Many people on IRC, including myself, have a BNC (BouNCer - an IRC proxy connection hosted on a shell account in a server farm), that keeps us connected to IRC 24/7/365.25 - it gives us some anonymity and protection from some of the less desirable people and bots on IRC, while allowing people to leave us messages when we aren't around. It also helps hold channels and nicknames when there are no services on the network (such as chanserv and nickserv).
The end result, of course, is a lot of AFKs - some for 12h+. Please, when looking for support on IRC, do not assume that everyone on the nicklist is glued to that channel waiting for someone to ask a question that they can pounce on like a rabid dog. IRC rats tend to spread out. I myself, am on 8 networks, in about 50 channels.
Also, do not assume that the people who ARE on their computers aren't doing other things. Remember, they are volunteers who have real jobs, friends, and interests, and may also be providing support for other things on forums. ((Disclaimer - I have provided IRC support for phpBB in the past))
Here's a quick FYI for everyone who doesn't have experience, but wants IRC support:
Asking for support in IRC
Search the forums/mailing lists/wiki/FAQs on the official website
Search Google
Ensure you have the correct channel. For example, Nuke is built around phpBB, but due to the differences in the codebases, you should not ask for Nuke help in the phpBB channel. Also, there are usually 2-3 channels for any particular piece of software - support, dev, and general chat. Then sometimes, you'll get Mod dev, Mod chat, Mod support etc etc. The best way to make sure you are in the right channel is to read the channel topic, and if available, the FAQ
Don't ask if it's OK to ask your question. It is. Just ask your question. We geeks aren't the most socially adjusted individuals, so feel free to dispense with most of the niceties and get to the point.
Ask your question ONCE, including relevant information, such as version/build numbers, and what you googled for.
Wait patiently for an answer. People who ARE in will usually check past the channel every 5-10 minutes to see what's going on, however, a half-hour wait is not uncommon in some channels.
Not everyone in the channel is there to provide support, or is capable of providing support. Many are like you, and need a question answered, or have had a question answered and are waiting around in case they have another question in the near future.
Abuse won't get you help - only a ban.
IRC is a great way to get support, if you use it properly. Many of the people who provide IRC support started out like you - connecting to ask a question. And then another. And another. And then someone else comes in with the same question that you asked the first time, and you provide the answer you were given. Extend the support volunteers the same courtesy you would expect in the same position, and all should be fine.
Unfortunately, it's not as easy as that. Due to the "Ha HA, you're in Australia" electronics tax, the Australian RRP is around $400, whereas the RRP in the US appears to be $250 (according to a cursory google search). With the dollar so close to trading at parity, and adding postage+insurance, we'd probably have to hit at least $US450 for the basic pack just to break even.
This probably goes a long way towards explaining why they are easy to get here...
Think about it. They have a demonstration that the fake batteries can cause harm to hardware, and most likely to wetware as well.
I bought a battery with a genuine IBM logo on it and it exploded in my face, destroying my left eye. It then emailed my porn collection to my mother, turned my freezer down and defrosted it, and parked my car in a towaway zone. I'm suing.
These batteries could open IBM up to litigation, or could have, had they not been discovered. IBM are protecting their name, reputation, and business.
After all, a lawsuit from a single exploding battery could easily cost IBM more than a million dollars...
Here, in this little town of 14,000 people in the south of Western Australia, I could walk into any of the stores that sell Wiis and buy 2 or 3 without any wait. I bought mine about 6 months ago straight off the shelf. No queues, pre-orders, nothing.
The map would actually need to be circular with a radius of 1000m (or a 2000mx2000m square) just to give you a reasonable chance of being on it. Don't forget that 1000m is only an average. It could be much more than that.
Re:The few posters so far really lack imagination
on
Google Maps GPS Simulator
·
· Score: 2, Informative
Incorrect. According to the summary, it's within 1000m (1km, 3280 feet, 7143 linguine, 108 double decker buses, or more than 7 brontosaurii) of where you are - significantly more than 1000 feet, and much less useful.
The only time I close FF between reboots is when something goes terribly wrong. For the most part, FF stays running with 8+ tabs 24/7 for up to 2 weeks (yay Windows)...
I currently have 5 tabs open in Firefox:/., 3 static pages, and a 650kb text file.
I also have two instances of IE7 open. One with 3 tabs with static pages and a heavy AJAX child window (Oracle Web Access email client), the other with one tab on the Asus site, and a child window with one tab, on the Asus support site.
Memory Usage:
Firefox (2.0.0.9): 248,192k
Internet Explorer 7 with multiple tabs and a heavy AJAX child window: 158,880k
Internet Explorer 7 with one tab and a child window: 106,664k
Both IE with AJAX and tabs and FF have been running since I logged on to this machine a couple of days ago. The other IE instance has been open about 18 hours.
Nobody's perfect - mistakes happen, and holes are found, including within FOSS. The differences are:
* Any competent programmer can download the code, fix the hole and submit a patch
* We don't have to install spyware to get the update (if you ask me, unless you can demonstrate that installing WGA actually gives the user a "genuine advantage", it's false advertising)
* Anyone can review the patch if they wish to
* Running software as a user with default security settings isn't likely to hose a *nix/*BSD/OSX install
Yet despite this, the next Microsoft sponsored Windows vs Linux security comparison will no doubt list each of these vulnerabilities separately for each distribution, counting them as core code holes.
I also note that most FOSS devs aren't in the habit of making you wait 1-6 months for a fix...
The syntax for "||" is:
If command 1 fails, do command 2 - otherwise exit (where you used "command1 || command2").
In this case, your command will either copy all the files from $from to $to or delete all files at $from.
What you probably meant is cp $from $to && rm -r $from, which only performs the second command if the first succeeded. This solution is far from perfect for reasons mentioned by other posters, but it's still significantly safer and more useful than yours...
Slashdot Mirror
It depends on how and why it disappears. I've had to replace a missing hal.dll using recovery console on a number of computers.
Sorry, could you repeat that? I wasn't listening...
The end result, of course, is a lot of AFKs - some for 12h+. Please, when looking for support on IRC, do not assume that everyone on the nicklist is glued to that channel waiting for someone to ask a question that they can pounce on like a rabid dog. IRC rats tend to spread out. I myself, am on 8 networks, in about 50 channels.
Also, do not assume that the people who ARE on their computers aren't doing other things. Remember, they are volunteers who have real jobs, friends, and interests, and may also be providing support for other things on forums. ((Disclaimer - I have provided IRC support for phpBB in the past))
Here's a quick FYI for everyone who doesn't have experience, but wants IRC support:
Asking for support in IRC
Not everyone in the channel is there to provide support, or is capable of providing support. Many are like you, and need a question answered, or have had a question answered and are waiting around in case they have another question in the near future.
Abuse won't get you help - only a ban.
IRC is a great way to get support, if you use it properly. Many of the people who provide IRC support started out like you - connecting to ask a question. And then another. And another. And then someone else comes in with the same question that you asked the first time, and you provide the answer you were given. Extend the support volunteers the same courtesy you would expect in the same position, and all should be fine.
Unfortunately, it's not as easy as that. Due to the "Ha HA, you're in Australia" electronics tax, the Australian RRP is around $400, whereas the RRP in the US appears to be $250 (according to a cursory google search). With the dollar so close to trading at parity, and adding postage+insurance, we'd probably have to hit at least $US450 for the basic pack just to break even.
This probably goes a long way towards explaining why they are easy to get here...
And then, under your breath, you're all like, "bitches"...
These batteries could open IBM up to litigation, or could have, had they not been discovered. IBM are protecting their name, reputation, and business.
After all, a lawsuit from a single exploding battery could easily cost IBM more than a million dollars...
Here, in this little town of 14,000 people in the south of Western Australia, I could walk into any of the stores that sell Wiis and buy 2 or 3 without any wait. I bought mine about 6 months ago straight off the shelf. No queues, pre-orders, nothing.
The map would actually need to be circular with a radius of 1000m (or a 2000mx2000m square) just to give you a reasonable chance of being on it. Don't forget that 1000m is only an average. It could be much more than that.
Incorrect. According to the summary, it's within 1000m (1km, 3280 feet, 7143 linguine, 108 double decker buses, or more than 7 brontosaurii) of where you are - significantly more than 1000 feet, and much less useful.
Free unit conversion tool
The only time I close FF between reboots is when something goes terribly wrong. For the most part, FF stays running with 8+ tabs 24/7 for up to 2 weeks (yay Windows)...
I believe the most unique thing about our moon is the orbiting bovine...
827ccb0eea8a706c4c34a16891f84e7b
I currently have 5 tabs open in Firefox: /., 3 static pages, and a 650kb text file.
I also have two instances of IE7 open. One with 3 tabs with static pages and a heavy AJAX child window (Oracle Web Access email client), the other with one tab on the Asus site, and a child window with one tab, on the Asus support site.
Memory Usage:
Firefox (2.0.0.9): 248,192k
Internet Explorer 7 with multiple tabs and a heavy AJAX child window: 158,880k
Internet Explorer 7 with one tab and a child window: 106,664k
Both IE with AJAX and tabs and FF have been running since I logged on to this machine a couple of days ago. The other IE instance has been open about 18 hours.
Nobody's perfect - mistakes happen, and holes are found, including within FOSS. The differences are:
* Any competent programmer can download the code, fix the hole and submit a patch
* We don't have to install spyware to get the update (if you ask me, unless you can demonstrate that installing WGA actually gives the user a "genuine advantage", it's false advertising)
* Anyone can review the patch if they wish to
* Running software as a user with default security settings isn't likely to hose a *nix/*BSD/OSX install
Yet despite this, the next Microsoft sponsored Windows vs Linux security comparison will no doubt list each of these vulnerabilities separately for each distribution, counting them as core code holes.
I also note that most FOSS devs aren't in the habit of making you wait 1-6 months for a fix...
A bicycle has an engine?
...where the men are men, the women are men, and the 14 year old girls are FBI agents...
Um... no. REALLY no. Please don't do that.
The syntax for "||" is:
If command 1 fails, do command 2 - otherwise exit (where you used "command1 || command2").
In this case, your command will either copy all the files from $from to $to or delete all files at $from.
What you probably meant is cp $from $to && rm -r $from, which only performs the second command if the first succeeded. This solution is far from perfect for reasons mentioned by other posters, but it's still significantly safer and more useful than yours...
itsnotlegosdammit
Wait. Who says it's incorrect? We are talking about the English speaking English, are we not?
Americans haven't spoken English in many years...
If that's the case, perhaps CNN have something to worry about...
Agreed
For "legos" to be correct, each piece of the kit would need to be a "lego". THEY AREN'T!
Lego is the name of the company that makes the Lego bricks, connectors, and other assorted pieces. Come on people, it's not that hard to get right...