For the millionth time, we don't pay for the call in the US. We pay for airtime. Incoming calls cost the same to the originating party as a call to a landline phone in the same area.
The system is set up this way because there is no charge for a local landline call (unless you have the cheapest phone service available, and then it is still a flat rate). Our system is not set up to charge the originating party anything but long distance charges.
This system sucks, and nobody will ever use it. Sorry that nobody has been honest with you until now, but it is time to face facts. It is far too complex.
I always wonder if that slight gap that the sticker added between the battery and the phone had something to do with it, but I didn't want to destroy my sticker to find out.
My only scientific test was walking up the stairs while on the phone. I can only assume that there wasn't a change on the cell tower that just happened to coincide with my adding a cheap sticker.
Unfortunately, nothing could fix my main problem. I lived next door to a hospital, and they used Sprint phones. My calls would drop all the time, but the phone did work very well inside the hospital.
I just want to second Doc Ruby before he gets called an idiot. My sticker also worked, at least for one thing. I had a Sprint phone that would drop calls when I was walking up an internal stairway in my house. Every time. With the sticker added, the calls did not drop.
It would be better to seperate the TV and the computer. You will waste time and money trying to get them into one device. Get a cheap TV and wall mount it. Get a cheap computer (or laptop) and put it wherever. Maybe a toughbook?
I'd like all of my data to be on one screen, too. It is just cheaper (and faster) to have more than one. If you can afford to put it on one, you wouldn't need this post on/.
If you ever run into this problem again, keep in mind that you can repair a partition table without a reinstall. 'fdisk -l/dev/hda' and mail it to yourself just in case. I used to have to do it all the time when dual booting with OS/2 and Slackware.
I don't care who the region's sales engineer is. Checkpoint is gone. They had their chance, they blew it. Reminds me of the ISP consolidation 6-7 years ago. They failed to realize that many of the shell customers were the decision makers at large companies.
SecurePlatform was an easy install. Except we were not licensed to admin the firewall. I'm sure there is an easy solution to that, but that is another issue I have with Checkpoint.
As to your comment about not discounting Checkpoint becuase of the reseller - I had many conference calls with Checkpoint, and they were all useless. As far as I am concerned, most of the company is useless. 90% Of this problem would be solved with good FAQs on their website.
I'm not interested in a lawsuit. But they are going to lose quite a bit of business, and it isn't all Checkpoint related. In fact, most of it isn't. Three cheers for Darwinism.
I could go on for many pages, detailing all of the issues I've had to deal with in the last few weeks. But I've wasted enough time dealing with Checkpoint, and I don't want to waste too much time bitching about them.
We purchased hardware and software through a reseller. My predecessor placed the order, so I came in knowing very little about what we had purchased. I was given the server and an activation code for the software.
I activated it, and found that I was unable to download anything. We had no support contract. I sent off some nasty e-mails to the vendor, and we had an installation CD a couple of days later.
Well, it turns out that the installation CD was old. Shouldn't be a big deal, right? Well, it was. Although we could install the software, we couldn't use any of the management tools. The Windows-based management tools, I should add. For a Linux product.
Conference calls with Checkpoint, more nasty e-mails, we find out that our support contract was never entered. I blame this solely on the vendor, not Checkpoint. Once that went through, we were able to download the needed software from Checkpoint.
Sounds like the problem is resolved, right? I hope so, but I won't know for a few days, as we had to reschedule a network shutdown because of this incompetence. While I blame most of this on the vendor, you have to wonder what sort of approval process the vendors have to go through to become resellers, and why Checkpoint would ever allow such idiots to resell their product.
While I'm pointing fingers, here are some other things to think about:
Checkpoint could easily have allowed us to download a product which we had already purchased, and is available to customers with a support contract.
Tech support could have answered our questions very quickly, if they would have talked to us.
They could have FAQs with this information on their web site.
The FAQs that they do have could have been in a format that is readable from a console (everything is PDF).
Red Hat 7.3 is the latest version of Linux they support. With a kernel that doesn't come standard.
I admin many older Checkpoint boxes, which unfortunately run on Windows NT 4. I inherited them. After the crap I have been through dealing with Checkpoint, I am considering staying with them until I find a better solution. Why should we have to pay thousands of dollars a year just to be able to patch these things? Why are the FAQs useless? Why can't these people get a clue?
Just FYI, I've been using Linux since before it was 1.0, and I have no problem with configuring firewalls and the like. And I also know that Cisco pulls stupid crap like this, too. Now for the fun part - I have a hell of a lot of purchasing power at a very large consulting firm, and as far as I am concerned, we are done with Checkpoint.
You hear that, Checkpoint? Over 70,000 employees, and I can't count how many support contracts. I'm going to do what I can to make sure we never send you another dime.
If you can make the player run on batteries, try dropping the voltage. I know that would slow older players down. Can't speak for current devices, as I haven't used tapes in quite some time.
Slow the playback down and type them as you listen. If you can't do this, hire someone who can. I know many people that can keep up with spoken conversations in real-time.
Years ago, I improved my own typing speed and accuracy by transcribing phone conversations with friends. It just takes some practice.
Of course, if you are listening to this guy, you can disregard my advice.
Years ago, when speedpass first came out, I filled out an application, but declined to put my SSN on it. If I link it to a credit card, why should you have my SSN?
Needless to say, I never heard back, and I don't intend to ever get one if the SSN is required. Or maybe I'll just make one up and see what happens.
For those who don't know - it is not a credit device, it is a billing device. It links to an existing credit card. They may have expanded to granting credit, but it was not part of the deal when I tried to sign up.
I'm just now changing the toner. I bought one new in 1998 or 1999. Rock solid, postscript, easy to upgrade the memory. I've added an external jetdirect, and everything just works. I will never, ever sell this printer.
My toner would have lasted if I hadn't printed out about 5000 flyers a couple of years ago. I just kept changing paper the whole day, never concerned about the printer.
But don't take this as an endoresment for HP. The new printers suck. I supported about 30 of these until earlier this year. Constant problems. Driver issues, paper jams, even the occasional lockup. Go with the older HPs, or a newer Samsung.
I've seen enough government offices to say that your definition and their definition of 'high specification' are probably quite different. I'd say well under 2 GHz, but with a decent 2d card, some RAM, and a largish monitor.
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For the millionth time, we don't pay for the call in the US. We pay for airtime. Incoming calls cost the same to the originating party as a call to a landline phone in the same area.
The system is set up this way because there is no charge for a local landline call (unless you have the cheapest phone service available, and then it is still a flat rate). Our system is not set up to charge the originating party anything but long distance charges.
Wow. Do we really talk like this? No wonder my wife never understands what I'm saying.
This system sucks, and nobody will ever use it. Sorry that nobody has been honest with you until now, but it is time to face facts. It is far too complex.
I always wonder if that slight gap that the sticker added between the battery and the phone had something to do with it, but I didn't want to destroy my sticker to find out.
My only scientific test was walking up the stairs while on the phone. I can only assume that there wasn't a change on the cell tower that just happened to coincide with my adding a cheap sticker.
Unfortunately, nothing could fix my main problem. I lived next door to a hospital, and they used Sprint phones. My calls would drop all the time, but the phone did work very well inside the hospital.
I just want to second Doc Ruby before he gets called an idiot. My sticker also worked, at least for one thing. I had a Sprint phone that would drop calls when I was walking up an internal stairway in my house. Every time. With the sticker added, the calls did not drop.
It had no other effect that I noticed.
It would be better to seperate the TV and the computer. You will waste time and money trying to get them into one device. Get a cheap TV and wall mount it. Get a cheap computer (or laptop) and put it wherever. Maybe a toughbook?
/.
I'd like all of my data to be on one screen, too. It is just cheaper (and faster) to have more than one. If you can afford to put it on one, you wouldn't need this post on
If you ever run into this problem again, keep in mind that you can repair a partition table without a reinstall. 'fdisk -l /dev/hda' and mail it to yourself just in case. I used to have to do it all the time when dual booting with OS/2 and Slackware.
If you must use a CDR, find a few different kinds of media, burn slow, and compare. But have you considered just delivering the original as an ISO?
Enough said.
I don't care who the region's sales engineer is. Checkpoint is gone. They had their chance, they blew it. Reminds me of the ISP consolidation 6-7 years ago. They failed to realize that many of the shell customers were the decision makers at large companies.
SecurePlatform was an easy install. Except we were not licensed to admin the firewall. I'm sure there is an easy solution to that, but that is another issue I have with Checkpoint.
As to your comment about not discounting Checkpoint becuase of the reseller - I had many conference calls with Checkpoint, and they were all useless. As far as I am concerned, most of the company is useless. 90% Of this problem would be solved with good FAQs on their website.
Run conduit. Everywhere. Run it all to the basement, if available. Run it to the attic, just in case. PVC is cheap, buy a lot.
I'm not interested in a lawsuit. But they are going to lose quite a bit of business, and it isn't all Checkpoint related. In fact, most of it isn't. Three cheers for Darwinism.
I could go on for many pages, detailing all of the issues I've had to deal with in the last few weeks. But I've wasted enough time dealing with Checkpoint, and I don't want to waste too much time bitching about them.
We purchased hardware and software through a reseller. My predecessor placed the order, so I came in knowing very little about what we had purchased. I was given the server and an activation code for the software.
I activated it, and found that I was unable to download anything. We had no support contract. I sent off some nasty e-mails to the vendor, and we had an installation CD a couple of days later.
Well, it turns out that the installation CD was old. Shouldn't be a big deal, right? Well, it was. Although we could install the software, we couldn't use any of the management tools. The Windows-based management tools, I should add. For a Linux product.
Conference calls with Checkpoint, more nasty e-mails, we find out that our support contract was never entered. I blame this solely on the vendor, not Checkpoint. Once that went through, we were able to download the needed software from Checkpoint.
Sounds like the problem is resolved, right? I hope so, but I won't know for a few days, as we had to reschedule a network shutdown because of this incompetence. While I blame most of this on the vendor, you have to wonder what sort of approval process the vendors have to go through to become resellers, and why Checkpoint would ever allow such idiots to resell their product.
While I'm pointing fingers, here are some other things to think about:
Checkpoint could easily have allowed us to download a product which we had already purchased, and is available to customers with a support contract.
Tech support could have answered our questions very quickly, if they would have talked to us.
They could have FAQs with this information on their web site.
The FAQs that they do have could have been in a format that is readable from a console (everything is PDF).
Red Hat 7.3 is the latest version of Linux they support. With a kernel that doesn't come standard.
I admin many older Checkpoint boxes, which unfortunately run on Windows NT 4. I inherited them. After the crap I have been through dealing with Checkpoint, I am considering staying with them until I find a better solution. Why should we have to pay thousands of dollars a year just to be able to patch these things? Why are the FAQs useless? Why can't these people get a clue?
Just FYI, I've been using Linux since before it was 1.0, and I have no problem with configuring firewalls and the like. And I also know that Cisco pulls stupid crap like this, too. Now for the fun part - I have a hell of a lot of purchasing power at a very large consulting firm, and as far as I am concerned, we are done with Checkpoint.
You hear that, Checkpoint? Over 70,000 employees, and I can't count how many support contracts. I'm going to do what I can to make sure we never send you another dime.
Please mod parent up.
Sorry, I've never said that before, but this one really does need to go up a bit. I need to stop wasting my mod points.
Second point - Vanillin is to vanilla as high fructose corn syrup is to sugar. I concede the regulation point, though.
New: 2911 Total: 8639
That is from the last 6 weeks. Less than 1% are real messages (domain renewals).
If you can make the player run on batteries, try dropping the voltage. I know that would slow older players down. Can't speak for current devices, as I haven't used tapes in quite some time.
Years ago, I improved my own typing speed and accuracy by transcribing phone conversations with friends. It just takes some practice.
Of course, if you are listening to this guy, you can disregard my advice.
The first was the decision to remove the tenth amendment to the Constitution by abusing the interstate commerce clause.
That completely changed the legal system in the US, and removed the rights of citizens of a state to decide best how to govern their own state.
The Founding Fathers would puke if they were alive now.
Years ago, when speedpass first came out, I filled out an application, but declined to put my SSN on it. If I link it to a credit card, why should you have my SSN?
Needless to say, I never heard back, and I don't intend to ever get one if the SSN is required. Or maybe I'll just make one up and see what happens.
For those who don't know - it is not a credit device, it is a billing device. It links to an existing credit card. They may have expanded to granting credit, but it was not part of the deal when I tried to sign up.
Descriptive names are good, I'll give you that.
But I have to ask. What the hell is the name ipod supposed to mean?
I can think of very few names that would be worse for this product. Like 'ifelch' or 'ifrump'.
My upstream with cox is closer to 128. A major pain, since I host my digital pictures offsite, and I regularly upload 20-30 megabytes at a time.
I've never heard of a cap on bandwidth, unless you count the outages I get at least twice a week.
I'm just now changing the toner. I bought one new in 1998 or 1999. Rock solid, postscript, easy to upgrade the memory. I've added an external jetdirect, and everything just works. I will never, ever sell this printer.
My toner would have lasted if I hadn't printed out about 5000 flyers a couple of years ago. I just kept changing paper the whole day, never concerned about the printer.
But don't take this as an endoresment for HP. The new printers suck. I supported about 30 of these until earlier this year. Constant problems. Driver issues, paper jams, even the occasional lockup. Go with the older HPs, or a newer Samsung.
I've seen enough government offices to say that your definition and their definition of 'high specification' are probably quite different. I'd say well under 2 GHz, but with a decent 2d card, some RAM, and a largish monitor.