State of Colorado Calls Firefox Insecure, IE6 Safe

linuxkrn writes "The State of Colorado's Office of Technology (OIT) has set up a work skills website. The problem is that the site says 'DO NOT use FIREFOX or other Browsers besides IE. It has been decided that Mozilla based, non-IE browsers pose a security risk.' (Original emphasis from site.) If the leading IT agency for the State is making these uneducated claims, should the people worry about their other decisions?"

Comments

Attention all personnel

[Anonymous Coward]

The Education Property has been increased to 128 characters due to popular demand.

That is all.

Re:Attention all personnel

[PIBM]

I tried to leave a comment :

Server Error in '/SKILLS' Application.
Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
Description: An unhandled exception occurred during the execution of the current web request. Please review the stack trace for more information about the error and where it originated in the code.

Exception Details: System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.

Source Error:

An unhandled exception was generated during the execution of the current web request. Information regarding the origin and location of the exception can be identified using the exception stack trace below.

Stack Trace:

[NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.]
      Skills.Suggestion.doTheSend() in C:\Documents and Settings\qeuc34\My Documents\Visual Studio 2005\Projects\Skills\Skills\Suggestion.aspx.vb:137
      Skills.Suggestion.sendEmailLink_Click(Object sender, EventArgs e) in C:\Documents and Settings\qeuc34\My Documents\Visual Studio 2005\Projects\Skills\Skills\Suggestion.aspx.vb:127
      System.Web.UI.WebControls.LinkButton.OnClick(EventArgs e) +90
      System.Web.UI.WebControls.LinkButton.RaisePostBackEvent(String eventArgument) +76
      System.Web.UI.WebControls.LinkButton.System.Web.UI.IPostBackEventHandler.RaisePostBackEvent(String eventArgument) +7
      System.Web.UI.Page.RaisePostBackEvent(IPostBackEventHandler sourceControl, String eventArgument) +11
      System.Web.UI.Page.RaisePostBackEvent(NameValueCollection postData) +177
      System.Web.UI.Page.ProcessRequestMain(Boolean includeStagesBeforeAsyncPoint, Boolean includeStagesAfterAsyncPoint) +1746

Version Information: Microsoft .NET Framework Version:2.0.50727.1433; ASP.NET Version:2.0.50727.1433

LOL ?!?

Re:Attention all personnel

[Jogar the Barbarian]

EDUCATION:
I got a B.S. in computer science at Crazy Go Nuts University, and learned about security, including browsers. And let me tell y

Re:Attention all personnel

[Shatrat]

Skills.Suggestion.doTheSend()

Priceless. 'send()' would have been a boring name for that function.

First Hosea wins Top Chef instead of an actual chef, and now this.
I hate Colorado now.

Re:Attention all personnel

[Anonymous Coward]

Fighting
And sometimes striving
Wondering
What the dumple is
Excellence
And what is valor?
And The Cheat
Will hit stuff with a golf club
C-G-N-U!

Re:Attention all personnel

[PotatoFarmer]

Priceless. 'send()' would have been a boring name for that function.

Look on the bright side, at least it's spelled right. I'd rather have doTheSend() than excetute(), which some kind soul helpfully made an abstract in one of our base classes, and that has since been propagated across a few hundred other classes that I'm not allowed to refactor. A little piece of me dies every time I see it.

At least I sort of know who did it, thanks to cvs history. And if I ever figure out who the hell ers4634 is, they'll truly know what it means to be excetuted. Bastard.

Re:Attention all personnel

[bishiraver]

Well, seeing as its stack trace says *vb instead of *cs, I'm guessing it's VB.

Re:Attention all personnel

[Zumbs]

Skills.Suggestion.doTheSend()

Priceless. 'send()' would have been a boring name for that function.

This is because it's already in use. Just like 'doSend()'. And what do you do when you just happen to need a third 'send()' function?

Re:Attention all personnel

[jasen666]

.SendThatBitch() /*if only my bosses ever bothered to read my code comments! They wouldn't be able to keep a straight face while firing me*/

Re:Attention all personnel

[Anonymous Coward]

VB.NET is equally as powerful as C#. You're comment shows your ignorance

Re:Attention all personnel

[Bryansix]

VB.NET is actually a great programming language. Really for Web Development it's only second to C#.NET.

Re:Attention all personnel

[jwhitener]

doTheSend()... that is amusing. I think it is even funnier that they left the code in:

C:\Documents and Settings\qeuc34\My Documents\Visual Studio 2005\Projects\Skills\

So..I guess they could only afford one copy of Visual Studio, and it is....on the server..../boggle

And production code running from "My Documents" haha.

 

Re:Attention all personnel

[jonaskoelker]

they'll truly know what it means to be excetuted. Bastart.

Broke That For You.

Re:Attention all personnel

[mysidia]

This is why they told you not to use Mozilla. It poses a security risk for the site... look, you went and disobeyed the directions and broke it!

All because you were using Mozilla instead of IE!

Re:Attention all personnel

[Machtyn]

No no no MY comment shows MY ignorance.

Wait... what?

Re:Attention all personnel

[ers4634]

And if I ever figure out who the hell ers4634 is, they'll truly know what it means to be excetuted.

Good luck with that. I mean, he could be anyone. ;)

Re:Attention all personnel

[symbolset]

Server Error in '/SKILLS' Application.

That may be the most astute error message I've ever read.

Re:Attention all personnel

[Firehed]

Nah, go all the way. inUrMethodSendinUrMessage() or bust.

What do you expect...

[dark404]

What do you expect from a state who uses 128 characters to describe a perspective hire's education.
The Education Property has been increased to 128 characters due to popular demand. Thanks for your patience.

Re:What do you expect...

[Gat0r30y]

Teachers here in CO often have bumper stickers proclaiming: Welcome to Colorado, 49th in funding for schools. Perhaps there is a correlation, then again, I was educated exclusively in this state so maybe I'm just an idiot.

Re:That's just bad

[interkin3tic]

Maybe they're not morons, maybe it's just that the entire state is on the cutting edge of the latest trolling fads? Like, it's so good at trolling that I can't think of how the joke is on everyone, so...

My head hurts, colorado wins again...

Who's on first?

[esocid]

Must use IE. Windows is unsafe. FF is not.

Head asplodes.

Re:That's just bad

[CannonballHead]

I wonder if the website was hacked already and its a fake ;) :)

The Decider

[janeuner]

He decided.

Re:Nice quote

[inthedump]

Maybe their size is "Micro" and its always "Soft".

From the site

[symes]

From the site:

"Questions and Answers"

"Can I use Firefox or another Browser?"

"No! For security reasons, and some significant processing issues as well, the only supported Browser is Internet Explorer Release 6 or later."

"What if I have a Skill that isn't listed?"

"The "Suggestion" tool enables you to communicate directly with the Administrators. We will research your proposed Skill with your input and agreement."

I'd like to learn how to make web pages. Think I might see if I can tap these guys expertise. Anyone else fancy coming along?

Re:That's just bad

[castorvx]

On the plus side, his workstation is about to get an HTTP benchmark.

Re:That's just bad

[xrayspx]

Were you using IE to send your comment?

Re:Their FAQ page...

[memorycardfull]

http://www.sciencemadesimple.com/sky_blue.html The answer to "Why is the sky blue?" is reproduced from copyrighted material at sciencemadesimple.com

Re:If I were from colorado..

[Anonymous Coward]

Obviously the correct approach is to send them a link to a special web page that will infect their computer if using IE. Once you've taken over their computer, you can use it to change their policies to supporting Firefox.

Re:"It has been decided"

[Qzukk]

I'm despairing, all right.

Re:That's just bad

[Anonymous Coward]

This is from the site headers:

HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Date: Thu, 05 Mar 2009 22:06:53 GMT
Server: Microsoft-IIS/6.0
MicrosoftOfficeWebServer: 5.0_Pub
X-Powered-By: ASP.NET
X-AspNet-Version: 2.0.50727
Cache-Control: private
Content-Type: text/html; charset=utf-8
Content-Length: 7454

I love how they have the office web server extensions enabled. Ouch.

Why?

[Greyfox]

I can just drive down there and slap them in person...

Re:PEBKAC

[residieu]

Yeah, you're not really a winner until you successfully punch the monkey.

Re:That's just bad

[Excaliburszone]

The error message says it all: "Server Error in '/SKILLS' Application." It seems, from the way the site is designed to how functional it is that the error in the '/SKILLS' Application is that they do not have any.

Re:If I were from colorado..

[ColdWetDog]

The feedback button doesn't work, anyways.

That's just in IE6. Better security that way.

Re:"It has been decided"

[ColdWetDog]

So Colorado's OIT hired Ozymandias?

Quite possibly. The state's IT infrastructure seems to come from that general time frame.

Re:That's just bad

[davester666]

In other, completely unrelated news, Microsoft announced today that they are opening a new software development center in Colorado.

Re:That's just bad

[Bill, Shooter of Bul]

Oh yeah, I'd love to see them try and apprehend Batman. I mean come on, the cops never catch him.

That's simple? Here's _simple_!

[Xtifr]

Oh yay, another great example of providing a technically correct, but thoroughly misleading answer. "To answer these questions, we must learn about light, and the Earth's atmosphere." No, you mustn't. Ok, you need to learn one thing: "the sky is blue because air is blue" (from Recurring Science Misconceptions in K-6 Textbooks). All that crap about Rayleigh scattering and frequencies of light is...well, it's true but it's generally beside the point.

Q. Why is my shirt red?
A1. (bad) To answer these questions, we must learn about light, and how photons are absorbed or reflected by different materials, and how the cones of the eye convert photons into neural impulses....
A2. (good) because it was dyed red.

Granted, all that other stuff can be interesting too, but to claim that you're providing the simple explanation is just ridiculous.

(At least it's not as bad as the standard explanation of an airfoil, which is simply wrong.)

Re:If I were from colorado..

[dotancohen]

Try mailing them colorado . nimp . org
(link broken for reasons you either already know, or don't want to)

Re:That's just bad

[a_nonamiss]

"Please come with us Mr. West."
"But I don't even have a computer.

Very smart indeed

[Krneki]

1. Make a web site.
2. Claim Firefox is insecure while IE is.
3. Get yourself noticed on Slashdot.
4 ...
5. Profit?

Re:Message from the State Chief Information Office

[Anonymous Coward]

Whew, that's a relief! I was afraid that Jerry Taylor moved from Tuttle and got a job in Denver.

Re:Message from the State Chief Information Office

[Anonymous Coward]

Before becoming a public-sector CIO, Locatis was the senior director of enterprise technology strategy for Time Warner Cable Inc., part of Time Warner Inc., a Fortune 50 company and the country's largest entertainment firm. Locatis honed his skills at aligning customer-service delivery systems...

Speaking as someone with first hand experience with Time Warner Cable's "customer-service delivery systems", this whole story does not surprise me in the least.

Re:That's just bad

[Slashcrap]

No, you really should not do that.

Sheesh...

No, we only condone DoS attacks here at Slashdot.