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Facebook Is Down

Phil_at_EvilNET writes "Jeff Bertolucci of PC World reports: 'Thousands of Facebook users this afternoon (US Pacific Time) are reporting that the popular social networking site is down. It's unclear when the outage began. PCWorld has not been able to reach Facebook for comment, but Mashable reports the company has confirmed the outage.'"

448 comments

  1. Facebook Is Down by gstoddart · · Score: 4, Insightful

    And nothing of value was lost. :-P

    --
    Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    1. Re: Facebook Is Down by bogaboga · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      Agree with you 100%. Good to know I was not and will not affected in any way. Does anything serious get done on Facebook?

    2. Re: Facebook Is Down by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Yes. I genuinely find it a useful tool for keeping up with people and arranging events.

    3. Re: Facebook Is Down by newviewmedia.com · · Score: 5, Insightful

      In other news worker productivity shot up by 150%

      --
      www.newviewmedia.com
    4. Re: Facebook Is Down by cayenne8 · · Score: 1
      Amazing...if this hadn't been posted to /. I'd never have known.

      Although...I did have a strange feeling inside...as if millions of farmers had suddenly been silenced.....?

      I shrugged it off as a side effect of lack of sleep from last night.

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    5. Re: Facebook Is Down by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ... and productivity across the US just doubled!!! Oh wait. It's back up. Oh well.

    6. Re: Facebook Is Down by _Sprocket_ · · Score: 1

      Although...I did have a strange feeling inside...as if millions of farmers had suddenly been silenced.....?

      Maybe it was an alteration in Warden's behavior.

    7. Re: Facebook Is Down by Clived · · Score: 3, Funny

      I second that and its useful for keeping track of friends' birthdays, ex-girlfriends and such ...:P

      --
      Clive DaSilva Email: clive.dasilva@gmail.com Ubuntu 18.10 Kernel 4.18
    8. Re: Facebook Is Down by Khyber · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      My phone works better and I don't have to wait for a response most of the time.

      --
      Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
    9. Re: Facebook Is Down by Sean_Inconsequential · · Score: 1

      Now now, plenty of valuable wasted time was lost. Plus now I have no idea what everyone is having for dinner.

    10. Re: Facebook Is Down by jareth-0205 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Agree with you 100%. Good to know I was not and will not affected in any way. Does anything serious get done on Facebook?

      Wow, what a phenomenally smug statement. Why does everything have to have a "serious" use? Social tools are useful and valid things, and 500 million users think so. Or are you more enlightened than every one of them?

    11. Re: Facebook Is Down by gandhi_2 · · Score: 1

      If facebook told people who was perusing their info, would fewer people peruse info?

    12. Re: Facebook Is Down by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      In other news worker productivity shot up by 150%

      Until they realized Slashdot was still up...

    13. Re: Facebook Is Down by camperdave · · Score: 1

      In other news worker productivity shot up by 150%

      Hey, it's not like Slashdot went down.

      --
      When our name is on the back of your car, we're behind you all the way!
    14. Re: Facebook Is Down by JorDan+Clock · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Right. Because it's so much easier to call everyone you want to invite to a large event and then make a note of everyone who is going to show.

      Seriously, your phone isn't better and you're just trying to act like you're superior for not using Facebook. It has its uses, which are very numerous, and a lot of people don't use it just for Farmville.

    15. Re: Facebook Is Down by bogaboga · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Social tools are useful and valid things, and 500 million users think so. Or are you more enlightened than every one of them?

      Donno! That's why I asked. And trust me...if there is something useful that cannot be done [better] any other way, I will join. I haven't found anything so far, so enlighten me.

    16. Re: Facebook Is Down by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Because you don't have any friends.

      Loser.

    17. Re: Facebook Is Down by lwsimon · · Score: 1

      Yeah, for those of us who advertise on it.

      --
      Learn about Photography Basics.
    18. Re: Facebook Is Down by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Mmmm, interpol gives information to criminals.

    19. Re: Facebook Is Down by DRAGONWEEZEL · · Score: 1, Interesting

      I pretty much only use my phone for facebook. Less adds for apps that steal your soul, and I'm that kind of guy who doesn't want his soul stolen you know?

      --
      How much is your data worth? Back it up now.
    20. Re: Facebook Is Down by idontgno · · Score: 1

      Meh. This is /. There are more militant Pastafarians here then slashdotters who actually believe in the mythical "social".

      My own social needs are modest, but my wife must be frantic by now. Pretty much her entire extended family over the whole North American continent conducts a continuous virtual family reunion on Facebook.

      --
      Welcome to the Panopticon. Used to be a prison, now it's your home.
    21. Re: Facebook Is Down by Lucky75 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      a.k.a stalking

      --
      DNA -- National Dyslexic Association
    22. Re: Facebook Is Down by D'Sphitz · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Didn't you get the memo, it's like super cool to hate popular things?

    23. Re: Facebook Is Down by SnickleFritz · · Score: 2, Funny

      In other news, AOL is bogged down from new membership surge and a sudden increase in reactivating unused accounts.

    24. Re: Facebook Is Down by betterunixthanunix · · Score: 1

      Fewer people would post the info, since Facebook itself is busy perusing it...

      --
      Palm trees and 8
    25. Re: Facebook Is Down by Actually,+I+do+RTFA · · Score: 1

      And trust me...if there is something useful that cannot be done [better] any other way, I will join. I haven't found anything so far, so enlighten me.

      The useful things it can do are all built around network effects. If you asked that question about using Windows as an OS, I would respond that you can run Windows-software. If your friends organize parties on Facebook then you can join or not get invited. And then, if it is easier to invite more friends on Facebook than any other method, you do that for your parties.

      The only other use I've found is hearing from people I've lost contact with, and providing a way for get copies of digital pictures that people took of me, sometimes years ago.

      That said, I have no bloody clue what people do for hours on Facebook a day. Except play Farmville.

      --
      Your ad here. Ask me how!
    26. Re: Facebook Is Down by Mister+Whirly · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Does anything serious get done on Facebook?

      About as much serious stuff that gets done on Slashdot.

      --
      "But this one goes to 11!"
    27. Re: Facebook Is Down by MobileTatsu-NJG · · Score: 1

      Agree with you 100%. Good to know I was not and will not affected in any way. Does anything serious get done on Facebook?

      ... Uh yeah you're being way more productive sitting here on Slashdot taking potshots at a site that requires having friends.

      --

      "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)

    28. Re: Facebook Is Down by brentrad · · Score: 2, Interesting

      My wife just posted a bunch of new beaded jewelry she made this week (real stones, very pretty stuff, but inexpensive) and already has 3 orders from friends. So it's good for making money at least.

    29. Re: Facebook Is Down by PopeRatzo · · Score: 4, Funny

      I was wondering why my daughter was doing her homework...

      Now I know...

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    30. Re: Facebook Is Down by PopeRatzo · · Score: 5, Funny

      Yes. I genuinely find it a useful tool for keeping up with people and arranging events.

      And the advertisers find you a useful tool, too.

      In the business world, we call it "reciprocity".

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    31. Re: Facebook Is Down by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      The Onion needs to update this: http://j.mp/aLzoqi with "Internet Nerd Constantly Mentioning He Doesn't Use Facebook"

    32. Re: Facebook Is Down by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      teenagers can't pay for phone calls.

      the problem is the ton of useless turd from drama queens

    33. Re: Facebook Is Down by interkin3tic · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Nothing of hard value was lost, but my mental state really took a nosedive. Honestly, about 6 times I caught myself thinking of status updates relating to facebook being down, wondering why I hadn't changed it, and then realizing that I'm a moron.

      Between that and realizing how pathetically addicted I am to frittering my time away on facebook (as opposed to slashdot) has been so depressing that I think I'm going to go home early and play some videogames. Which won't help, so I'll turn to beer.

      Ah beer, you never give me DNS error messages...

    34. Re: Facebook Is Down by MightyYar · · Score: 5, Insightful

      My phone works better and I don't have to wait for a response most of the time.

      A phone is great for calling/texting other people who you are in active contact with.

      For finding out what happened to all those kids in your eighth grade class photo? Not so much.

      I simply posted a class photo on Facebook. Within a few days, everyone save one person was "tagged" on the photo and accounted for. Whether you personally value that kind of information has no bearing on just how cool that is from a geek perspective. That kind of information would have taken me weeks 10 years ago, and everyone would think that I was crazy.

      --
      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
    35. Re: Facebook Is Down by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So there are 500 million narcissist out there? I realized there was a lot but not that many. Interesting. I wonder how many of them will now do double comments or post twice as many picks of themselves, kids, drinking at the bar to make up for the fact that they were not able to post. I am sure many of the users have emotional trauma and will probably try to sue facebook for damages.

    36. Re: Facebook Is Down by Evil.Bonsai · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I'm sure productivity went DOWN, since everyone kept trying to refresh/reload..."Maybe THIS time it will work?!"

    37. Re: Facebook Is Down by Mike+Zahalan · · Score: 2, Funny

      But how am I supposed to feed my sheep on Farmville? They could die!

    38. Re: Facebook Is Down by anglico · · Score: 1

      Pretty funny since just this morning I got an advertisement from Myspace telling me I can do that now, so my guess is facebook will be implementing that feature soon enough! My Visitors * Turn My Visitors on This new feature allows you to see who's viewing your profile and allows other users to see when you're viewing theirs. Turn it on now to see who's checking out your profile. My Visitors shows you the last 9 people to visit your profile. Note: if you turn this off, you won't be able to see who's visited your profile.

    39. Re: Facebook Is Down by Capt.DrumkenBum · · Score: 1

      I find email works better for event planning. At least for me, my friends, and my family.
      For the record I am not a facebook hater. I do have an account, and have been able to reconnect with a few long lost friends through it.

      --
      If I were God, wouldn't I protect my churches from acts of me?
    40. Re: Facebook Is Down by Score+Whore · · Score: 4, Funny

      ... useful for keeping track of ... ex-girlfriends ...

      That's called stalking. You should stop.

    41. Re: Facebook is Down by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      (an ominous coward likes this)

    42. Re: Facebook Is Down by MyLongNickName · · Score: 1

      Welcome to the internet.

      --
      See my journal for slashdot ID's by year. Mine created in 2005. http://slashdot.org/journal/289875/slashdot-ids-by-year
    43. Re: Facebook Is Down by internettoughguy · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Right. Because it's so much easier to call everyone you want to invite to a large event and then make a note of everyone who is going to show.

      Seriously, your phone isn't better and you're just trying to act like you're superior for not using Facebook. It has its uses, which are very numerous, and a lot of people don't use it just for Farmville.

      Um, yes? You just grab a list of people from your cell phone address book and send a mass SMS, your done faster than you could boot your beige boxen. I really fail to see how FB is superior to other social networking sites, and indeed outside of a fairly limited domain social networking sites are of any real utility whatsoever.

    44. Re: Facebook Is Down by SilentDissonance · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      I still just don't 'get it'. What, exactly, is the big deal with Facebook? What purpose does it serve? If I want to publish information about myself, I just see it as easier to do my own website. Facebook == Geocities for idiots who can't learn a smattering of HTML, in my book.

    45. Re: Facebook Is Down by internettoughguy · · Score: 4, Insightful

      My phone works better and I don't have to wait for a response most of the time.

      A phone is great for calling/texting other people who you are in active contact with.

      For finding out what happened to all those kids in your eighth grade class photo? Not so much.

      I simply posted a class photo on Facebook. Within a few days, everyone save one person was "tagged" on the photo and accounted for. Whether you personally value that kind of information has no bearing on just how cool that is from a geek perspective. That kind of information would have taken me weeks 10 years ago, and everyone would think that I was crazy.

      The reason why you like social networking sites is precisely the reason why I dislike them, in that behaviour that was once rightfully considered crazy/creepy is now mainstream.

    46. Re: Facebook Is Down by elashish14 · · Score: 1

      Unfortunately, my university posts various things like apartment availabilities on Facebook. I imagine that there are other institutions that do much more critical stuff through it.

      Which sucks for me, because basically anything they do there is not really accessible to me (by my choice).

      --
      I have left slashdot and am now on Soylent News. FUCK YOU DICE.
    47. Re: Facebook Is Down by WillKemp · · Score: 4, Insightful

      And you're better than them because you do your ego wanking on slashdot, rather than facebook?

    48. Re: Facebook Is Down by mini+me · · Score: 1

      Last time I checked SMS did not export events in iCalendar format to ensure that all of my other devices are in sync with the planning. Events is the one thing Facebook does better than standard messaging protocols.

    49. Re: Facebook Is Down by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And in a related story, workplace productivity has reached record highs

      http://www.theonion.com/articles/48hour-internet-outage-plunges-nation-into-product,779/

    50. Re: Facebook Is Down by WillKemp · · Score: 1

      It's an aggregator. I've got friends and family scattered all over the world. If we all had to email each other separately and email photos to each other etc, it would be so time consuming it just wouldn't happen and mostly we wouldn't keep in touch at all. Facebook puts it all in one place and makes keeping in touch fairly effortless.

      It's the difference between going to the pub to meet up with your mates and visiting each of them in their homes.

    51. Re: Facebook is Down by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      @AnonymousCoward #dislike #facebook

    52. Re: Facebook Is Down by Tubal-Cain · · Score: 1

      Um, yes? You just grab a list of people from your cell phone address book and send a mass SMS, you're done faster than you could boot your beige boxen.

      I've spend at least 10 minutes editing this post. This is par for the course for anything I write. The 30 seconds it takes to boot my mid-to-low-range laptop is well worth the superior WPM I get at a keyboard over texting.

    53. Re: Facebook Is Down by w0mprat · · Score: 5, Funny

      That memo's old, hating became too popular, so we're back to liking.

      --
      After logging in slashdot still does not take you back to the page you were on. It's been that way for 20 years.
    54. Re: Facebook Is Down by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      you sir are anti-social... back to your cave

    55. Re: Facebook Is Down by internettoughguy · · Score: 1

      Um, yes? You just grab a list of people from your cell phone address book and send a mass SMS, you're done faster than you could boot your beige boxen.

      I've spend at least 10 minutes editing this post. This is par for the course for anything I write. The 30 seconds it takes to boot my mid-to-low-range laptop is well worth the superior WPM I get at a keyboard over texting.

      Ah.. well I use an e70, it has a proper keyboard.

    56. Re: Facebook Is Down by MyLongNickName · · Score: 5, Funny

      I've spend at least 10 minutes editing this post.

      Should have spent another minute.

      --
      See my journal for slashdot ID's by year. Mine created in 2005. http://slashdot.org/journal/289875/slashdot-ids-by-year
    57. Re: Facebook Is Down by Khyber · · Score: 1

      "Right. Because it's so much easier to call everyone you want to invite to a large event and then make a note of everyone who is going to show."

      Mass SMS, anybody? Duh? It's not like that hasn't been around for ages.

      --
      Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
    58. Re: Facebook Is Down by segedunum · · Score: 2, Insightful

      That's why Facebook has privacy settings.

    59. Re: Facebook Is Down by jareth-0205 · · Score: 1

      And you're better than them because you do your ego wanking on slashdot, rather than facebook?

      Oh, *good* comeback...

    60. Re: Facebook Is Down by Luyseyal · · Score: 5, Funny

      It's not really stalking if the sole intent is to see which one of you ended up fatter. ;)

      -l

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      Help cure AIDS, cancer, and more. Donate your unused computer time to worldcommunitygrid.org. Join Team Slashdot!
    61. Re: Facebook Is Down by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Boo hoo. Societal norms change, get over it.

    62. Re: Facebook Is Down by gandhi_2 · · Score: 1

      were you in an Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company?

    63. Re: Facebook Is Down by david@ecsd.com · · Score: 1

      Well, I have no bloody clue what people do for hours on Slashdot every day--except troll people by being contrary.

    64. Re: Facebook Is Down by AlamedaStone · · Score: 1

      Last time I checked SMS did not export events in iCalendar format to ensure that all of my other devices are in sync with the planning. Events is the one thing Facebook does better than standard messaging protocols.

      I got a great deal on a wireless portable recently that had a lot of that functionality. Although it didn't import into iCal, it came fully loaded to interface seamlessly with several different event/schedule planners. It's an incredible event planning tool. I usually have trouble getting these things configured, but setup was literally just placing the device in proximity to whatever you need to interface with.

      I can't remember the brand name, but I think it was a #2.

      --
      "All these years believing you're the signified monkey, only to find out you're just a big hunk of nobody cares."
    65. Re: Facebook Is Down by xonar · · Score: 1

      I use facebook to keep people in my City and elsewhere up-to-date about a weekly show, a monthly show, and various other random events that I help run and promote for. We have a website and use an email/sms contact list, but it's among the many tools we use to keep regular people in-the-know.

      The biggest problem I hear people say over and over with them attending electronic-oriented shows is them not knowing where to look to find one. I used to think they happened every month or two but in reality there's 2-3 events per week, you just have to know where to look.

      I try to make it as easy as possible for people who give me money to find me.

    66. Re: Facebook Is Down by InfiniteWisdom · · Score: 1

      Does it also let you easily keep track of which of them replied, who said they're coming, whether or not they're bringing a guest along etc., so you can tell the restaurant how many are coming? Does it let guests easily find directions or other information?

      There are other ways of organizing events for sure (and other sites) but it's a bit silly to argue that it's easier to do it over SMS than Facebook.

    67. Re: Facebook Is Down by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You're both right. His phone works better since he only has 1 friend...

    68. Re: Facebook Is Down by mundanetechnomancer · · Score: 1

      but doing so ironically

    69. Re: Facebook Is Down by _Sprocket_ · · Score: 1

      I don't care.

    70. Re: Facebook Is Down by MyLongNickName · · Score: 1

      Maybe he works for Facebook...

      --
      See my journal for slashdot ID's by year. Mine created in 2005. http://slashdot.org/journal/289875/slashdot-ids-by-year
    71. Re: Facebook Is Down by JorDan+Clock · · Score: 1

      Yeah, and then deal with all the replies. Or you could set up an event on Facebook, send an invite to everyone, and then you're done. You have a convenient list of everyone coming, maybe coming, and not coming. You can give all the details you want (Because people like getting 4+ page texts detailing an event, right? And I love telling a dozen people directions somewhere the day before an event.) and have everything in one central location that ALL members of the event can view.

      But yeah, why use a calculator. The abacus has been around for ages.

    72. Re: Facebook Is Down by iamhassi · · Score: 1

      "Because it's so much easier to call everyone you want to invite to a large event and then make a note of everyone who is going to show"

      Was twitter down too?

      --
      my karma will be here long after I'm gone
    73. Re: Facebook Is Down by Penguinshit · · Score: 1

      dmmit should have hit preview...

    74. Re: Facebook Is Down by BitterOak · · Score: 5, Funny

      The reason why you like social networking sites is precisely the reason why I dislike them, in that behaviour that was once rightfully considered crazy/creepy is now mainstream.

      That's exactly what I love about Facebook. I used to be a total creep. Now I'm a very typical person. I haven't changed.

      --
      If I can be modded down for being a troll, can I be modded up for being an orc, or a balrog?
    75. Re: Facebook Is Down by internettoughguy · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Sounds like an overly complex solution to a very simple problem, namely providing a street address and requesting an RSVP.

    76. Re: Facebook Is Down by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Your sig..

      rule number 1 of slashdot: ANY thread can be twisted into a bash of microsoft. no exceptions.

      Any thread can also be turned into a bash of blue ball point pens as well, no exceptions. What's your point?

    77. Re: Facebook Is Down by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Seriously, your phone isn't better and you're just trying to act like you're superior for not using Facebook.

      You sound like helping mommy pick the cake for your 12th birthday party is the closest you've gotten to organizing a large event.

    78. Re: Facebook Is Down by MightyYar · · Score: 2, Interesting

      behaviour that was once rightfully considered crazy/creepy is now mainstream.

      I agree that creepy people can be exceptionally creepy on Facebook and pals - but I did nothing creepy. Had I tracked down each of these people for no real reason other than curiosity... that would be creepy. But all I did was post a class picture... not creepy at all, even 10 or 15 years ago that would have been pretty acceptable.

      --
      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
    79. Re: Facebook Is Down by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The reason why you like social networking sites is precisely the reason why I dislike them, in that behaviour that was once rightfully considered crazy/creepy is now mainstream.

      ^^^^^--- THIS ---^^^^^

      For finding out what happened to all those kids in your eighth grade class photo? Not so much.

      I simply posted a class photo on Facebook. Within a few days, everyone save one person was "tagged" on the photo and accounted for. Whether you personally value that kind of information has no bearing on just how cool that is from a geek perspective. That kind of information would have taken me weeks 10 years ago, and everyone would think that I was crazy.

      Maybe I'd like to keep my business, my business. Maybe I couldn't care less about who I went to eighth grade with (seriously? eighth grade was that memorable for you?) Maybe I don't want random pictures or information of/about me all over the Internet, for current or future employers, business partners, girlfriends (ha! slashdot! good one!), or even some day my kids to find.

      It's absolutely terrifying how much information you can find out about someone given relatively little information - such as a partial name and place.

    80. Re: Facebook Is Down by imthesponge · · Score: 2, Funny

      Yeah. You might as well be peeking through her bedroom window. It's just as bad.

    81. Re: Facebook Is Down by internettoughguy · · Score: 1

      behaviour that was once rightfully considered crazy/creepy is now mainstream.

      I agree that creepy people can be exceptionally creepy on Facebook and pals - but I did nothing creepy. Had I tracked down each of these people for no real reason other than curiosity... that would be creepy. But all I did was post a class picture... not creepy at all, even 10 or 15 years ago that would have been pretty acceptable.

      Yeah, I'm not accusing you of being creepy, just that you happened to mention the photo-tagging example, which is probably the most insidious aspect of FB since you don't even have to submit the info yourself.

    82. Re: Facebook Is Down by The13thSin · · Score: 1

      AND THE MORE YOU KNOW....

      Ah f*** it... *jams fork in eye*

      FUCK THAT HURTS!!!

      ... sorry everyone, I just didn't expect it to hurt THAT much...

      --
      "This should be fun, and by fun, I mean a wholly depressing insight into the cognitive ability of some grown adults."
    83. Re: Facebook Is Down by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      500 million users think so

      Beware of stupid people in large numbers!

    84. Re: Facebook Is Down by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Some of us have ethics. Some don't. Apparently yours differ. Stop belittling those with them. People who don't use it have reasons and not everybody is just NOT using it because they are out of touch with tech, superior, etc. Some actually give a (@*&!@( about privacy and other matters. Facebook stands for everything else. Not to mention Microsoft owns a HUGE portion of it.

    85. Re: Facebook Is Down by Anonymous+Psychopath · · Score: 1

      Agree with you 100%. Good to know I was not and will not affected in any way. Does anything serious get done on Facebook?

      Wow, what a phenomenally smug statement. Why does everything have to have a "serious" use? Social tools are useful and valid things, and 500 million users think so. Or are you more enlightened than every one of them?

      Ever since Stuff White People Like mocked pretentious TV-haters, they had to move on to hating Facebook instead.

      --

      Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

    86. Re: Facebook Is Down by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Apathy is the n... eh, whatever.

    87. Re: Facebook Is Down by phtpht · · Score: 1

      a lot of people don't use it just for Farmville

      Now this is news. What, did they put up another game?

    88. Re: Facebook Is Down by IllusionalForce · · Score: 0

      Hey, just because you are social, that doesn't mean that there aren't sociopathic people out there!
      (Insensitive clods these days...)

    89. Re: Facebook Is Down by Johnny+Mnemonic · · Score: 1

      No more or less so than what gets done on Slashdot. And yet you post here.

      --

      --
      $tar -xvf .sig.tar
    90. Re: Facebook Is Down by MarcQuadra · · Score: 2, Funny

      I implemented improperly, beer -can- cause DNS issues.

      Just last night I was trying to get to 'a beer at the pub after work' and ended up at something called 'Swilling Karkov on the street at 1AM with a convicted felon who doesn't speak a lick of English'. The problem even propagated, this morning my boss had a '404 - Employee Not Found' error.

      --
      "Sometimes, I think Trent just needs a cup of hot chocolate and a blankie." -Tori Amos on Nine Inch Nails
    91. Re: Facebook Is Down by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Sounds like you don't have much of an argument, but can't let someone else have the last word....

    92. Re: Facebook Is Down by profplump · · Score: 1

      Real men write their own RSVP system.

      Then they spend about twice as long as the coding/testing period convincing their wife that she should let him actually use it for their event.

    93. Re: Facebook Is Down by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It wouldn't be down if people weren't using MS...?

    94. Re: Facebook Is Down by Khyber · · Score: 1

      "Or you could set up an event on Facebook, send an invite to everyone, and then you're done."

      Yep, lemme tell you, it's SO HARD to look at the SMS you receive, which happens to be labeled for the person you assigned the name for the number, and read the response.

      In the meantime, I'd have to wait for the rest of that to load when my hacked phone can simply display the SMS in order of reception.

      Yea, no thanks. I left facebook because it was slower than most of my own personally-designed systems. And it had more spam and bullshit than my system. Yay, no farm-fucking-ville clogging up my screen! Just the RAW INFORMATION I'm looking for.

      --
      Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
    95. Re: Facebook Is Down by Khyber · · Score: 1

      Mafia Wars. :(

      That was the majority of my post-clogging front-page.

      --
      Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
    96. Re: Facebook Is Down by Khyber · · Score: 1

      Oh? Well, I guess those hundreds of gardeners buying my stuff and finding out it works better aren't friends.

      Hate to tell ya, but your best customers are friends.

      And when I make easily four grand in sales from mostly people I meet on a DAILY basis, you think they're not my friend when I show them how much money they save and how much extra money they gain on top of savings?

      You are DELUDED.

      --
      Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
    97. Re: Facebook Is Down by Saint+Fnordius · · Score: 1

      In all fairness, 90% of the time when it's a "let's be friends" breakup, both parties will keep the friend status, and it can be useful to avoid awkward situations. Anti-stalking, where you find out what places to avoid to prevent awkward situations.

      But I read the GP's post as being about the wall posts and status updates that Facebook keeps tossing out, where the ex happily broadcasts too much information, and you can't bring yourself to block just yet... :)

    98. Re: Facebook Is Down by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I wonder how many of those 500 million are inactive, like me. Just created an account, checked it out and realized it's not for me. Never used it since.

    99. Re: Facebook Is Down by Yvanhoe · · Score: 1

      Actually I needed some pictures that an artist friend put on his facebook page to propose it to a fanzine editor and this outage gave me a perfect example about why you should not put anything of value on FB

      --
      The Wise adapts himself to the world. The Fool adapts the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the Fool.
    100. Re: Facebook Is Down by L4t3r4lu5 · · Score: 1

      This is Slashdot. We already know the answer.

      You gonna have that last pizza slice?

      --
      Finally had enough. Come see us over at https://soylentnews.org/
    101. Re: Facebook Is Down by Cheney · · Score: 1

      I love the condescending attitude of some /.'ers involving social networks. As a deployed military member, often my only stable way of contact with family and friends is over Facebook. In this, I see it as a valuable tool. It's more stable and far more easily accessible than grabbing a phone from 10,000 other people who all want to talk to their family. But yeah, nothing of value was lost. :)

    102. Re: Facebook Is Down by Dodgy+G33za · · Score: 1
    103. Re: Facebook Is Down by cinderblock · · Score: 1

      I'm sure productivity went DOWN, since everyone kept trying to refresh/reload..."Maybe THIS time it will work?!"

      That's what I did... :-/

    104. Re: Facebook Is Down by kestasjk · · Score: 1

      How much does sending dozens of SMS messages cost? Are people okay with receiving invites via cell phone? How do you keep track of how many are coming when you start getting calls/e-mails/non-committal SMSs in response? Would you regret it when you need to sift through invite responses for important text messages?

      Really when was the last time you invited people to an event in this way and how many did you invite? How often do several major news outlets in various countries report on the unavailability of a service "of any real utility whatsoever"?

      Also if you're the sort of person who factors boot-up time into the time it takes to post a message to an internet service you probably don't belong on this site (or in this decade for that matter).

      --
      // MD_Update(&m,buf,j);
    105. Re: Facebook Is Down by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Zuckerberg? Get off Slashdot. We've got class here.

    106. Re: Facebook Is Down by TheRaven64 · · Score: 1

      It's like the web, but with a single point of failure.

      --
      I am TheRaven on Soylent News
    107. Re: Facebook Is Down by hypermode · · Score: 1

      "500 million users think so"...Wow. What a phenomenally pedestrian statement. "Gee, the masses like it, therefore it must be valid and useful!". Can you even stop to think for a second about other activities that 500 million people like? Are all activities that at least 500 million people participate in valid and useful? I think not. The argument that you are using to justify Facebook as being meaningful (based on mass appeal) is null and void.

    108. Re: Facebook Is Down by h4rm0ny · · Score: 1

      I bet they'll regret that feature once it's out there. Some people would be gratified to see any visitors they get. But I bet there will be a lot who get freaked out by the information - both those they don't know who they are (some poor girl who gets linked to from 4chan), and those they recognize (stalker ex's, their dad at three in the morning) and when the information gets passed along ("Tracy says you were viewing her beach pictures at 3am, how could you?").

      A world of trouble awaits...

      --

      Aide-toi, le Ciel t'aidera - Jeanne D'Arc.
    109. Re: Facebook Is Down by h4rm0ny · · Score: 1

      Any thread can also be turned into a bash of blue ball point pens as well, no exceptions. What's your point?

      Well, I'm not the OP, but I'd guess the point is that very few threads are going to be twisted into a bash of ball point pens, but rather often they do get twisted into Microsoft bashes.

      --

      Aide-toi, le Ciel t'aidera - Jeanne D'Arc.
    110. Re: Facebook Is Down by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you like to know about events people you know but aren't in your daily circle are organising, then yes.

      I know a lot of musicians for instance but I'm not in daily contact with them, they put events on facebook, which to me is worth being on there.

      I like google wave though better for interacting with friends, the feel is less political (you're never sure who is reading your facebook threads) and more fun, and being able to see instantly what the other person writes just makes more sense.

      Why they're trashing it before it's even out the door... I have no idea.

    111. Re: Facebook Is Down by dave420 · · Score: 1

      Luddite.

    112. Re: Facebook Is Down by dave420 · · Score: 1

      You're also a conceited asshole. Nicely done. Get a grip, Sparky. No one gives a shit about your gardener buddies, or how you hate Facebook and love SMS, or how much you whore yourself out for. Seriously. Give it a rest.

    113. Re: Facebook Is Down by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Actually, I have a facebook friend who hangs out with his exes all the time and keeps up with them on Facebook. Whenever he makes a technical post a bunch of them make stupid comments about how they don't understand. It's all rather pathetic, but there's no stalking.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    114. Re: Facebook Is Down by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Yea, no thanks. I left facebook because it was slower than most of my own personally-designed systems. And it had more spam and bullshit than my system. Yay, no farm-fucking-ville clogging up my screen! Just the RAW INFORMATION I'm looking for.

      Lots of my friends don't have a cellphone. Some of the ones that do don't have text. I use a Tracfone and it costs 0.30 units to send one SMS. GMail is bad at sending SMS and most of the SMS I've sent with it didn't go through. Facebook costs me nothing but some information that is already out there anyway. Mass SMS is not a substitute and suggesting SMS for anything in the USA given the current cost of texting is rude at best. Meanwhile, Facebook has a "lite" interface where you're not seeing all that farmville shit. If you would use the tools provided properly then your ridiculous arguments would never have been made.

      And on top of that, really, facebook is not for me, while mycity is (as a business owner, this is like the facebook for business, so I'll roll with that, and it's gotten me business.)

      Facebook is for keeping up with friends. If you don't have friends that you're not keeping up with now, it's hard to see why you would want to use it. If you do, then it's hard to see why you wouldn't want to use it, since once you log in and set a bunch of privacy settings you're really in pretty good control of your identity. You make it so only friends can tag you etc, and you only add people you trust to your friends list. The value of "trust", of course, varies widely.

      Stop making excuses. If you just say "I don't want to use facebook because I am being obstinate" then this conversation can end and we can all go back to talking about LEDs. But trying to invent reasons why Facebook is inferior to your cellphone is a stupid game.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    115. Re: Facebook Is Down by Chucky_M · · Score: 1

      And if you do, take pictures and post them with no protection so we can all enjoy it.

    116. Re: Facebook Is Down by tom17 · · Score: 1

      Why didn't you just post the link?

    117. Re: Facebook Is Down by elmodog · · Score: 1

      My dad does some serious work on his farm and his frontier. It must be serious - he gets agitated when crops don't come in on time.

    118. Re: Facebook Is Down by tom17 · · Score: 1

      I completely agree with this. I have family and friends in the UK, friends & colleagues in Germany, school-friends all over the world, ex-colleagues all over the world and I live in Canada.

      I like to keep up with old friends, see what they are up to, talk to them about it if it's something interesting, post pics for family & friends.

      If I had to do all this without FaceBook i'd have to write creepy mass-e-mails to all my acquaintances asking what they are up to or if they have done anything interesting of late. These are the sort of e-mails you only tend to send to closer friends and on a more individual level. Doing that for everyone, every day/week/month/whatever would be a huge inconvenience.

      Or maybe you could rely on people to e-mail their friends with everything they are doing. When Johnny from school decides to, say, start building a homebuilt car from scratch, he'd have to e-mail everyone he knows about it, distant friends probably wouldn't be on that list. By posting it on FB, I would get to see it and could talk to him about it and maybe re-spark that friendship.
      Likewise, I would have to e-mail everyone-i-know about every-interesting-thing-i-do and it would get annoying & cumbersome, quickly.

      FB is a fantastic aggregator tool for distant friend networks like this. Yes there are privacy concerns and other options would be great, but it's the only aggregation service that everybody and their mother can and will use. Just be careful with what you put on there.


      Now I get that if you don't have friends/family that you want to keep up with, or you live in the same town and see them all the time, or if you are happy just e-mailing/calling/SMSing/visiting whatever friends/family/clients/colleagues you have then sure, FB aint for you and that's OK.

    119. Re: Facebook Is Down by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      PDiddy is an evil genious. He made it unfashionable to hate ANYTHING.

    120. Re: Facebook Is Down by runbadscott · · Score: 1

      Just got back from StarBucks! Wow! The coffee was so hot! (since facebook is down I just though I would post my FB statuses here)

      --
      0100111001100101011100100110010000100001
    121. Re: Facebook Is Down by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yea... If you really think doing mass SMS and trying to keep track of all that data is easier than just setting up a Facebook group you have a screw loose or something. You are quite simply wrong in every respect. You must just be a troll.

    122. Re: Facebook Is Down by russotto · · Score: 1

      The problem even propagated, this morning my boss had a '404 - Employee Not Found' error.

      Which isn't so bad, until you try to go back in to work and get a '403 - Forbidden', and all your co-workers start getting '301 - Moved Permanently'.

    123. Re: Facebook Is Down by anglico · · Score: 1

      Yes, first Anglico, a long time ago

    124. Re: Facebook Is Down by tehcyder · · Score: 1

      Most of us aren't Paris fucking Hilton with hundreds or thousands of "friends" we need to invite to cool parties.

      --
      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
    125. Re: Facebook Is Down by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I could never put my finger on exactly what felt wrong about facebook, but you're 100% correct.

    126. Re: Facebook Is Down by tehcyder · · Score: 1

      I've spend at least 10 minutes editing this post. This is par for the course for anything I write. The 30 seconds it takes to boot my mid-to-low-range laptop is well worth the superior WPM I get at a keyboard over texting.

      Do you get your private secretary to take down your thoughts in longhand, type them up on an old manual Olivetti before photocopying the page, scanning it onto a memory stick, from which you then copy the text into your web browser and finally press "submit"?

      I mean, seriously, how can it take 10 minutes to type less than 50 words? I think my six year old can do better than 5 wpm.

      --
      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
    127. Re: Facebook Is Down by tehcyder · · Score: 1

      How much does sending dozens of SMS messages cost?

      In the UK at least, nothing for those on even a basic monthly plan (you generally get an allowance of several hundred texts...). I know it's different in the US though.

      --
      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
    128. Re: Facebook Is Down by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Anonymous Coward likes this!

    129. Re: Facebook Is Down by Tubal-Cain · · Score: 1

      Like I said, it's not the WPM. I edit and re-edit continuously. My previous post had been three times longer at one point.

    130. Re: Facebook Is Down by gstoddart · · Score: 0

      I love the condescending attitude of some /.'ers involving social networks. ... But yeah, nothing of value was lost. :)

      So, I'm condescending but you're both condescending and a hypocrite?

      Sound about right? :-P

      --
      Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    131. Re: Facebook Is Down by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ah beer, you never give me DNS error messages...

      I get 'Danger: Not Sober' messages every time I look at one.

    132. Re: Facebook Is Down by RobertM1968 · · Score: 1

      There really are certain posts that should be able to be modded to +10 or +20, and yours is one of them. :-)

  2. up by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Appears to be up as of this moment.

  3. Staring at the clock! by Kepesk · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I can't believe this... Facebook went down so I started working and then I actually finished and now I can't figure out what to do!

    Okay, I'm not quite that bad, but we all know people who are...

    1. Re:Staring at the clock! by mbone · · Score: 4, Funny

      That's why God created Slashdot.

    2. Re:Staring at the clock! by owlstead · · Score: 1

      I always thought Slashdot titles just went up to commander.

    3. Re:Staring at the clock! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Before ./ and before fb there was usenet to loose yourself in. And before the Internet, there were other "activities" you can do instead of your work, so this is nothing new it is just another tool to distract you.

    4. Re:Staring at the clock! by DigiShaman · · Score: 1

      Facebook? What's this Facebook you speak of. Most of us that are left employed are being worked to death and/or overloaded with projects. How the hell are you still employed and yet have free time on your hands?!

      You must be self employed. Right?

      --
      Life is not for the lazy.
    5. Re:Staring at the clock! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      You think pretty highly of CmdrTaco.

    6. Re:Staring at the clock! by syousef · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I can't believe this... Facebook went down so I started working and then I actually finished and now I can't figure out what to do!
      Okay, I'm not quite that bad, but we all know people who are...

      As if someone's who's happy to dodge work will magically start working again just because a single distraction is removed. Employees who need to be babysat are a burden.

      --
      These posts express my own personal views, not those of my employer
  4. It's back now by commodore64_love · · Score: 5, Informative

    There was a can't resolve DNS error, but it's fixed now.

    --
    "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
    1. Re:It's back now by ceejayoz · · Score: 1

      It's been doing that off and on all afternoon here.

    2. Re:It's back now by mbone · · Score: 4, Interesting

      It was NOT just DNS, as it happened even for IP addresses. There has been a lot of discussion of this over on NANOG - there were http 500 server errors and apparently also some indications of problems with their CDN.

      It's just a WA guess, but I bet some configuration change went wildly wrong.

    3. Re:It's back now by bruce_the_loon · · Score: 2, Funny

      Nah, they just took down the site to copy it to the NSA.

      --
      Trying to become famous by taking photos. Visit my homepage please.
    4. Re:It's back now by z-j-y · · Score: 1

      completely wrong. internal programming bug.

    5. Re:It's back now by archmcd · · Score: 1

      I heard it was cosmic rays.

      --
      I'm not an expert, but I play one on slashdot.
    6. Re:It's back now by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It was NOT just DNS, as it happened even for IP addresses. ... there were http 500 server errors and apparently also some indications of problems with their CDN.

      Observations are that it was a combination. Network outage as the root cause, and long DNS TTL that slowed down the automatic DNS switch to other IP addresses.

  5. Hahahahaa by arcite · · Score: 4, Funny

    My plans for world domination are coming to fruition.

    1. Re:Hahahahaa by gestalt_n_pepper · · Score: 5, Funny

      Two words. "Aim higher"

      --
      Please do not read this sig. Thank you.
    2. Re:Hahahahaa by webmistressrachel · · Score: 1

      So you have a newer, better coded, more reliable social networking site ready to take up their slack? If not, sir, I doubt very much that your world domination will come to fruition...

      --
      This tagline was transcoded to result in at least one smirk. If you experience failure to smirk, please consult your Gen
    3. Re:Hahahahaa by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      o/~ Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated! o/~

  6. I'm back in. by drodal · · Score: 5, Funny

    I see a lot of people slamming facebook and social web sites.

    They usually do it on some website, while being social.

    What makes their comments better than ones on facebook.

    1. Re:I'm back in. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      > What makes their comments better than ones on facebook.

      Proper punctuation. :)

    2. Re:I'm back in. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Because advertisers cannot match up what I write here with who I am.

      I see facebook as basically giving all your personal information to advertisers.

      Now if I didn't want to be anon, perhaps I would be more interested in Facebook, but I'm not.

    3. Re:I'm back in. by Red+Flayer · · Score: 1

      And using default font configurations like a normal person.

      --
      "Trolls they were, but filled with the evil will of their master: a fell race..." -- J.R.R. Tolkien on Olog-hai
    4. Re:I'm back in. by CarpetShark · · Score: 1

      What makes their comments better than ones on facebook.

      clashing colors and lots of half-assed band profiles? ;)

    5. Re:I'm back in. by somersault · · Score: 1

      That personal info is pretty useless to advertisers if you're blocking their ads. And if you actually leave the ads on, wouldn't you want them to at least be relevant..?

      --
      which is totally what she said
    6. Re:I'm back in. by Xaositecte · · Score: 4, Funny

      your font makes you look like a douchebag.

      Never use it again.

    7. Re:I'm back in. by grub · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      Actually his is the only message that looks normal on this Wyse-60 terminal.
      Now get off my lawn,

      --
      Trolling is a art,
    8. Re:I'm back in. by MobileTatsu-NJG · · Score: 1

      What makes their comments better than ones on facebook.

      Heh. Slashdot doesn't require 'friends'.

      --

      "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)

    9. Re:I'm back in. by Fulcrum+of+Evil · · Score: 1

      What makes their comments better than ones on facebook.

      Knowledge of the rumoured question mark.

      --
      "We returned the General to El Salvador, or maybe Guatemala, it's difficult to tell from 10,000 feet"
    10. Re:I'm back in. by Mister+Whirly · · Score: 1

      Their nerdy angst!

      --
      "But this one goes to 11!"
    11. Re:I'm back in. by f8l_0e · · Score: 1

      Thank you for your daily thought, Jack Handy.

    12. Re:I'm back in. by really? · · Score: 2, Funny

      >What makes their comments better than ones on facebook.

      Well, for one thing ... they are not on facebook.

      --

      "Consistency is contrary to nature, contrary to life. The only completely consistent people are the dead." A. Huxley
    13. Re:I'm back in. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Never EVER EVER EVER SLANDER COURIER AGAIN .

      Comic sans is fair game. Helvetica, trashica, Ariel, a pale imitation of an imitation.

      But Leave Courier Alone, it was here long before you were, and will be here long after you die,
      but in a way completely unlike cockroaches.

    14. Re:I'm back in. by LordLimecat · · Score: 1

      Oh, so you didnt notice all those advertising scripts running in the background on slashtot?

    15. Re:I'm back in. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      Oh, so you didnt notice all those advertising scripts running in the background on slashtot?

      What advertising scripts?

    16. Re:I'm back in. by KiloByte · · Score: 1

      No, it's your font -- the one you configured as your monospaced one. The GP merely used <tt>.

      If you have problems with it, just change it to something better. Slashdot specifies merely { font-family:monospace; }.

      --
      The creatures outside looked from Alt-Right to Antifa; but already it was impossible to say which was which.
    17. Re:I'm back in. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Is it a plane? Is it a cloud? NO! its MONOSPACE MAN!!

    18. Re:I'm back in. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      go suck a dick

    19. Re:I'm back in. by wed128 · · Score: 1

      You're thinking of MySpace. Facebook gives the user much less freedom to change what their page looks like, resulting in pages that are much less offensive to the eyes.

    20. Re:I'm back in. by russotto · · Score: 1

      I see a lot of people slamming facebook and social web sites.

      They usually do it on some website, while being social.

      What makes their comments better than ones on facebook.

      Slashdot isn't a social network in the sense that Facebook is. Slashdot is more a continuation of what was done earlier in Usenet and BBSs -- a way for the stereotypical basement-dwelling geek to communicate with others of his kind. No expectation that any of us know each other in real life, or even that we know each other's real names, is involved. Slashdot is the kind of place where "no one knows you're a dog".

      Facebook is different. It's an intrusion of the Real World onto the intertubes. It's expected that you know your facebook friends in real life, that you participate in real life social events with them. All things your stereotypical geek has absolutely nothing to do with.

    21. Re:I'm back in. by CarpetShark · · Score: 1

      Woosh.

    22. Re:I'm back in. by GameboyRMH · · Score: 1

      I see them, but not only do they have no association with my real name, they're also blocked.

      --
      "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
  7. No it's not by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

    I was just using it and then I came here to see this story and then I loaded it and the wall post I made before I saw this story was on my front page so WTFOMGBBQ

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  8. Isn't it obvious? by Red+Flayer · · Score: 2, Funny

    And so we see the second (or third) salvo in the great 21st century Sino-American conflict. China has embargoed our proxy off their shore, we have likely responded in a manner as yet unknown.

    But really China? Really? You have to go straight for the jugular and take down Facebook? There will be mass hysteria, cats and dogs will dance the lambada, and blood will rain from the sky now that you've taken down our new national pastime, Facebook.

    /adjusts tinfoil hat to a rakish tilt

    But really, wouldn't that be a good way for China to demonstrate how easily they can mess with us?

    --
    "Trolls they were, but filled with the evil will of their master: a fell race..." -- J.R.R. Tolkien on Olog-hai
    1. Re:Isn't it obvious? by Blig · · Score: 1

      There will be mass hysteria, cats and dogs will dance the lambada,

      Oh, now *that's* scary as heck.

    2. Re:Isn't it obvious? by pavera · · Score: 1

      I think its a counter to all the "let the yuan appreciate" garbage coming out of DC... China takes down facebook to prove our joblessness is really our fault (IE sudden spike in productivity related to lack of facebook). Then they can say "see you'd all have jobs if you weren't lazy narcissistic jerks". No one can hire you cause you waste 6 hours of every working day playing farmville...

  9. Inverse Slashdot Effect by ka9dgx · · Score: 5, Funny

    For the first time ever... mentioning a site was down on ./ made it come back to life.

    1. Re:Inverse Slashdot Effect by swanzilla · · Score: 1

      For the first time ever... mentioning a site was down on ./ made it come back to life.

      /. links to heathy site --> servers crap out

      /. links to broken site --> servers revive

      uh oh...it is gaining sentience...

    2. Re:Inverse Slashdot Effect by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      The admins must have been browsing slashdot and gone "OH SHIT!!" ... lol!

    3. Re:Inverse Slashdot Effect by treeves · · Score: 1

      Slashdot Effect is like a SPST toggle switch?

      If I mention a non-existent site here will it spring up from nothing?

      --
      ...the future crusty old bastards are already drinking the Kool-Aid.
    4. Re:Inverse Slashdot Effect by drunken-yeti · · Score: 0

      I can just see the system engineer reading Slashdot threads, look up oh and see the thread...shit my server is down....

    5. Re:Inverse Slashdot Effect by martin-boundary · · Score: 2, Funny

      For the first time ever... mentioning a site was down on ./ made it come back to life.

      No, it's a zombie! Quick, somebody shoot it in the head before it logs people back in!

    6. Re:Inverse Slashdot Effect by rdnetto · · Score: 1

      Correlation is not causation
      (it had to be said)

      --
      Most human behaviour can be explained in terms of identity.
    7. Re:Inverse Slashdot Effect by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'd like to have a website so popular that I wouldn't need to invest in any monitoring system because when something happens I'll notice it on slashdot.

  10. Phone apps by MrEricSir · · Score: 1

    The smartphone apps never went down as far as I could tell.

    --
    There's no -1 for "I don't get it."
    1. Re:Phone apps by trapnest · · Score: 1

      The touch.facebook.com server was down this afternoon.

  11. Why is this news? by nebaz · · Score: 1

    Websites go down all the time. Amazon has been down from time to time. Why is this new at all, let alone front page news? I shouldn't just blame slashdot though, both yahoo and cnn mention this as well.

    --
    Rhymes that keep their secrets will unfold behind the clouds.There upon the rainbow is the answer to a neverending story
    1. Re:Why is this news? by MBCook · · Score: 5, Informative

      Well, for one thing it's a mistake by a big technology company, one that we generally like to hate. That's either interesting (because they try very hard to prevent such things with redundancy), or funny (because we don't like them). That makes it post-worthy.

      But even if you don't use FB, you were probably effected. Those little FB Like buttons have been spreading around like a contagious pox, but they're built on iframes and javascript. That meant that when FB went down, all the sites with those dynamic little buttons had a page element that basically had to time out to finish rendering. If you put the button at the top of your page, your other javascript may not run until the FB JS either ran or timed out.

      Net effect? FB going down slowed down a lot of other sites.

      Introducing external dependencies you don't control on top of your business critical process can work out so well for people. I'm sure this kind of thing was considered by everyone during the recent "Let's add a like button" craze.

      Don't forget sites where many of their users only login through Facebook Connect. That entire chunk of their user population may have been cut off during the outage.

      --
      Comment forecast: Bits of genius surrounded by a sea of mediocrity.
    2. Re:Why is this news? by am+2k · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Since a few months ago, Facebook has surpassed Google as the website with the most traffic on the web. If #2 Google.com went down, it'd be here as well, so why not #1?

    3. Re:Why is this news? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well there must be everything ok in the world. No hunger, no violence, no climate chance, no energy shortage, no instable nuclear plants, no idiots in power. So fb is down is the only bad thing.

    4. Re:Why is this news? by Chess+Piece+Face · · Score: 1

      "Don't forget sites where many of their users only login through Facebook Connect."

      Sorry but I forget those sites on purpose. Facebook failed me, and any site that will only acknowledge me as a Facebook user is similarly ignored.

    5. Re:Why is this news? by damn_registrars · · Score: 1

      Why is this new at all, let alone front page news? I shouldn't just blame slashdot though, both yahoo and cnn mention this as well.

      Have you been paying attention lately? The last several months (or more), anytime anything remotely ... what's the word ... gossip-worthy ... happens at facebook and slashdot goes nuts, plastering it promptly on the front page. I'm surprised that there wasn't another article the moment the problem was resolved.

      --
      Damn_registrars has no butt-hole. Damn_registrars has no use for a butt-hole.
    6. Re:Why is this news? by MBCook · · Score: 1

      I'm thinking of sites like my company runs. Users have accounts, but some users signed up through Facebook connect. Though they have full accounts and can log in with their email address and a password they setup, I would expect many would only try to login through Facebook.

      This isn't a huge problem for us (only a small percentage of our users sign up this way right now), but what if your site got a huge chunk of your signups that way. You could be cut off from 1/3 or 1/2 your user base while something like this is going on. Imagine what that could do to an e-commerce site.

      And you have no control over it. FB is back up, but they could be down for 2 days and there wouldn't be much you could do. If my commercial ISP is down for 2 days, I have a recourse. If FB goes down... the money I lost is just gone.

      Basically, FB is almost a single point of failure for some sites because of all the FB integration they offer. It annoys me, and this is one of the reasons. But the people who push "we need FB integration" usually don't consider this kind of thing. I'd imagine a lot of people got a rude surprise today when their sites started to feel slow as heck because of the like button iframes.

      --
      Comment forecast: Bits of genius surrounded by a sea of mediocrity.
    7. Re:Why is this news? by jewelises · · Score: 1

      Actually I think facebook has you load their javascript code asynchronously, which would avoid the issue you mention:

      http://developers.facebook.com/docs/reference/javascript/

    8. Re:Why is this news? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, no. I filter out everything from FB. Get adblock and do it.

    9. Re:Why is this news? by JohnnyBGod · · Score: 1

      The thing is... that report was bullshit. It pitted Google's search traffic versus Facebook's total traffic. That's hardly fair.

  12. And the world becomes productive once again by maliqua · · Score: 1

    You mean people will actually spend there day at work... working? awesome

  13. Is this newsworthy? by 91degrees · · Score: 1

    I mean I've always had the impression that facebook is a flaky piece of shit anyway. I don't care since it's stupid trivial chat and games (hey, I like stupid trivial chat and games, but I can just about survive without) and downtime rarely lasts that long.

  14. Sorry guys ! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    It was me, i tripped over the servers cord on my way to the bathroom, ive plugged it back in and pressed the button on the front, hope its ok !!

    mom

    1. Re:Sorry guys ! by Voulnet · · Score: 1

      Mrs. Zuckerberg?

    2. Re:Sorry guys ! by PincushionMan · · Score: 1

      Your mom!?

    3. Re:Sorry guys ! by GameboyRMH · · Score: 1

      Are you sure you remembered to flush? Better run back there real quick and make sure!

      --
      "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
  15. Only IPv4 by XanC · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I believe this only affected those of you stuck in the last millennium. http://v6.facebook.com

    1. Re:Only IPv4 by webmistressrachel · · Score: 1

      No, no, it doesn't - you see, that link you gave? It doesn't work!!!

      --
      This tagline was transcoded to result in at least one smirk. If you experience failure to smirk, please consult your Gen
    2. Re:Only IPv4 by XanC · · Score: 1

      You're right, thanks!

    3. Re:Only IPv4 by choongiri · · Score: 1

      The fact that we're seeing subdomains for IP6 seems to indicate "the transition" ain't going so well.

    4. Re:Only IPv4 by Mashiki · · Score: 1

      That's probably because there's no shortage of ISP's and backbones that haven't even started transitioning yet. I'm looking at you various companies in Canada.

      --
      Om, nomnomnom...
    5. Re:Only IPv4 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Or you could get with the program and use lisp.facebook.com. v6 is old news

    6. Re:Only IPv4 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      host www.v6.facebook.com
      www.v6.facebook.com has IPv6 address 2620:0:1cfe:face:b00c::3

      Neat!

    7. Re:Only IPv4 by lowrydr310 · · Score: 1

      Server not found

      Firefox can't find the server at v6.facebook.com.

      * Check the address for typing errors such as ww.example.com instead of www.example.com

      * If you are unable to load any pages, check your computer's network connection.

      * If your computer or network is protected by a firewall or proxy, make sure that Firefox is permitted to access the Web.

      Try Again

  16. Protest by TrippTDF · · Score: 1

    This is how Zuckerberg is protesting the new Facebook movie- he's keeping everyone from procrastinating, making them all do work. Bastard.

  17. Culprit has been identified! by airfoobar · · Score: 4, Funny
    1. Re:Culprit has been identified! by GameboyRMH · · Score: 1

      That's the second Twitter page I've enjoyed reading, after shitmydadsays.

      --
      "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
  18. It's been down a lot lately by phantomfive · · Score: 1

    It's been down a lot lately. Although as others have mentioned, it's up again for me now. It's a shame that it's up again, really, although others have mentioned that too. In fact this whole post is redundant. I really shouldn't push submit but in the grand scheme of things, probably my whole life is redundant, so I guess it fits.

    --
    Qxe4
  19. I was wondering why by Rooked_One · · Score: 3, Funny

    my downloads for pr0.... the internets were so fast today.

  20. Sombody tagged this "omfg" by akkornel · · Score: 1

    I then tagged this story as "!omfg", but I realize I was wrong, and for that I apologize. I realize now that I should have just tagged this story "meh".

  21. Several iEMP devices were 'tested' today by ChrisKnight · · Score: 4, Funny

    As soon as the news story broke that Zuckerberg was richer than Jobs, Apple launched EMP weapons at the Facebook datacenters.

    --
    -- This sig is only a test. If this were a real sig it would say something witty. --
  22. Who manages their DNS anyway? by schon · · Score: 1

    This has happened before - they have a problem with their DNS servers, and the entire site becomes unreachable.

    I gotta wonder who in their right mind sets the TTL of 25 seconds on a major site? What a great way to overload your DNS servers and make your site unreachable when they go down!

    1. Re:Who manages their DNS anyway? by ksandom · · Score: 1

      That statement works both ways. Long ttl is long time to go down. And depending on the problem, long time to come back up. I haven't bothered to check what their ttl is normally, but it's common practise to make the ttl really short a day or so before you make changes that have a probability of the dns pointing to the wrong place. There by reducing the impact because you're not forced into the mistake for longer than you have to be. Once you know everything is working properly, you can increase the ttl again.

      --
      Funnyhacks - Wierd, unusual, and fun hacks
    2. Re:Who manages their DNS anyway? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They use GSLB, which requires short TTLs. This is standard in the industry for globally available sites that take advantage of GSLB. Regardless, that error reported was a red herring, since the issue (at least reports) was with intermediate network paths (Qwest really) which broke some routes.

  23. Diaspora by Rik+Sweeney · · Score: 1

    Maybe one of the latest commits to Diaspora launched a massive denial of service attack against it :)

    Seriously though, it was down for less than 30 minutes, how is this news?

  24. Plan B by slashnik · · Score: 1

    Right, everyone back to myspace.

  25. Recursive Slashdot Effect by BeerCat · · Score: 1

    So I see Slashdot stories on my Facebook feed.

    Including the story (on Facebook) of Slashdot commenting that Facebook was down.

    Except that it wasn't (or I wouldn't have seen the story)

    Holy recursive effect!

    --
    "She's furniture with a pulse"
    1. Re:Recursive Slashdot Effect by E+IS+mC(Square) · · Score: 1

      You know what? You just broke teh INTERNET!!!!

  26. In an alternate Universe... by zrbyte · · Score: 1

    This news gets posted on Slashdot and it goes down again.

  27. Re:the weekend by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Oh my, how I've missed you, the dirty, long tech star troll poster!!! Keep it up! Long live the AC!

  28. This Just In by tarsi210 · · Score: 5, Funny

    PALO ALTO, CA -- Millions of Internet users simultaneously threw up their hands in frustration and disgust Thursday afternoon as Facebook.com, a popular website providing distractions from productivity, inter-personal communication services, and a next-generation forum for thousands of misplaced USENET trolls, blinked off the Interwebs in a bright display of sparks and an anti-orgasmic groan.

    Calls to Facebook headquarters were not answered but when the machine picked up, background noises included explosions, people screaming, and a burly man shouting DOS commands in a fierce staccato.

    Authorities were put on alert status and reinforcements were called in to deal with the huge amount of LOLs and WTFs that had begun to pile up at intersections, due to the timing corresponding with the release of teenagers from school and their subsequent activities. Counselors were bracing themselves to deal with the myriad of relationships that have been thrust violently into limbo as users have been unable to hook up, break up, get married, or get "into a relationship" with their BFF.

    Evan Williams, CEO of the popular sister-site Twitter, said in a statement that they were jumping in to help. "We've brought more servers online to deal with the influx of users who need to update their status, complain about a political party, or notify classmates that they are, 'skanky hors'." Williams also noted that they were partnering with TwitPic and other add-on services to ensure that the steady stream of photos of asses, children doing stupid things, and people drinking in semicircles would be preserved.

    Ag secretary Vilsack presented a sober speech Thursday afternoon, lamenting the millions of dollars in crop and animal losses expected from the downtime of Facebook. "We know a lot of virtual farmers out there are hurting, " he stated. "You should know -- we will be here to help you rebuild."

    Meanwhile, during the downtime, researchers discovered a rather large blue space available outside of their houses and middle age housewives were said to be seen in states of ecstasy from a natural phenomenon known as, "sunshine".

    1. Re:This Just In by CCarrot · · Score: 1

      Kudos, good sir. You made me snort Coke out my nose.

      (better than milk, I guess...)

      --
      "I love animals! Some are cute, others are tasty, what's not to like?" - Betsy Schroeder, Jeopardy contestant
    2. Re:This Just In by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      made me snort Coke out my nose.

      yer doin' it wrong.

    3. Re:This Just In by scouris · · Score: 1

      First person I've heard of who's snorted Coke out their nose.
      I'd post this on my Wall but ... crap.

    4. Re:This Just In by pipingguy · · Score: 1

      Brilliant!

  29. Welcome to Cloud Computing... by gestalt_n_pepper · · Score: 1

    Your bastion of security and reliability.

    --
    Please do not read this sig. Thank you.
  30. looks like its up now by StillNeedMoreCoffee · · Score: 0, Redundant

    look likes its back

  31. As usual, the Onion got it right first by jbeach · · Score: 1

    Although they were referring to the entire Internet, not just Facebook - it seems there's less and less of a difference nowadays.

    http://www.theonion.com/articles/48hour-internet-outage-plunges-nation-into-product,779/

    --
    The Invisible Hand of the Free Market is what punches workers in the nuts.
  32. Kumbaya my Lord, kumbaya by e065c8515d206cb0e190 · · Score: 1

    Kumbaya, my Lord, kumbaya;
    Someone's cryin', Lord, kumbaya;
    Someone's singin', Lord, kumbaya;
    Kumbaya, my Lord, kumbaya;
    Oh, Lord, kumbaya.
    Kumbaya.

  33. Just goes to show... by peacefinder · · Score: 1

    ... There's no such thing as too big to fail.

    --
    With reasonable men I will reason; with humane men I will plead; but to tyrants I will give no quarter. -- William Lloyd
    1. Re:Just goes to show... by jDeepbeep · · Score: 1

      This is true. Just ask the Empire about the Death Star.

      --
      Reply to That ||
  34. Disapora doesn't look too bad now... by e065c8515d206cb0e190 · · Score: 1

    ... does it?

    1. Re:Disapora doesn't look too bad now... by the+linux+geek · · Score: 1

      Yeah, it still looks pretty bad. :/

  35. Noononononono by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Ahhhhh..... fuuuuuuuuuck.

    Oh wait.... I don't have a Facebook account.

  36. Death by Script by Thunderstruck · · Score: 1

    A few hours ago, there was a /. post about url redirect issues with facebook, twitter, etc. Many people posted links to nice firefox plugins which would filter some of that. At this point, thousands of people are probably pointing all sorts of interesting script-tweaking plugins at facebook to see what happens.

    Maybe thats what happened?

    --
    Trying to use sarcasm in text-based forums does not work.
    1. Re:Death by Script by PhilHibbs · · Score: 1

      Script-tweaking plugins would reduce the load on Facebook, not increase it. And they only work if the link contains the actual URL like Google's do, these tools can't do anything about URL shorteners.

    2. Re:Death by Script by Dynedain · · Score: 1

      At this point, thousands of people are probably pointing all sorts of interesting script-tweaking plugins at facebook to see what happens.

      With 500 million users and all kinds of APIs, scripting controls, and data options, there are most likely thousands of people pointing interesting script-tweaking plugins at any given moment, regardless of the /. effect.

      --
      I'm out of my mind right now, but feel free to leave a message.....
  37. ./? Hm? by Robotron23 · · Score: 1

    What is this "dotslash" of which you speak?

    1. Re:./? Hm? by geminidomino · · Score: 1

      Looks like someone's admin forgot to set "noexec" on /home again...

  38. In other news by jack2000 · · Score: 1

    People with soul rejoice all over the world.

  39. real news story: by pyrocam · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "facebook is down" makes top news at nerd related news website

  40. Hijacked by Rick+Zeman · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    whois facebook.com

    Whois Server Version 2.0

    Domain names in the .com and .net domains can now be registered
    with many different competing registrars. Go to http://www.internic.net/
    for detailed information.

    FACEBOOK.COM.ZZZZZZ.THE.BEST.WEBHOSTING.AT.WWW.FATUCH.COM
    FACEBOOK.COM.ZZZZZ.GET.LAID.AT.WWW.SWINGINGCOMMUNITY.COM
    FACEBOOK.COM.ZZZZZ.DOWNLOAD.MOVIE.ONLINE.ZML2.COM
    FACEBOOK.COM.MORE.INFO.AT.WWW.BEYONDWHOIS.COM
    FACEBOOK.COM

    1. Re:Hijacked by unix1 · · Score: 1
  41. Facebook is worse than Craigslist: registration. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If Facebook allowed posting advertisements that can only be accessed with a unique password as was printed on an invitation to a unique bearer, then it would be almost as good as Craigslist.

    Craigslist sucks alot more today, and it's quite the COINCIDENCE that ever since EBAY was denied control over Craigslist that now there is more SCAMS on Craigslist that necessitate EBAY to intervene to cause REGISTRATION before posting in the general-selling section of Craigslist.

    EBAY and SCAMS somehow go together.

    After-all, it was eBay that complained about Craigslist having "untapped...monetary...revenue...potential" that the government somehow would prefer more of this kind of trading to be regulated.

  42. Re:And the world becomes productive once again by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I know, think of what you could do with a day of unfettered productivity!

    You could use the time to learn how to use "they're/there/their" properly, for instance.

  43. And ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'll do it again.

  44. Aw crap! - real link by XanC · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Nuts, it only works as http://www.v6.facebook.com/. Thanks to webmistressrachel for the correction.

    1. Re:Aw crap! - real link by gravis777 · · Score: 1

      Actually, http://facebook.com/ is still having problems, http://www.facebook.com/ works.

      It's unclear when the outage began. PCWorld has not been able to reach Facebook for comment, but Mashable reports the company has confirmed the outage.'"

      PCWorld needs to read http://www.facebook.com/facebook Yeah, yeah, I know, posting articles to their own site about an outage on their site, but it says quite clearly what is going on, and that they were expecting futher issues after Wednesday's outage.

    2. Re:Aw crap! - real link by gravis777 · · Score: 1

      Here is the actual article straight from Facebook

      Early today Facebook was down or unreachable for many of you for approximately 2.5 hours. This is the worst outage we’ve had in over four years, and we wanted to first of all apologize for it. We also wanted to provide much more technical detail on what happened and share one big lesson learned.

      The key flaw that caused this outage to be so severe was an unfortunate handling of an error condition. An automated system for verifying configuration values ended up causing much more damage than it fixed.

      The intent of the automated system is to check for configuration values that are invalid in the cache and replace them with updated values from the persistent store. This works well for a transient problem with the cache, but it doesn’t work when the persistent store is invalid.

      Today we made a change to the persistent copy of a configuration value that was interpreted as invalid. This meant that every single client saw the invalid value and attempted to fix it. Because the fix involves making a query to a cluster of databases, that cluster was quickly overwhelmed by hundreds of thousands of queries a second.

      To make matters worse, every time a client got an error attempting to query one of the databases it interpreted it as an invalid value, and deleted the corresponding cache key. This meant that even after the original problem had been fixed, the stream of queries continued. As long as the databases failed to service some of the requests, they were causing even more requests to themselves. We had entered a feedback loop that didn’t allow the databases to recover.

      The way to stop the feedback cycle was quite painful - we had to stop all traffic to this database cluster, which meant turning off the site. Once the databases had recovered and the root cause had been fixed, we slowly allowed more people back onto the site.

      This got the site back up and running today, and for now we’ve turned off the system that attempts to correct configuration values. We’re exploring new designs for this configuration system following design patterns of other systems at Facebook that deal more gracefully with feedback loops and transient spikes.

      We apologize again for the site outage, and we want you to know that we take the performance and reliability of Facebook very seriously.

  45. Dumb Fuck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That dumb fuck can't even keep his site running.

    http://gawker.com/5636765/facebook-ceo-admits-to-calling-users-dumb-fucks

  46. well no shit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It has been up and down for random intervals since yesterday

    1) this is not news
    2) I am not surprised its on slashdot, a day late (btw at the time of this posting its working fine for my wife)

  47. Grow up. by DerekLyons · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Nothing of value was lost to you maybe. But I've got a news flash, the world doesn't revolve around you.

    I've got a friend nearing the end of a difficult pregnancy and who is approaching labor, and Facebook is her husband's primary way of keeping friends and family updated as to her condition. That may not be important to you, but to a bunch of people scattered all across the world - it's important as hell. We care about our friends and family and staying in touch with them, in good times and bad.

    You may thing you're k3wl and l33t for going with the Slashdot groupthink as to the value of Facebook, but in reality you're self centered and shallow jackass.

    [Sigh, I know this is going to get modded 'flamebait' and 'troll', but it had to be said.]

    1. Re:Grow up. by 'Aikanaka · · Score: 3, Insightful

      does he not know how to send email?

    2. Re:Grow up. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Same here. I have a friend in for lasik surgery this morning and I'd been monitoring Facebook for any news from him or his family.

    3. Re:Grow up. by roman_mir · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Blah blah blah, whatever, if your friend is so important to you have the cell phone ready and call.

      Yes, FB has some value, no it's not important.

    4. Re:Grow up. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And your friend doesn't know about e-mail?

    5. Re:Grow up. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Seriously, read that "difficult pregnancy" sentence again and tell me how a Facebook outage has any bearing on your friend's updates to their family about their impending labor. Approaching labor != emergency.

      If your sole source of connection to friends and family is a closed social network platform you deserve a good outage every now and then.

      Oh, the horror of distribution lists.

    6. Re:Grow up. by EdIII · · Score: 5, Funny

      Dude, screw her pregnancy man. The kid will come out one way or the other and people will get the news a few days late at best.

      I've got corn that needs harvesting. My cows are bursting with milk, and who is going to feed my fucking chickens?

      Nobody ever thinks of the farmers......

    7. Re:Grow up. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Reading updates is not keeping in touch with someone. If you care about the results of the pregnancy there is nothing stopping you from finding out via phone or email when the family feels it's appropriate. Facebook is not a vital communication tool.

    8. Re:Grow up. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I've got a friend nearing the end of a difficult pregnancy and who is approaching labor, and Facebook is her husband's primary way of keeping friends and family updated as to her condition.

      Yeah, like we haven't heard this before from people trying to get us to take care of their farm!

      If you actually need a internet method for keeping the family and friends up do date on an actual birth, may I suggest 4 chan's /b/. The site has been around longer and the people there will even be willing to help suggest names for the new kid.

      [Sigh, I know this is going to get modded 'flamebait' and 'troll', but it had to be said.]

      Ah the classic reverse psychology. Everyone knows how it works. Here just watch.

      [Sigh, I know this is going to get modded 'informative' and 'insightful', but it had to be said.]

    9. Re:Grow up. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Like others have already said, why can't he email? Just because you are emotional and not thinking straight doesn't make your righteous anger right.

    10. Re:Grow up. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Fuck. That's important. Oh man...

      Maybe people shouldn't be 1) that dependent on technology that is expected to fail 2) that dependent on knowing which part of the baby is out. See, I know they are probably concerned, but the baby will be born (or won't) regardless of whether they learn about it ASAP. And if they wanted to be up-to-date, they should have had alternative channels.

    11. Re:Grow up. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      HUMMM.... a way to keep in touch with everyone across all the world... Like being able to mail everyone. I know, I will invent email. And give people the ability to write a message once, and send it to everyone of their choosing at once. I sure hope no one has a patent on that. Le time get to work on that right away. Perhaps I can find a way to attach things like pictures, links to videos, etc in the email I plan to invent. Think of the possibilities................

    12. Re:Grow up. by city · · Score: 1

      There must have been one of your friends sitting next to me at the movies last weekend because they were checking their phone pretty frequently. How updated do they need to be? Are they updated each centimeter of dialation?

      PS I hope your friend is healthy.

      --
      I am a v1ral sig. Plse c0py me and h3lp me spread. Thank y0u?
    13. Re:Grow up. by Mister+Whirly · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Yes, because it is much easier to personally call 50 people and tell them the same piece of information over and over again than it is to send out a group message in Facebook. I suppose you take the time to write everyone actual letters than use email, right? Or is email to you a convenience, but you can't see how Facebook may be convenient in some situations to others?

      --
      "But this one goes to 11!"
    14. Re:Grow up. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      my god, you have too much angst. How in the WORLD did people communicate before facebook! If only there were some device to let you actually talk to someone over a distance, or some method of sending a note/letter to someone via a big ass blue box. Get over yourself.

    15. Re:Grow up. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ever heard of email?

    16. Re:Grow up. by MobileTatsu-NJG · · Score: 1

      Most of my Facebook friends are colleagues from various studios. We bump into each other from time to time, project to project, and end up using Facebook more or less like Linked-in is intended to be used. Career-wise, Facebook has certainly helped me.

      --

      "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)

    17. Re:Grow up. by Mister+Whirly · · Score: 1

      How is sending an email SOOOOO much different then sending messages on Facebook?
      Hint: it isn't at all.

      --
      "But this one goes to 11!"
    18. Re:Grow up. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How the fuck is that flamebait? Perfectly valid point to make. Moderators here suck sometimes... and yet I never get mod points.

    19. Re:Grow up. by Mister+Whirly · · Score: 1

      How is email any different than sending a message on Facebook?
      Hint: it isn't at all.

      --
      "But this one goes to 11!"
    20. Re:Grow up. by Mister+Whirly · · Score: 1

      Yes, you should be solely using your cell phone and relying on closed telecommunication network platforms because that is so much different and better.

      --
      "But this one goes to 11!"
    21. Re:Grow up. by seanvaandering · · Score: 1

      I have the same problem! Add Me +++

    22. Re:Grow up. by DerekLyons · · Score: 1

      Blah blah blah, whatever, if your friend is so important to you have the cell phone ready and call.

      Yeah, what a wonderful idea in his time of great stress. Let's deluge him him phone calls, rather than having the convenience of having him post one update to many people. Let's just pretend that this useful 'internet' thingy doesn't exist.
       

      Yes, FB has some value, no it's not important.

      Maybe not to you, but as I told the OP, statement like yours are just those of a shallow self centered jackass.

    23. Re:Grow up. by Sean0michael · · Score: 1

      [Sigh, I know this is going to get modded 'flamebait' and 'troll', but it had to be said.]

      Actually, studies show that 78% of Slashdot posts that mention the author's certainty their post will be modded 'flamebait' or 'troll' are modded to at least +4 in either the insightful or informative categories (the split is usually 3:1 insightful to informative). The percentage jumps above 94% when the author uses the phrase 'karma to burn'.

      --
      Funtime Candy Wow! - my plan for eventually conquering Japan.
    24. Re:Grow up. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How is email any different than sending a message on Facebook?

      Hint: it isn't at all.

      Ummm.... it's likely your SMTP server doesn't rely on Facebook?

    25. Re:Grow up. by DerekLyons · · Score: 1

      There must have been one of your friends sitting next to me at the movies last weekend because they were checking their phone pretty frequently. How updated do they need to be? Are they updated each centimeter of dialation?

      He's not posting that often... But they were at a doctors appointment this morning, when the topic of inducing today was going to be the topic of discussion. (Result, not yet, but she is going into the hospital tomorrow so she can be monitored 24/7 until this is over one way or another.)
       

      PS I hope your friend is healthy.

      Thank you.

    26. Re:Grow up. by DerekLyons · · Score: 1

      99% of all statistics are made up. :) :)

    27. Re:Grow up. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      that's the point you fucking idiot

    28. Re:Grow up. by roman_mir · · Score: 1, Troll

      Email works fine and it doesn't go OFF LINE and it will reach most people most of the time as opposed to a single service like FB. How about that?

      Yes, email is a much more valuable resource than FB.

      Also if you have to notify 50 people of something, it better be either some business thing, then FB is not the right media or it's a party, and then if you are using FB for it and it's down the party is off, so big loss, whatever.

    29. Re:Grow up. by Mister+Whirly · · Score: 1

      Really? Because Gmail goes down at times too. Either way, email or Facebook you are relying on a server to get the message out. But I guess since you see email as valuable and Facebook as not, we should all conform to your way of thought. Sorry, but to me sending an electronic message is sending an electronic message.

      --
      "But this one goes to 11!"
    30. Re:Grow up. by SheeEttin · · Score: 4, Funny

      As a +5 comment in reply to a +2 comment, THAT is certainly strange without context...

    31. Re:Grow up. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Seriously. Make 3 phone calls and tell people to pass the word around as opposed to relying on you, one singular person, to tell everybody EVERYTHING. The weak link, while I commend your desire to let everyone know the good news, is the desire to place the entire load on one joint.

    32. Re:Grow up. by Gonoff · · Score: 1

      I pick up my phone and put a sentence into FB. This informs a lot of people at once.
      Or I say to it "Facebook status.......etc........... So does this
      I enter the sentence as above and select dozens of email addresses, being careful not to include business contacts. This will take longer than the actual content.

      Hint: Use the right tool for the job and don't allow feelings of superiority to limit the choices

      --
      I'll see your Constitution and raise you a Queen.
    33. Re:Grow up. by lokiomega · · Score: 1

      What is up with all the Facebook hate? It's a tool people use to communicate passively. Not everybody wants to call everyone they know with their every thought. If somebody wants to know, they read their wall.

    34. Re:Grow up. by drcheap · · Score: 1

      Nah, not troll or flaimbait...just hypocracy.

      If it's that important that your communications medium for this big event have 100% uptime, you should find one that offers such terms in their SLA. Last time I checked (never, but probably don't need to) FB doesn't even have an SLA. In fact they probably have some clause in the EULA that disclaims any uptime guarantees.

      I'm not suggesting that you actually find something else, I'm just stating that you need to accept the outage as an event beyond your control. So if you need to communicate with someone that badly, use an alternate form of communication (popular opinion appears to be the telephone) until it's back online rather than filling the new void in your life by coming on /. and calling people self centered and shallow jackasses. Doing so makes you just as much of one :)

    35. Re:Grow up. by Score+Whore · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I've got a friend nearing the end of a difficult pregnancy and who is approaching labor, and Facebook is her husband's primary way of keeping friends and family updated as to her condition. That may not be important to you, but to a bunch of people scattered all across the world - it's important as hell. We care about our friends and family and staying in touch with them, in good times and bad.

      I think there are some serious definitional problems here, or perhaps a new generation needs new definitions. But the reality is that for tens of thousands of years life has gone on. People have had all sorts of important events that are of great immediate concern to them, but for their family and friends those events are not of immediate concern. Now I know a bunch of people are going to say "who are you to say it's not of immediate concern." And my answer to that is that if you don't have an action to take that makes a difference, it's not of immediate concern, e.g. my sister being in the hospital in another city going through protracted labor doesn't mean that I don't go to work today. So yes, some things are important but not important to the effect that you have to be kept up to date minute by minute.

      Perhaps it's just a maturity thing, I don't know, but another example might be something like having a strong emotional reaction to the winner of American Idol or the Super Bowl. Yes they're interesting, but in your life (unless you happen to be the winner of American Idol or the Super Bowl) they are of relative insignificance. Part of growing up, I think, is learning when and why to be emotionally invested.

      (As far as facebook specifically, again people have dealt with this for thousands of years without being able to update their facebook status. If you can't tell the people who need to know without using a web browser or an app on your smart phone, then you probably aren't putting enough effort into identifying a solution to the problem.)

    36. Re:Grow up. by Score+Whore · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I get the feeling that there are some people who feel that posting on facebook is the same as maintaining a relationship. And if I was one of those people whose only contact with someone was via facebook updates, I'd not consider the relationship that important.

    37. Re:Grow up. by RocketRabbit · · Score: 5, Insightful

      What, her Twitter stream isn't enough? How about her email list?

      Relying on Facebook for everything is just stupid, and this should be a lesson to your pregnant friend.

    38. Re:Grow up. by Mister+Whirly · · Score: 1

      Oh, I get it now. They are essentially the same yet "email = good" and "Facebook = bad". Thanks for the clarification!

      --
      "But this one goes to 11!"
    39. Re:Grow up. by Mister+Whirly · · Score: 1

      Exactly. But somehow sending an email is a vastly superior method according to others. Facebook is a great tool for the purposes I use it for. It isn't meant to replace email, snail mail, phone calls, personal visits, etc. but rather to be another tool in the communication toolbox. People seem to think once you get a Facebook account, you must give up all other forms of communication. It just isn't so. You are free to use as many methods as you please.

      --
      "But this one goes to 11!"
    40. Re:Grow up. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Some of us actually have social lives we care about. No one invited you to a party, anyway.

    41. Re:Grow up. by Mister+Whirly · · Score: 2, Insightful

      If you don't ever go to see bands, attend parties, find old acquaintances, know about local events, keep track of people in far away places, etc. then no, I suppose it wouldn't be valuable. But seeing I do all of those things, it is valuable to me. You see, TIME is very valuable to me, and Facebook saves me a lot of time finding out about events I am interested in. Just because your short-sighted view doesn't see any value does not mean the rest of the world doesn't either. I could think of oh, at least 500 million people who may see some value in Facebook.

      --
      "But this one goes to 11!"
    42. Re:Grow up. by hackstraw · · Score: 1

      Give it up. Some people feel compelled on social networking sites to complain about people using social networking sites. I guess /. is different in that you don't have to use your real name.

    43. Re:Grow up. by kiwimate · · Score: 4, Interesting

      How is email any different than sending a message on Facebook?
      Hint: it isn't at all.

      E-mail accounts frequently change. Facebook accounts remain constant.

      I can very easily search for my cousin by name on Facebook. How do I easily find out her e-mail address if I haven't seen her for a few years?

      Multiply by 50 or 100 family and friends - Facebook is far more convenient.

    44. Re:Grow up. by Luyseyal · · Score: 1

      I'm just stating that you need to accept the outage as an event beyond your control.

      He's just annoyed that someone said Facebook had zero value when he was using it for something important in his life. Clearly it has some value. I don't really think he was particularly irritated by the outage so much as by the knee-jerk attitude of everything-not-on-my-lawn-sucks.

      -l

      --
      Help cure AIDS, cancer, and more. Donate your unused computer time to worldcommunitygrid.org. Join Team Slashdot!
    45. Re:Grow up. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Because Facebook obsoleted email?

    46. Re:Grow up. by Mister+Whirly · · Score: 1

      You are preaching to the choir. I was pointing out there isn't much difference between sending email or a Facebook message except for some people's misguided view that email is somehow vastly superior to a FB message. I know FB is more convenient for some things than email - I use it for this purpose all the time.

      --
      "But this one goes to 11!"
    47. Re:Grow up. by DerekLyons · · Score: 2, Insightful

      He does. But email is not even fractionally as easy or convenient, either for him to send out updates or for us to discuss among ourselves.

    48. Re:Grow up. by LordLimecat · · Score: 1

      Email works fine and it doesnt go OFF LINE...

      News to me, I spent half of the day dealing with a company's email that was...offline. But its not "in the cloud" so that makes it not-so-serious, right?

    49. Re:Grow up. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > I've got a friend nearing the end of a difficult pregnancy and who is approaching labor,
      > and Facebook is her husband's primary way of keeping friends and family updated
      > as to her condition.

      NEWS FLASH: Most of these people who you think are so deeply concerned couldn't really give a shit about her approaching labor, but are too nice or too scared to tell you that they just don't give a fuck. YOU care...everyone else, not so much. In fact, probably not at all.

    50. Re:Grow up. by Headrick · · Score: 1

      I agree with your assertion that email is the more valuable resource but that's pretty much a given.

      FB is absolutely the right medium for a band, comedian, or any other type of event coordinator to notify people. Sure, they could try to get people to sign up for a mailing list but with FB I might hear of a band because I see that a friend of mine became a fan of it (or "liked" it or whatever they'll change it to next). I hear about shows that it's unlikely I would've heard of. And since my FB friends know my taste in music they can share an invite when the band sends one out to them.

      I can also see which of my friends are planning to attend a show and decide whether or not to invite anyone else. I can't count how many events I've attended and likely would've not known about if not for FB.

      Sure, FB has some creepy aspects but you're ignorant if you think FB isn't an excellent medium for some things.

    51. Re:Grow up. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ever hear of contact groups? They work great for mass emailing and texting friends with important news. And creating a contact group doesn't require you to be a vain douchebag, which is not the case for a Facebook page.

    52. Re:Grow up. by iamhassi · · Score: 1

      "I've got a friend nearing the end of a difficult pregnancy and who is approaching labor, and Facebook is her husband's primary way of keeping friends and family updated as to her condition."

      So if they have to wait a day or two to find out what happens that hurts them how, exactly?

      --
      my karma will be here long after I'm gone
    53. Re:Grow up. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Who is the self centered one?

      So what, your friend is bringing yet another human into this world. Do your Friends and Family actually care that much? Honestly?

      I find it funny how people think their lives are so important that they feel some obligation to keep others in the know about it.

    54. Re:Grow up. by sdnoob · · Score: 1

      It's called a phone tree. Go ask your mother what that is.

      We as an entire people have gotten along just fine without personal instant mass-communications for, well, forever.

    55. Re:Grow up. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ever heard of more than one way of doing things? I can take my other horse, so if my first horse dies nothing of value was lost.

    56. Re:Grow up. by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 1

      So if they have to wait a day or two to find out what happens that hurts them how, exactly?

      Say you had a sister who had a baby and you didn't find out about the baby for a couple years. You might feel you've missed out. And that would be completely subjective.

      --
      My God, it's Full of Source!
      OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
    57. Re:Grow up. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually the world and all of existence DOES revolve around me, for if I were not alive to experience it, it would be worthless.

      Also, fuck your "friend". Bitches get pregnant and have babies every fucking day of the year. Get over it, fag.

    58. Re:Grow up. by Sir_Lewk · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Email is a distributed system that isn't controlled by any single company (or any combination of companies for that matter). As a consequence, email does not go down.

      In short, the story that you are commenting in is the reason email is superior to facebook. You needn't look farther.

      --
      "linux is just DOS with a UNIX like syntax" -- Galactic Dominator (944134)
    59. Re:Grow up. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      and what is wrong with email? If facebook is that important to keeping in contact; why not go the whole hog and stick the birth on YouTube?

    60. Re:Grow up. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      E-mail accounts frequently change. Facebook accounts remain constant.

      Assuming Facebook remains alive forever, and assuming it remains as popular as it is now forever, and assuming your contacts never leave Facebook to join $NEXT_POPULAR_SOCIAL_NETWORK_SITE, then sure, Facebook accounts remain more "constant" than email accounts. How's all those MySpace contacts you had five years ago treating you? Friendster? Orkut? LiveJournal? How about those bell bottoms you wore in the 70s? That flock of seagulls haircut you got in the 80s? All your goth clothes from the 90s? You swore those'll never go out of style, right?

    61. Re:Grow up. by KingKaneOfNod · · Score: 1

      E-mail accounts frequently change. Facebook accounts remain constant.

      I know I hate it when my e-mail address randomly changes itself.

    62. Re:Grow up. by KingKaneOfNod · · Score: 1

      If you don't ever go to see bands, attend parties, find old acquaintances, know about local events, keep track of people in far away places, etc. then no, I suppose it wouldn't be valuable. But seeing I do all of those things, it is valuable to me.

      I've done all of these things and never used Facebook. Do you have a point?

    63. Re:Grow up. by Wheely · · Score: 1

      In one small way it is. You don't have to manage changes in your friends e-mail addresses if you use Facebook. They do it themselves.

    64. Re:Grow up. by zmollusc · · Score: 2, Interesting

      How are you going to attach pictures to an electronic mail message, jackass? You can't staple photographs to electrons. Get a grip on reality.

      --
      They whose government reduces their essential liberties for temporary security, receive neither liberty nor security.
    65. Re:Grow up. by profplump · · Score: 1

      You are preaching to the choir. I was pointing out there isn't much difference between sending email or a Facebook message except for some people's misguided view that email is somehow vastly superior to a FB message. I know FB is more convenient for some things than email - I use it for this purpose all the time.

      Those who do not understand SMTP are doomed to re-implement it, poorly. And SMTP isn't that good to start with.

      I'm a little confused as to why people change email addresses at all, but I'll just assume that really happens. I'm even more befuddled by the idea that the rate of email address changes among a group of people who regularly communicate is high enough to justify a lack of information ownership for the benefit of automated tracking. But again, I'll just assume that's a real thing too.

      Facebook as an address book is useful, if for no other reason than it allows coordination and reduced effort among parties wishing to share contact information. That's hardly a new idea -- online address books have been around since the web was young -- and I'm not sure it's any more useful than a public LDAP server (and in many ways it's less useful, since there's no way to export info from FB, or integrate it with your email client/phone/etc.) but it is at least a genuine benefit, even if it's mostly from network effect.

      And as others have noted, their RSVP system is handy if you're trying to organize a bunch of people, so I can give you that. They're not the only option for this, but they're free and easy to use and many people already have accounts there, so I can see using FB for RSVP purposes.

      But why people think FB is useful as an actual directed communications system is beyond me though. Maybe it's the lack of a data export system -- they would use another system if FB let them get at their address book. With very few exceptions, FB messaging systems are comprehensively *less* rich than the alternatives, including email, and are subject to more data-mining or other monitoring or loss of privacy.

      The same applies to their "Wall" and other broadcast communications features. Those same things are available at about 152,382,544 other systems on the Internet, including blogs, message boards, UUCP, and any of the the dozens of other types of services developed to meet this exact need for the past 25 years. Facebook adds exactly nothing to this sort of service; many others are at least as good, and many can offer respite from ads and data-mining, not to mention superior access controls and privacy.

      I'm not saying no one should use FB, or that is has no benefits. But I have trouble believing that a typical person, given access to and an understanding of the alternatives, would prefer FB for most types of communications.

    66. Re:Grow up. by profplump · · Score: 1

      FB is invaluable to people trying to attract attention or track their fans/customers/etc. As a business or a group seeking publicity it's a great tool -- it's another way to broadcast information, beyond the traditional confines of TV/etc., and it provides tracking information.

      Of course, all that has little to do with how most people use it, and certainly has nothing to do with using FB as a directed communications system, in preference to email or the other alternatives.

    67. Re:Grow up. by Joe+Jay+Bee · · Score: 1

      Yeah, screw her for not considering the inherent unreliability of communications media when wanting to talk to people about a major exciting life event.

      Idiot.

    68. Re:Grow up. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ha ha ha, sure sure, I am sure you are a very important person with very important things to post about yourself on your twatter account and what not, everybody needs to know how you are doing through your FB, it's great. Does it add anything of VALUE to the world?

      No.

      You're a narcissist, just FYI.

    69. Re:Grow up. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I've done all of these things and never used Facebook. Do you have a point?

      That narcissists like you hate freedom of choice, based on your reaction.

    70. Re:Grow up. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Reading updates is not keeping in touch with someone. If you care about the results of the pregnancy there is nothing stopping you from finding out via phone or email when the family feels it's appropriate. Facebook is not a vital communication tool.

      I get the feeling that there are some people who feel that posting on facebook is the same as maintaining a relationship. And if I was one of those people whose only contact with someone was via facebook updates, I'd not consider the relationship that important.

      Of course reading updates isn't keeping in touch with someone! Who in their right mind thinks that? Oh hey by the way, I just finished reading [insert-MSM-pundit-here]'s 80th book on how Socialism is sweeping the nation, me and [him/her] are close buds; tight as can be! Granted, I've never talked to [him/her]!

      You narcissists sure don't think before you post your strawmen. See what you left out is, most "friends" who "post" on "Facebook" do this ridiculous thing called "replying" or "contributing" in response to a "post". There's no way a multiple-way written conversation could possibly be construed as friendly banter continuing a prior relationship!

    71. Re:Grow up. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You think you've got problems? Man, the state of my lawn. Can't see it for kids.

    72. Re:Grow up. by L4t3r4lu5 · · Score: 1

      Indeed. I'm seriously considering calling the PETA regarding his treatment of those hungry chickens...

      Dude, that's not what the phrase "banging chicks" means!

      --
      Finally had enough. Come see us over at https://soylentnews.org/
    73. Re:Grow up. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      well, fuck you and your dependence on technology for retards

    74. Re:Grow up. by TheRaven64 · · Score: 1
      Actually, I don't have to manage it for a number of my friends either. If their email address changes, they update it in their XMPP vCard and it's propagated to my address book automatically the next time I log in.

      I run my own SMTP and XMPP servers. If they go down, I and a few of my friends and family are without the service, but no one else on the Internet is affected. Similarly, if Google's SMTP and XMPP servers go down, I can still chat and exchange emails with people who don't use Gmail / Google Talk. There isn't a single point of failure in the system.

      --
      I am TheRaven on Soylent News
    75. Re:Grow up. by HJED · · Score: 1

      The reason Facebook is better then email (for some purposes) is that you can brodcast to a wide range of your friends including people who you wouldn't talk to or email regularly. Facebook is less intimet then email and more social as all comments are contained in a singal copy in a singal location .

      As a person who is aware of other systems for broadcasting I have to say that Facebook is the most effective (especialy for stuff like the GP's example) The main reasons for this are that you have access to a wide audience and people don't have to be looking for somthing specific. Just checking whats going on with their friends/family.

      --
      null
    76. Re:Grow up. by Wheely · · Score: 1

      Many of my friends don't do anything except change ISP or sometimes place of work. They then send out a mail to people they think might be interested. Some of these friends they perhaps communicate with once a year or so and some of them don't always read all their mails.

      Some people have several e-mail addresses and sometimes prefer messages to go to one address and sometimes to the other.

      The single point of failure in your system is relying on people caring about what they do half the time.

      A Facebook message requires only that a person change their own target e-mail address. Stupid, maybe but simple and effective.

      Can't see the issue myself.

    77. Re:Grow up. by TheRaven64 · · Score: 1

      Really? Because Gmail goes down at times too.

      Gmail goes down, but I can still use my mail server when it does, and no one who does not use Gmail is affected. There is no single point of failure in the email network. You can have two email accounts, and still be able to send and receive emails if one fails. You can't do this with two Facebook accounts.

      --
      I am TheRaven on Soylent News
    78. Re:Grow up. by the_digitalmouse · · Score: 0

      Email, numerous instant messaging systems, a handful of free forum services. heck even twitter in a pinch. and all without the annoying games and adverts. and for the other comments below the 'grow up' post:

      - if people cared, in this day and age, they would make sure new emails get updated and propagated back to those they care about.
      - email *is* different than a group facebook post: 1) not everyone uses facebook, 2) emails to loved ones do not need to include annoying adverts and silly games, 3) email is typically more reliable and controllable (the spate of FB account info privacy problems, for example).
      - 'convenient' does not equate to 'better'
      - as other poster said: "use the right tool for the job."
      - panic in the form of "waaaaa! i can't post!" does no good. spend your time more wisely by having another means of communication ready at hand, ie: email, IMs, Skype, phone, twitter, forums, *postcards*, etc.

      --
      http://about.me/jimm.pratt
    79. Re:Grow up. by RocketRabbit · · Score: 1

      Yeah, it seems she is an idiot to choose a commercial ad-service to distribute her data.

    80. Re:Grow up. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Perhaps, and this is just the engineer in me thinking.. just maybe a fallback plan that does not involve a reliance on a system that you have no control over might have been in order... perhaps, and again just speculation, a system of actual friends and some form of mobile communication devices .. (patent pending :-p ) may have been a good fallback.

      This is what I did when my wife gave birth 3 days ago...

    81. Re:Grow up. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You must never have tried to teach your 80 year old grandmother (or in your case, maybe great grandmother) how to use *more than one* interface. Unlike typical slashdotters, many people, especially those who did not grow up with it, find technology very challenging to use. Maybe it should be the new challenge: find out how many /.'ers are even close to capable of having the patience and skills necessary to teach 4 octogenarians (a normal full complement of grandparents) how to use facebook, twitter, email, and two other communications tools besides telephones. The goal would be, of course, to get them reasonably competent at reading and posting in all 5 systems, to the point where they *remain proficient* 6 months later.

    82. Re:Grow up. by mobby_6kl · · Score: 1

      If her brother didn't learn somehow of her pregnancy long before the birth, then I doubt their relationship was anywhere near close enough for anyone to care.

    83. Re:Grow up. by LordSnooty · · Score: 1

      How is email any different than sending a message on Facebook? Hint: it isn't at all.

      apart from that bit which allows FB to retain your communication in perpetuity

    84. Re:Grow up. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't know anyone who changes their email address. We've all had ours for decades.

      For convenience, IM is by far the best method of communication and staying in touch. Facebook is too impersonal, it's not instant and you give up your privacy when you use it.

    85. Re:Grow up. by SigmundFloyd · · Score: 1

      DerekLyons (302214) wrote:

      Let's deluge him him phone calls, rather than having the convenience of having him post one update to many people.

      So how "convenient" is Facebook when Facebook is down?

      Let's just pretend that this useful 'internet' thingy doesn't exist.

      That's exactly what Facebookers do. Instead of taking advantage of a global, distributed and PUBLIC infrastructure, they put all their communication in the hands of a PRIVATE company. How freaking smart.

      Maybe not to you, but as I told the OP, statement like yours are just those of a shallow self centered jackass.

      Which just goes to show that the only way you have to "prove" your point is by insulting others.

      --
      Knowledge is power; knowledge shared is power lost.
    86. Re:Grow up. by tom17 · · Score: 1

      Yeah, cos my mum knows how to do this.

    87. Re:Grow up. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Does it add anything of VALUE to the world?

      The guy posts shit about county fairs, a "goodbye" to summer and cat pictures with captions that read like they were written by children. What do you think?

    88. Re:Grow up. by boxwood · · Score: 1

      We have gotten along fine for a long time without the telephone, television, airplanes, automobiles, etc.

      So what is your point exactly?

      Dude, technology makes makes things convenient, and when technology breaks its an inconvenience.

      And how long would it take to organise a "phone tree" to get a message out to a hundred people? Remember it takes maybe 30 seconds to post a message to all of your friends on facebook.

      What you're saying is the equivalent of saying automobiles are useless because you could "easliy" set up a system where you could change horses every 50 miles on your route.

    89. Re:Grow up. by Mister+Whirly · · Score: 1

      And I have done it with, and without Facebook too. So between me and you, who do you think is more qualified to judge the merits of both ways - the person who has actually done it both ways, or the person who assumes he knows how something he has never used works?

      --
      "But this one goes to 11!"
    90. Re:Grow up. by eugene+ts+wong · · Score: 1

      FB also has a standard way of unsubscribing from things, which email doesn't have.

    91. Re:Grow up. by tehcyder · · Score: 1

      I've got a friend nearing the end of a difficult pregnancy and who is approaching labor, and Facebook is her husband's primary way of keeping friends and family updated as to her condition. That may not be important to you, but to a bunch of people scattered all across the world - it's important as hell. We care about our friends and family and staying in touch with them, in good times and bad.

      That would be an extremely moving and insightful post if it weren't for the fact that there are countless other ways of communicating information through the internet. Facebook is not the only internet service, what about email, twitter, a blog (shudder) or personal web site, MySpace (remember?) and so on and so on.
      (Never mind using the phone or text messaging, which is what I would be doing in these circumstances).

      --
      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
    92. Re:Grow up. by lowrydr310 · · Score: 1

      E-mail accounts frequently change. Facebook accounts remain constant.

      The same could have been said about Myspace just a few years ago; then suddenly most people stopped using it and converted to Facebook. I don't know what Facebook's magic formula was, but it worked and there isn't any real competition coming for them any time soon.

    93. Re:Grow up. by tehcyder · · Score: 1

      You're right, someone also needs to invent a camera that produces prints the size of electrons in order for this to work. I foresee some difficulties in the darkroom dealing with those babies!

      --
      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
    94. Re:Grow up. by rwv · · Score: 0, Troll

      if I haven't seen her for a few years

      I question your motivation for reconnecting. If you haven't seen her in years and don't know her phone number, do you really care that this person exists?

      I think Facebook attempts to push the bar about whether or not you care about people who you consider "friends" to all-time low levels.

    95. Re:Grow up. by greyline · · Score: 1

      I think part of Facebook's magic formula was that, originally, a user needed a college or university affiliated email address to sign up. Facebook was basically an "exclusive" club for college-going people, a right of passage, if you will. That allure carried over when Facebook opened the gates and allowed anyone to register.

    96. Re:Grow up. by greyline · · Score: 1

      Jealousy of Zuckerburg, a 26 year old millionaire.

    97. Re:Grow up. by Drumpig · · Score: 1

      and I'm not sure it's any more useful than a public LDAP server (and in many ways it's less useful, since there's no way to export info from FB, or integrate it with your email client/phone/etc.)

      My HTC Android will let me integrate my Facebook contacts and any numbers they list on the info section with my phones contacts, and much more. (pictures, birthdays, events, updates, etc)

    98. Re:Grow up. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Grow up" is the best statement I've seen in years. If you want to keep incontact with your friends and family, there is this little known thing called email. It's faster, arguably more secure, and a heck of a lot less to waste your time declining 10,000 invitations to help me build a farm or grow a tree.

      Facebook is for children, not grownups and certainly not intended for important news like difficult births or possible medical problems.

    99. Re:Grow up. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I was born in 1699 you insensitive clod!

    100. Re:Grow up. by b4dc0d3r · · Score: 1

      Those hundred people would have to be online, logged in to facebook, and watching for updates instead of being angry when a notification interrupts their Farmville time. A phone rings, that's an alert. How long does it take for your firends to get the message?

      I would say a phone tree would win given randomized conditions or multiple trials. A 30-second phone call, including dialing, would get out in 4 minutes. I'm assuming you're calling cell phones, not answering machines. The only difference is that repeat work is needed on the part of interested people. A single person calling 50 people would be inefficient, a phone tree would be much more efficient, and posting on FB would take less time as measured in work but delivery would probably take more time in duration.

      I think FB has its uses, but a phone tree is useful for certain situations where FB isn't, and you're suggesting that FB is a perfect replacement. Use the tool that's right for the job. Need a time-critical update? Phone tree. Need a low-priority update? FB is preferred for the job because if you call me to tell me you need an onion for your rabbit or whatever Farmville is all about I'm going to drive to your house and punch you in the face.

    101. Re:Grow up. by Score+Whore · · Score: 1

      Fortunately we still have telephones so there is no need to exclude them from your list of options.

    102. Re:Grow up. by Cederic · · Score: 1

      Your post reads like sarcsm, yet a literal interpretation actually makes more sense.

      Note the +5 on the post you replied to, and the general disregard by the mods for your post.

      Face it, relying on Facebook is stupid. Don't buy into their walled garden, and make sure you can contact the people that matter via other means.

    103. Re:Grow up. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Running your own mail server. That is so 90s.

    104. Re:Grow up. by Chaosphere0 · · Score: 1

      Get a Gmail account then you will never have to get another email again. Problem solved.

    105. Re:Grow up. by DerekLyons · · Score: 1

      Perhaps it's just a maturity thing

      Yes, it is a maturity thing. Mature people care about their family and friends. Shallow self centered children claim it's "not important".
       

      Part of growing up, I think, is learning when and why to be emotionally invested.

      You're honestly comparing the life of an unborn child to the Super Bowl and American Idol? You really are a jackass.
       

      (As far as facebook specifically, again people have dealt with this for thousands of years without being able to update their facebook status. If you can't tell the people who need to know without using a web browser or an app on your smart phone, then you probably aren't putting enough effort into identifying a solution to the problem.)

      Yeah, there's many other solutions to the problem - but here's a news flash for you jackass: none of them are anywhere nearly as easy as a simple update using a simple app on a site that everyone is already on. And in the midst of a looming crisis, that's a damm poor time to be trying to find a solution.

    106. Re:Grow up. by bhiestand · · Score: 1

      Email is a distributed system that isn't controlled by any single company (or any combination of companies for that matter). As a consequence, email does not go down.

      In short, the story that you are commenting in is the reason email is superior to facebook. You needn't look farther.

      Except this is the same reason why, to hundreds of millions of people across the globe, a site like facebook is superior to email. It acts like a Global Address List which allows friends and family to easily find and contact each other without needing to know social security numbers, phone numbers, email addresses, or physical addresses. It also allows people to share their contact information with specific groups of people, so that friends or family can easily find one's phone number or email address.

      --
      SWM seeks new sig for a brief fling
    107. Re:Grow up. by darkpixel2k · · Score: 1

      E-mail accounts frequently change. Facebook accounts remain constant.

      If someone changes e-mail addresses and doesn't update you, are you really friends?
      Also--I've had the same e-mail address since January 2000. My mail server (run by me) has never been down long enough to lose mail.

      A domain through gkg.net costs roughly $10/year, and Google Apps can be setup for less than 50 users for free--giving you gmail, a calendar, docs storage, and a few other tidbits.

      --
      There's no place like ::1 (I've completed my transition to IPv6)
  48. some planets ban life0cidal corepirate nazis by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    although that makes perfect sense, that's not good news as they're about to be chased off of this one. the thing with the 'elite' amongst us is that they think we came from monkeys & they didn't. telling us to tighten our belts while they're sucking DOWn stuff, & feasting on nubile virgins, while using OUR resources to finance worldwide murder & mayhem. they claim to be doing it in the name of 'god'. as fauxking low as it can go. talk about terrorists, billionerrors, hypenosys etc...

    the search continues;
    google.com/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=weather+manipulation

    google.com/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=bush+cheney+wolfowitz+rumsfeld+wmd+oil+blair+obama+weather+authors

    meanwhile (as it may take a while longer to finish wrecking this this place); the corepirate nazi illuminati is always hunting that patch of red on almost everyones' neck. if they cannot find yours (greed, fear ego etc...) then you can go starve. that's their (slippery/slimy) 'platform' now. see also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antisocial_personality_disorder

    never a better time to consult with/trust in our creators. the lights are coming up rapidly all over now. see you there?

    greed, fear & ego (in any order) are unprecedented evile's primary weapons. those, along with deception & coercion, helps most of us remain (unwittingly?) dependent on its' life0cidal hired goons' agenda. most of our dwindling resources are being squandered on the 'wars', & continuation of the billionerrors stock markup FraUD/pyramid schemes. nobody ever mentions the real long term costs of those debacles in both life & any notion of prosperity for us, or our children. not to mention the abuse of the consciences of those of us who still have one, & the terminal damage to our atmosphere (see also: manufactured 'weather', hot etc...). see you on the other side of it? the lights are coming up all over now. the fairytail is winding down now. let your conscience be your guide. you can be more helpful than you might have imagined. we now have some choices. meanwhile; don't forget to get a little more oxygen on your brain, & look up in the sky from time to time, starting early in the day. there's lots going on up there.

    "The current rate of extinction is around 10 to 100 times the usual background level, and has been elevated above the background level since the Pleistocene. The current extinction rate is more rapid than in any other extinction event in earth history, and 50% of species could be extinct by the end of this century. While the role of humans is unclear in the longer-term extinction pattern, it is clear that factors such as deforestation, habitat destruction, hunting, the introduction of non-native species, pollution and climate change have reduced biodiversity profoundly.' (wiki)

    "I think the bottom line is, what kind of a world do you want to leave for your children," Andrew Smith, a professor in the Arizona State University School of Life Sciences, said in a telephone interview. "How impoverished we would be if we lost 25 percent of the world's mammals," said Smith, one of more than 100 co-authors of the report. "Within our lifetime hundreds of species could be lost as a result of our own actions, a frightening sign of what is happening to the ecosystems where they live," added Julia Marton-Lefevre, IUCN director general. "We must now set clear targets for the future to reverse this trend to ensure that our enduring legacy is not to wipe out many of our closest relatives."--

    "The wealth of the universe is for me. Every thing is explicable and practical for me .... I am defeated all the time; yet to victory I am born." --emerson

    no need to confuse 'religion' with being a spiritual being. our soul purpose here is to care for one another. failing that, we're simply passing through (excess baggage) being distracted/consumed by the guaranteed to fail illusionary trappings of man'kind'. & recently (about 10,000 years ago) it was determined that hoarding

  49. Adblock dejunking your interwebs by jack2000 · · Score: 1

    Just make an ad-block filter like so: |http://www.facebook.com/*
    If you are unwise enough to want to look at facebook you can whitelist the domain. This way facebook addins are blocked on all sites, save for when you are on facebook itself.

    Additionally you can ad-block the entire "social sites buttons" div and everything in it.

  50. Closed my Facebook account earlier this week by Laebshade · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    Maybe that did it?

    Glad I closed it; good riddance. It is a cesspool of narcissism.

    1. Re:Closed my Facebook account earlier this week by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Anyone who claims that all 400 million people on a website are narcissist is no doubt projecting his own guilt about said condition.

    2. Re:Closed my Facebook account earlier this week by Laebshade · · Score: 1

      You're right, that is why I left.

  51. Re:the weekend by bertoelcon · · Score: 1

    That story would have been much more believable if you left out the part about an Asian girlfriend.

    --
    Anything can be found funny, from a certain point of view.
  52. I wonder how many people like this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Really, I do

  53. Made TV News in Australia by GumphMaster · · Score: 1

    This non-story made TV news services this morning in Australia. It ranked second or third story in the bulletin, even ahead of the football grand finals stories. At least the last bulletin I saw was a little tongue-in-cheek as it reported, "In other news, Australia's workplace output showed the highest one-day improvement in history."

    --
    Patent litigation: A doctrine of Mutually Assured Destruction... in which everyone seems willing to push the button
    1. Re:Made TV News in Australia by ausrob · · Score: 1

      The shame of it is that it wasn't a slow news day in Australia, either..

  54. There. Fixed it for you. by allanmackenzie · · Score: 1

    :)

  55. Say it with me .... by od05 · · Score: 1

    Redundancy, redundancy, redundancy...

    1. Re:Say it with me .... by f8l_0e · · Score: 1

      Balmer, is that you?!

  56. Other sites slowed down too by kidcharles · · Score: 1

    The fun thing is that Facebook going down slowed down other sites too. I was reading an article at thenation.com which has buttons for sharing on Facebook. The article was three pages, and every time I changed the page it wouldn't load until a request to Facebook (api.ak.facebook.com) timed out, which was about 10 seconds.

    --
    Ceci n'est pas une sig.
  57. Re:And the world becomes productive once again by msclrhd · · Score: 1

    Press the refresh button a lot!

  58. Works fine on my droid by Is0m0rph · · Score: 1

    I just logged into it with my phone with no issue. I've been getting emails all day of comments from people too. I call BS.

  59. Collapsed under weight of cat pics and swearing by SlappyBastard · · Score: 1

    Researchers have determined that a grandmother from Long Island was the person who overloaded and killed Facebook, while trying to congratulate her grand-daughter on a strong effort during a losing soccer match. This post was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back.

    --
    I scream. You scream. I assume that means we're both acquainted with the problem. We proceed.
  60. er by DRAGONWEEZEL · · Score: 1

    I mean only use facebook ON my phone :)

    --
    How much is your data worth? Back it up now.
    1. Re:er by inasity_rules · · Score: 1

      m.facebook.com; Browse to it on a PC and you get fast simple clean facebook without adds on a big screen. Works for me.. :)

      --
      I have determined that my sig is indeterminate.
  61. HOLY CRAP by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Dude, you're not going to believe this - but I've got the solution to your problem. It's a bit bleeding edge and in beta, but it'd totally work for you, I think.

    I was just talking to some VCs about it earlier today, even.

    It's called a 'cellphone'. Basically, you buy one and sign up for a service plan, and you're assigned a number, usually consisting of ten digits. Other people with a cellphone can 'dial' those digits, and it will connect their phone to your's, and you can talk to them pretty much anywhere in the world. Truly groundbreaking, I know, right?

    You should totally look into it. It's going to be the next big thing, I swear. ...Seriously, I'm going to laugh loudly and derisively, rather than shed tears of sadness that someone actually thinks a third-party service they're provided for free is a viable option for critical communication.

  62. My Cow! by Sloppy · · Score: 1

    Who will click my cow?! HELP!!

    --
    As copyright owner of this comment, I authorize everyone to defeat any technological measure which limits access to it.
  63. Mod +5 Insightful by zooblethorpe · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Seriously.

    For that matter, what the hell am I doing here? I should get back to work...

    Cheers,

    --
    "What in the name of Fats Waller is that?"
    "A four-foot prune."
  64. Superfast worm... by barfy · · Score: 1

    Just before it all went haywire, a bunch of my friends started getting videos pasted to their wall "What are you doing?". I am guessing that spawned ever more pastings until it went bonkers.

    The videos all pointed to apps.facebook.com but I don't remember and didn't capture the url.

    Shortly thereafter the videos were gone, and the postings were gone, so I suspect that they are getting both a handle on the outage, and then shut stuff down while they fix the code.

  65. PLUNGING THE WORLD... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    INTO PRODUCTIVITY.

  66. Wiki, too? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Is Wiki down, too? I need to find out when Pat Boone's cover of "When I Lost My Mind" was number one and I can't seem to get to anything at Wiki.

    Is this a coordinated thing or just an odd congruence?

  67. Wikipedia too? by TeethWhitener · · Score: 1

    Crap, now not only can't I goof off on FB, I can't even do work related research on wikipedia. Guess I'll have to find out the solubility of thulium chloride the old fashioned way.

  68. did this happen to anyone else? by anarking · · Score: 1

    two tickets came into the helpdesk about the "internet being slow" or "the internet is down", only to find out that they just couldn't get to facebook. at work. this is why i can't stand when i have to cover the helpdesk. leave me alone with my machines. also, some network engineer entirely got fired. though i secretly hope they were DoS'd.

  69. Facebook or that blasphemous movie, your choice! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Zuckerberg is holding Facebook ransom until everyone promises not to watch the new movie about him

  70. You're right, FB is useful. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And I'll gladly sign up when I finally have something to sell.

  71. Facebook goes down for a change by digitalvendetta · · Score: 1

    and suddenly status reports everywhere are missing "No Change". Leaving corporations only to blame the sudden increase in productivity on management.

  72. I know when it went down... by stevegee58 · · Score: 1

    It was right around the same time I heard the sound of hysterical female screaming all around me.

  73. I didn't notice by g051051 · · Score: 1

    If slashdot hadn't wasted an article to mention it, I'd never have noticed. I dumped using Facebook after the last round of playing whack-a-mole with the ever shifting privacy settings.

  74. What are we gonna do? by blair1q · · Score: 1

    I suppose we could go outside or something...

    nah.

  75. Down is a only a little worse than broken by erice · · Score: 1

    And Facebook is so buggy that scarcely a day goes by that some basic functionality isn't broken. And it wasn't even down very long.

    (not that Slashdot is all that much better. *How* often does the javascript get stuck in a loop?)

  76. diddnt see or hear about it by D-sl4y0r · · Score: 1

    must of not been there the other day. dont go on it that much, dont have anything interesting on all of my wall....

  77. OMG by bell.colin · · Score: 1

    In other news a wave of unprecedented Productivity swept through the world... Oh wait, only Facebook is down.

  78. Huh? by _KiTA_ · · Score: 1

    Loads just fine for me here. Has all day.

  79. CIA Operation is Down by isochroma · · Score: 0

    Good news to hear this today. Facebook is a CIA operation, so every day down is another day of living with one less slimy tentacle poking out of the screen.

  80. Facebook is back up! by rcamans · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Yay...

    --
    wake up and hold your nose
  81. This is a day for the history books.... by froggymana · · Score: 1

    9/23/10, the day facebook went down, and everyone remembered they have lives.

    --
    "To prevent this day from getting any worse, I'll just read ERROR as GOOD THING" 1GJU8xLuDKDxEs4KLf8fAGyptoDsqvEsBT
  82. Email does NOT work fine by Gorimek · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Email is much less reliable than FB messages. You can never be sure your email won't disappear in some spam filter.

    That is one of the main reasons I use FB!

    1. Re:Email does NOT work fine by profplump · · Score: 0, Troll

      How can you be sure your FB messages aren't sent to the void by their filters?

  83. More than Facebook by NonSenseAgency · · Score: 1

    From reports I have been seeing, there are widespread outages and disconnects in a variety of sites. Many games are failing to maintain stable connections. Lots of different sites are failing to load or loading very slowly. I don't think this is just a Facebook issue.

  84. Strange.. by formfeed · · Score: 1

    'Thousands of Facebook users this afternoon (US Pacific Time) are reporting that the popular social networking site is down.

    Seems that they don't need facebook after all to report meaningless tidbits of their life.

  85. Linux-Apache "pride" of uptime was lost! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    See subject, and it's not looking good for Linux + Apache folks (LAMP): I mean, hey - Facebook's 2nd outage in 24 hours? Come on! I thought Linux and Apache 'never crashed' or had downtime, penguins! You're always ribbing on Windows here saying it's unstable, and yet what's this over at facebook the past 2 days now, hmmm?

    When the chips are on the table?? Linux + Apache went DOWN boys!

    Now, on the other hand/by way of comparison??

    Well - I don't see NASDAQ for example crashing using Windows Server 2003 clusters:

    http://www.nasdaqtrader.com/Trader.aspx?id=MarketShare

    "NASDAQ is renowned for its high performance technology and has proven reliability with 99.999+% uptime. Whats more, firms count on NASDAQ for unsurpassed speed and tested capacity to execute trades quickly and efficiently."

    That's what NASDAQ uses as the official "trade data dissemination system" to users there, and it has maintained that kind of uptime, using Windows Server 2003 clusters no less (which being an NT based OS, is like its ancestor before it in VMS, & has clustering, & stable as iron when run this way)

    (Just in case anyone doesn't believe that Facebook uses a "LAMP stack", and I am sure this is going to get me "flamed" here or downrated as per usual whenever someone shows that Linux is NOT "impervious" to downtime or crashing??? Take a peek here boys:

    http://uptime.netcraft.com/up/graph?site=facebook.com

    That'll show you Linux and Apache... and yes, F5's "BIG IP" is just an internet appliance that runs on Linux! See here for that much as well:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F5_Networks

    "F5's BIG-IP product is based on a network appliance (either virtual or physical), which runs F5's Traffic Management Operating System (TMOS), which runs on top of Linux" )

  86. You mean ... by Kittenman · · Score: 1

    It's hip to be square?

    --
    "The greatest lesson in life is to know that even fools are right sometimes" - Winston Churchill
  87. Like is the only option by ovoskeuiks · · Score: 2, Interesting

    There isn't an option to dislike

    1. Re:Like is the only option by fussy_radical · · Score: 1

      Yes there is... All the people that didn't 'Like' it must dislike it.

  88. Calm Down, Buddy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Whoa, you need to calm down. It was just a joke. Relax.

    And maybe you should also understand that it's not about you, that some have opinions that differ from yours, and that you shouldn't dismiss other people opinions as "groupthink" because you disagree with them.

    You tell that individual to grow up, but perhaps you should take your own advice.

    And yes, you deserve to have that comment modded down.

  89. Like by slater86 · · Score: 1

    # slater86 likes Facebook's Status

    --
    When people ask if I'm an optimist, I say "I hope so". --Bill Bailey
  90. Facebook is the opposite of email. by freeze128 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Whenever the email server crashes at the office, I notice people milling around and talking. You could actually call it "being social". As soon as they all know the server is up, it gets quiet as they return to their email drudgery.

    The Facebook outage has shown the opposite effect. Today was remarkably productive.

    Maybe there could be a combination of the two. We could call it Facemail.

    1. Re:Facebook is the opposite of email. by archmcd · · Score: 2, Funny

      Or how about just "Fail"

      --
      I'm not an expert, but I play one on slashdot.
  91. So much for "LAMP" stuff (Linux + Apache), eh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    See subject, and it's not looking good for Linux + Apache folks (LAMP): I mean, hey - Facebook's 2nd outage in 24 hours? Come on!

    Hey - the way you "penguinista" around here talk, well, I thought Linux and Apache 'never crashed' or had downtime, penguins!

    I mean, You're always ribbing on Windows here saying it's unstable, and yet what's this over at facebook the past 2 days now, hmmm?

    When the chips are on the table?? Linux + Apache went DOWN boys!

    Now, on the other hand/by way of comparison??

    Well - I don't see NASDAQ for example crashing using Windows Server 2003 clusters:

    http://www.nasdaqtrader.com/Trader.aspx?id=MarketShare

    "NASDAQ is renowned for its high performance technology and has proven reliability with 99.999+% uptime. Whats more, firms count on NASDAQ for unsurpassed speed and tested capacity to execute trades quickly and efficiently."

    That's what NASDAQ uses as the official "trade data dissemination system" to users there, as well as other systems (bigger iron stuff), and all their systems maintain that kind of uptime under tremendously heavy user & work loads, 24x7!

    (Additionally/again, using Windows Server 2003 clusters no less (which being an NT based OS, is like its ancestor before it in VMS, & has clustering, & stable as iron when run this way))

    (Just in case anyone doesn't believe that Facebook uses a "LAMP stack", and I am sure this is going to get me "flamed" here or downrated as per usual whenever someone shows that Linux is NOT "impervious" to downtime or crashing??? Take a peek here boys:

    http://uptime.netcraft.com/up/graph?site=facebook.com

    That'll show you Linux and Apache... and yes, F5's "BIG IP" is just an internet appliance that runs on Linux! See here for that much as well:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F5_Networks

    "F5's BIG-IP product is based on a network appliance (either virtual or physical), which runs F5's Traffic Management Operating System (TMOS), which runs on top of Linux" )

  92. Facebook provided details by computernut · · Score: 1
    The facebook engineering team posted this : from http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=431441338919

    Early today Facebook was down or unreachable for many of you for approximately 2.5 hours. This is the worst outage we've had in over four years, and we wanted to first of all apologize for it. We also wanted to provide much more technical detail on what happened and share one big lesson learned.
    The key flaw that caused this outage to be so severe was an unfortunate handling of an error condition. An automated system for verifying configuration values ended up causing much more damage than it fixed.
    The intent of the automated system is to check for configuration values that are invalid in the cache and replace them with updated values from the persistent store. This works well for a transient problem with the cache, but it doesn't work when the persistent store is invalid.
    Today we made a change to the persistent copy of a configuration value that was interpreted as invalid. This meant that every single client saw the invalid value and attempted to fix it. Because the fix involves making a query to a cluster of databases, that cluster was quickly overwhelmed by hundreds of thousands of queries a second.
    To make matters worse, every time a client got an error attempting to query one of the databases it interpreted it as an invalid value, and deleted the corresponding cache key. This meant that even after the original problem had been fixed, the stream of queries continued. As long as the databases failed to service some of the requests, they were causing even more requests to themselves. We had entered a feedback loop that didn't allow the databases to recover. The way to stop the feedback cycle was quite painful - we had to stop all traffic to this database cluster, which meant turning off the site. Once the databases had recovered and the root cause had been fixed, we slowly allowed more people back onto the site.
    This got the site back up and running today, and for now we've turned off the system that attempts to correct configuration values. We're exploring new designs for this configuration system following design patterns of other systems at Facebook that deal more gracefully with feedback loops and transient spikes.
    We apologize again for the site outage, and we want you to know that we take the performance and reliability of Facebook very seriously.

  93. Cheap much? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Stupidity= relying onfree service for critical (finger quotes) comm.

  94. MOD PARENT UP! by n3r0.m4dski11z · · Score: 1

    to the sky

    --
    -
  95. Recent events by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    How crazy is it at facebook today?

    Facebook does damage control in response to unflattering movie portrayal (WS Journal, Sept 23)
    Zuckerberg donates $100 million to Newark schools to distract (CNN, Sept 23)
    Major Facebook outage
    Other stuff we don't know?

    On top of Paul Ceglia's pending claim on 84% of facebook...

  96. m.facebook.com by rsborg · · Score: 1

    Nice. Somebody mod parent up.

    --
    Make sure everyone's vote counts: Verified Voting
    1. Re:m.facebook.com by Khyber · · Score: 1

      I would but of course this is my conversation.

      And on top of that, really, facebook is not for me, while mycity is (as a business owner, this is like the facebook for business, so I'll roll with that, and it's gotten me business.)

      --
      Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
  97. GREAT!!! by ecbpro · · Score: 1

    Facebook was down and worldwide productivity went up by 50% :-)
    They should start to have Facebook off (Faceoff) days, you know like days without any cars in the cities.

  98. Catering to the stupid by Doctor+O · · Score: 1, Interesting

    There go my mod points, but fuck it, I can't bear reading this stupidity once more.

    E-mail accounts don't change. People change them because they're lazy or stupid.

    The same people don't forget their Facebook logins and passwords, do they? Then why do they change e-mail addresses like others change their underwear?

    It's often the same people who have a handful of addresses, so you never know which of those they monitor and which they don't, and they will often reply to mail from another address than the one you mailed, regularly from ones you've never heard of before.

    Oh, and don't forget those who don't even *know* their correct addresses and tell you some guess instead. I've been the recipient of such mail for years when some gal gave out an address from my domain because she couldn't remember her TLD even if her life depended on it (I have a .de, she was on something else but giving out a .de address to everyone and their dog). She was a very active hotchatter, judging from the "erotic" stories and dick shots I received. The guys usually were quite embarrassed when I replied "nice cock shot, but the stupid fuck doesn't know her own e-mail address - please tell her when you meet her again".

    That was in the Old Days(TM) before this was a common spam topic, around when Eternal September started. I never got to know her real e-mail address even though I've really tried. Cornelia. If the German proverb that "stupidity fucks best" holds water, she must be one of the best fucks ever.

    But I digress.

    Long story short, tell people that e-mail addresses are meant to be permanent and they won't get their pregnancy updates if they change their e-mail address without notifying you. It can be done. I've only met one or two people who didn't at least keep one permanent address around after my explanation. Oh, and be kind. They just don't understand.

    --
    Who is General Failure and why is he reading my hard disk?
    1. Re:Catering to the stupid by GameboyRMH · · Score: 1

      E-mail accounts don't change. People change them because they're lazy or stupid.

      I first had a hotmail address because I needed an email address and didn't have money, and I knew using an ISP's free email account is a bad idea. Then years ago I switched to Gmail because their service was vastly superior. Now I'm finally going to switch from Gmail to email hosted on a VPS on a domain I control, because Google is creepy, and I should get an email address under my own control now that I can afford it.

      At which point was I lazy or stupid?

      --
      "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
    2. Re:Catering to the stupid by Doctor+O · · Score: 1

      You probably weren't, if I look at your history of e-mail accounts. I had a CompuServe address that went under with CompuServe itself, so that's another good reason to switch, just as you had good reasons.

      The difference is that you probably a) set up redirections || still check the addresses and b) informed the important people of the change. Those people the OP meant don't do any of that.

      --
      Who is General Failure and why is he reading my hard disk?
    3. Re:Catering to the stupid by RaymondKurzweil · · Score: 1

      At which point was I lazy or stupid

      The point at which you thought it would be beneficial or worthwhile to respond ot some asshat on Slashdot.

  99. Funny? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That was modded as funny?
    You know, the first part:

    Dude, screw her pregnancy man. The kid will come out one way or the other and people will get the news a few days late at best.

    deserves to be modded as +5, true.

    As to the GP:
    You claim you care about family and friends, yet you cannot think of any other way of keeping in touch than Facebook?
    Here's a thought: start thinking for yourself for a change.
    People cared about each other a long time before "The Intarwebs", and they managed to keep each other up-to-date back then too.

    In other words: news flash: the world does not revolve around Facebook either. And if it does for you, it's time to go to a corner, cry your heart out for a while and then start making changes.

    (sure I'll be downmodded, and I probably deserve it, but someone refusing to use their brain just annoys the crap out of me. "Oh I'm not being handed everything on a silver platter... WAAAAH!" Grow up, will you? Take friggin charge -- you're about to put a child onto this earth, try to raise them to be moderately self-reliant and not Facebook-reliant, you know...)

  100. I feel a great disturbance in the social networks by w0mprat · · Score: 3, Funny

    as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror, and were suddenly silenced.

    --
    After logging in slashdot still does not take you back to the page you were on. It's been that way for 20 years.
  101. Not down just.... by hesaigo999ca · · Score: 1

    The site is not down, there is just DNS cache poisoning,
    where it redirects you to some broken site page (maybe with malware in the background???) or so I have heard...
    This makes sense to me, as it is not possible that only 1000 users have the site down and the rest are all a-ok...

  102. Ding Dong the witch is dead! by morgauxo · · Score: 1

    Ding Dong the witch is dead!

  103. from recent SouthPark by yeslordvader · · Score: 1

    Stan! Poke your Grandma! Poke your Grandma!

  104. Ob. Star Wars Quote: by DarthVain · · Score: 1

    "I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened. "

  105. Potential Facebook Alternatives by FurtiveGlancer · · Score: 1

    One could kip on over to MyFace.com, the anti-social site for Narcissists. Perhaps BookSpace.com, the mildly social site for librarians & bookworms, would suit you better? No, this being slashdot, SpaceFace.com, the site celebrating the "face" on Mars and the Eskimo nebula, would probably be best.

    --
    Invenio via vel creo
  106. Geeze, these whiners! by seebs · · Score: 1

    Facebook FINALLY does something about privacy problems, and everyone complains. You just can't make people happy.

    --
    My blog: http://www.seebs.net/log/ --- My iPhone/iPad app: http://www.seebs.net/seebsfrac/
  107. Re:the weekend by balbus000 · · Score: 1

    I was going to mod you funny, but that would encourage people to read the post you responded to. :\

  108. This is news? by FreekyGeek · · Score: 1

    Since when did it become front-page news when a web site goes down? So it's popular - B.F.D.! It's not as if anything bad will happen. So people will have to wait a couple hours to find out what their 6,249 "friends" had for breakfast. Sheesh.