 in JavaScript by Redundant() · · Score: 1

      I wish I had some mod points to mod this up as informative. It's neat seeing these little crypto routines running as standalones. Looking at the PGP source can be quite daunting especially the latest version for Windows it is huge! The old version 2.6.2 is quite easy to follow and I gather the MD5 hash is still used in the later versions.

      Just my 2/3 worth

  71. Re:Symphony (not the only old thing) by alhaz · · Score: 3

    Sure, occasionally stuff gets re-posted, but this is absurd. You missed a few.

    The x86 Still was a quickie not quite a month back

    RSA implemented in javascript was a quickie just a few weeks before the still

    I understand that sometimes stuff is gonna show up twice, but this is silly.

    for the record, the foot pedals were their own article HERE so we're what, four out of 10 confirmed already posted, and a fifth that may have been?

    You may call a technicality on the symphony. Personally, I think it's stupid to link to the knowledge base article. It's not a windows bug. It's not a bug. The hardware does it, it'd do the same thing if it overheated under Linux or BSD. I used to work for a shop years ago that had a Netware box that would play Fur Elise when it got too hot. It's a function of the hardware monitor on some motherboards.

    --
    This is just like television, only you can see much further.
  72. Reply Quickies by HardCase · · Score: 2
    The UNIX-looking billboard is in the Netherlands, not California.

    The Windows "bug" doesn't have a thing to do with Window. It's been around for years and resurfaces every now and then when somebody "discovers" the web page. It's a hardware alarm generated by the BIOS when voltages go awry in the computer.

    I'll stay away from the usual rant about spewing out "news" on /.

    =h=

  73. HP 5PSE Music by Duxup · · Score: 3

    Dot matrixes aren't the only printers that are musical, some have it built into them.

    http://www.eeggs.com/items/529.html

  74. Can You Cogently Explain Why Javascript is Bad? by goingware · · Score: 2
    Don't worry about convincing me that Javascript is bad - I already leave it turned off, and have ever since I read the CERT advisory that said you should turn off scripting in your browser because crackers might post scripts in web forums that don't filter the posted HTML correctly

    Slashdot doesn't allow the SCRIPT tag but some sites do (perhaps unknowingly) and so someone can write an apparently innocent comment in a chat and include a script that eats your hard disk.

    A close friend of mine told me that she's been writing largely in Javascript for a long time now and her company is in fact basing their entire online strategy on Javascript. They're making a huge investment in it and will be selling a product that will be very expensive that will require very highly paid people to leave Javascript on all day long just to do their work.

    I was astonished at that idea and said they were doing a disservice to their customers by encouraging them to enable Javascript, let alone requiring it for the basic functions of their product.

    She was pretty incredulous about this, even after I recounted the above CERT advisory. She told me Javascript was sandboxed and could not do anything destructive. I told her it was full of holes and highly nonstandardized and bugs were being found in it all the time.

    I also advisted her to read the Forum on Risks to the Public in Computers and Related Systems (also available as comp.risks on the Usenet News).

    I told her I felt that reading Risks was a very basic requirement for anyone who wrote software for a living, and was doubly important for someone like her who wrote software that would effect people's lives in a substantial way (I can't be too specific - but she's not writing entertainment software). She thought this was all very silly.

    Now, slashdotters, what can I say to my friend - what can I say that is of real substance not just flaming? Can you give me literature references or URL's? Pertinent CERT advisories would be good.

    BTW - here's a suggestion - while I leave Javascript turned off most of the time, I often find I have to turn it on to use some sites. It really gets me down that some sites don't even function if Javascript is not enabled.

    But Junkbuster is a simple proxy that will filter out ads and stop cookies, but allow them in controlled ways. For example, I only allow cookies from Slashdot and my bank, so I don't have to have cookies from any other site and I don't have to keep turning cookies back on to read slashdot.

    I think it would be a fairly simple matter to modify the Junkbuster source code to filter out SCRIPT tags for most sites except those that are on an approved list. The source code is GPL'ed so someone with the inclination could just get the source and do it. I'd do it myself but I'm real busy for the next little while.

    --
    -- Could you use my software consulting serv
    1. Re:Can You Cogently Explain Why Javascript is Bad? by Kickasso · · Score: 1
      I think it would be a fairly simple matter to modify the Junkbuster source code to filter out SCRIPT tags

      No it would not. Junkbuster doesn't filters bodies of pages, just headers. You have to add a whole bunch of new code, with HTML parser and all.

      Besides it will not work on secure sites. The best solution is to hack an open-source browser.
      --

    2. Re:Can You Cogently Explain Why Javascript is Bad? by photozz · · Score: 1

      can you Cogently explain what "Cogently" means?

      --


      Dirty Pirate Hooker
    3. Re:Can You Cogently Explain Why Javascript is Bad? by Kickasso · · Score: 1

      Yes.
      --

    4. Re:Can You Cogently Explain Why Javascript is Bad? by photozz · · Score: 1

      ah.. Yes, well that makes it much clearer....

      --


      Dirty Pirate Hooker
  75. Must be CA? by rjamestaylor · · Score: 3
    Lesse: "Je werk is je hobby" tld=".nl"
    Must be California??
    Get out of the Geek Compound before it's too late! Travel! See the world!

    California may be morally simular to the Netherlands, but, believe me, they're worlds apart.

    Yikes!

    --
    -- @rjamestaylor on Ello
    1. Re:Must be CA? by rjamestaylor · · Score: 1

      changed it. However, the semi-colon is not required by HTML. Mozilla is broke.

      --
      -- @rjamestaylor on Ello
    2. Re:Must be CA? by rjamestaylor · · Score: 3
      Your .sig has an error in it: add a ";" to the end of all the entities and it'll work right.
      It's not an error in the .sig. According to the standards the semi-colon at the end of character references is not required.
      Sorry, but under Mozilla it handles the entities semi-correctly
      You're right: this is Mozilla's failure to adhere to proper standards (again). Because of this kind of failure, the W3C had to make this note:
      Note. In SGML, it is possible to eliminate the final ";" after a character reference in some cases (e.g., at a line break or immediately before a tag). In other circumstances it may not be eliminated (e.g., in the middle of a word). We strongly suggest using the ";" in all cases to avoid problems with user agents that require this character to be present .
      (Emphasis added)
      I'd rather code to a standard than to a user agent (that isn't even finished yet).
      --
      -- @rjamestaylor on Ello
    3. Re:Must be CA? by Evangelion · · Score: 1
      Which part of :
      Note. In SGML, it is possible to eliminate the final ";" after a character reference in some cases (e.g., at a line break or immediately before a tag). In other circumstances it may not be eliminated (e.g., in the middle of a word).
      didn't you understand when writing
      & ltSIG&gt
      ?
      --
    4. Re:Must be CA? by _xeno_ · · Score: 1
      ...And for more fun, the W3C is actually changing standards on people yet again. Although apparently Mozilla does handle entities correctly (It would appear that &lt;SIG&gt<TT> etc would have been OK), the W3C is trying to move people to XHTML. In XHTML, an entity is defines as matching (basically) /&\c+;/ where \c is defined to mean a "name" character (part of the XML schema RegEx definition).

      So it's best to use the ';' anyway, although XHTML is unlikely to become a commonly used standard anytime soon.

      There are some other fun things that browsers don't do right.

      If that didn't look like:
      There are some other fun things that browsers don't do right.
      Than your browser is broken. Mozilla doesn't do that - I should submit a bug report. But that construct is also being disallowed in XHTML. (The <STRONG> should have been ended when it encountered a </> after "things".)

      Standards compliance would be so much easier if people stopped changing the standards...

      --
      You are in a maze of twisty little relative jumps, all alike.
    5. Re:Must be CA? by rjamestaylor · · Score: 1

      got me there.

      --
      -- @rjamestaylor on Ello
  76. Keenspot by gwalla · · Score: 2

    I tried to convince Gav (supreme leader of Keenspot and artist of Nukees) to make a Keenspot slashbox, but he wasn't interested.

    In other news, it seems when this article first got posted, Keenspot (and quite a few of its member sites, like College Roomies from Hell, got Slashdotted.

    And check out Help Desk. It's awesome (done entirely on OS/2 too).
    ---
    Zardoz has spoken!

    --
    Oper on the Nightstar
  77. Distilling Rum? by Richy_T · · Score: 1
    What's the point? Rum has already been distilled and is flammable anyway. If anything, better to distill wine, beer or fermented mash.

    Rich

  78. Javascript good in small doses by dingbat_hp · · Score: 1

    company is in fact basing their entire online strategy on Javascript.

    This is a good strategy (especially with client-side XML and DXML), provided that your site is either an intranet, or sufficiently valuable to the users to make them permit scripting on it. If, for instance, I were a financial institution (and they're already trusting me with their portfolio) then I'd have no problem at all in going all out for Javascript.

    As for security, I'm _much_ less worried about script than I am about ActiveXs. It's very difficult, and reliant on obscure holes, to do damage with Javascript. OTOH, any monkey with a copy of VB can make an unsigned ActiveX that trashes the whole box (it's evil, and it's obvious, but it's still do-able).

    Javascript is also entirely standard, for the simple reason that there's only one browser left out there; IE5.5 - Market share for non-IE is damn near negligible, and IE 4 or 5 users will easily be pushed to upgrade (IE5 especially - 5.5 is much more stable).

  79. NTK! by cattlepr0d · · Score: 1

    several of these were featured on ntk.net weeks ago! do try and keep up guys...

    --
    R Tape loading error, 0:1
  80. more embarrassing windows errors by North · · Score: 2

    One day i went to a cash machine (ATM) at the Natwest bank, and all there was on the screen was an NT4 "Press CTRL ALT DELETE to log on" message box. I dunno, maybe the power had gone down or something and it came back looking like that.

    ---

  81. Classical BIOS by LadyVibe · · Score: 1
    I think its a consipiracy. Had they programed it to play Mozart, maybe Windows user's IQs would have gone up and they would stop using MSPOS. But Billy boy prollie paid the developers off anyway...

    bitter much? yes.

    --
    I'm not weird, you're just all boring.
  82. Re:REVENGE OF THE REPOSTS!!! by LadyVibe · · Score: 1
    change your sig to "I put the dot in slashdot.com" or something to at least resemble the cisco commercial (or whatever company did that commercial..i dont watch much TV..)

    --
    I'm not weird, you're just all boring.
  83. Bwhaa - Warner cinemas credit card machines. by Moderation+abuser · · Score: 2

    They run Windows too.

    Every time I go in, there's a little grey error box on the screen but NO keyboard or mouse to click OK. Needless to say the thing doesn't work.

    What idiot designs an embedded system and uses an OS which required a keyboard and mouse? What kind of thought processes does this require? The next question is what kind of moron buys a product like that?

    --
    Government of the people, by corporate executives, for corporate profits.
  84. Tasted the Solder???? by zipC · · Score: 1

    The article about the still stated that after distilling the alcohol, he tasted it.

    Now, IANAC(hemist), but if he soldered the brass container and used the container to distill the alcohol, wouldn't the lead taint the alcohol? And wouldn't the lead be a bit of a health hazard?

    --
    Madness is only a state of mind
  85. Re:Windows on Public Access by stubob · · Score: 1

    Has anyone else ever seen public access crash? Once in a while the repeating program schedule thing page faults and then the Public Access channel sits there with the Windows95 error box and the default desktop is visible. Again, probably free Microsoft ads (for all you conspicacy theorists)

    -----

    --
    Planning to be moderated ± 1: Bad Pun.
  86. Imagine how much whisky SETI@Home could produce... by alienmole · · Score: 1
    ...with a massively distributed network of x86 stills!

    (a.k.a. imagine a Beowulf cluster of these babies!)

  87. sinfest by Mina · · Score: 1

    well.. it looks like sinfest is down...

    i guess nowadays getting your link put up on /. is actually a _bad_ thing...

    its too bad, its was a cute comic.

    ~mina

    --
    I'm out of my mind, leave a message.
  88. Re:Open Crime Source by StarKruzr · · Score: 1

    Awwww! What a cute little troll!

    Don't feed them, though, kids.

    Email me.
    Don't trust anyone over 90000.

    --

    +++ATH0
  89. WinNT by photozz · · Score: 1

    Ahhh HELOOOOOOOO!!!! Windows NT4.0 has always had the "last known good profile" thing at start up. 2000 is just a newer implementation of the kernal.
    "I have a second computer next to it running W2K and I actually do alot of stuff with it."
    Ya, porn will download faster on Win2k.
    But I do agree about the stability. We have an MP3 server running 2000 Workstation on a P90 with 32Meg of ram and have not crashed the thing in 3 months.

    --


    Dirty Pirate Hooker
    1. Re:WinNT by ethereal · · Score: 1

      Is it actually usable with that hardware? That sounds far, far below the minimum HW requirements for W2K.

      --

      Your right to not believe: Americans United for Separation of Church and

    2. Re:WinNT by photozz · · Score: 1

      Why, yes it is far below the standard, and yes it runs a little slugish, but the idea was to stress test the OS in a network enviorment. This thing takes a pounding every day and has not failed yet. It's not my PRIMARY machine, but I do use it as a backup and it's not as slow as you would imagine.

      --


      Dirty Pirate Hooker
    3. Re:WinNT by Temporal · · Score: 1
      Ahhh HELOOOOOOOO!!!! Windows NT4.0 has always had the "last known good profile" thing at start up. 2000 is just a newer implementation of the kernal.

      Sorry, I was comparing it with Win9x. NT was never very useful for me since I play a lot of games, but W2K handles games very well. So, in my case, 2K is an upgrade from 9x.

      ------

    4. Re:WinNT by photozz · · Score: 1

      Gotcha.
      Understandable.
      The only time I have found w2k to crash is when you start to play with the video/sound settings and then, only on the more exotic hardware. so far so good..........

      --


      Dirty Pirate Hooker
  90. Oh ya??? check this out. by photozz · · Score: 1

    From the MGM grand in LasVegas
    Pic

    --


    Dirty Pirate Hooker
  91. Bilbo's foot keyboard by bluejack · · Score: 2
    Based on a slashdot note well over a year ago, I was intrigued with bilbo's product and bought one. A few notes:
    • it is a cheaply produced product that reeks of russian manufacture;
    • the set of drivers that came with it crashed my computer fiercly. fortunately, it just turned out that they sent me the wrong one, and i was able to download a fix from their website;
    • the pedals did not have consistent action -- one required a slightly different touch to get it to work right;
    • accordingly i never really trained my feet to make use of them. they are now junk in my tech junk room.

    Now I have just placed an order for a twiddler -- found from a link off tiqit, separate note in slashdot today -- which I hope to receive in about two weeks. I'll let you know how it fares.
  92. funny lead still by twitter · · Score: 1
    For all the money he spent on that heater, you would think that he'd have gotten a better box than lead soldered brass. He'll act funny if he drinks enough of it.

    "Hey maw! My gums is silver, how about that?"

    --

    Friends don't help friends install M$ junk.

  93. RSA javascript thing is OLD(1996) by CodeMunch · · Score: 1
    I've been visiting this other page on and off for around 2 yrs RSA Javascript page created June 12, 1996.

    A somwhat useable RS4 implementation with vbscript
    If you search the site for the word "encryption" there are a few follow-up articles that you should check out as well if yer into that sort of thing.

    --Clay

  94. Re:Karma Whoring? by Spankophile · · Score: 1

    Offtopic? Hardly.

    I was commenting on the abundance of articles and quickies that get reposted - which seems to be generating quite a bit of discussion in general, and with this batch in particular.

    Thanks for wasting your moderator points on me though.

  95. Re:Windows on Public Access by Single+GNU+Theory · · Score: 1

    Never saw Windows. But The Channel Channel (whatever the channel guide is called) here ran on Amigas. Occasionally you could tune in to a Guru Meditation error!

    --
    Little Debian: America's #1 Snack Distro!
  96. bilbo.com for Quake! by vladkrupin · · Score: 1

    Wow! Although those pedals look somewhat outrageous, I wonder if I can use them in Quake! That would totally rock!
    ------------------------------------------- ------

    --

    Jobs? Which jobs?