TECH

ID: 13771

Tech

What was I Thinking?

All of these are legitimate companies dealing in regular products and services, but they (obviously) didn't think their domain names through.



Some of them are prime candidates for the "What was I thinking?" Award....



ALL these websites actually exist, selling something totally benign (and work-safe, in case you're wondering).

1. A site called 'Who Represents' where you can find the name of the agent that represents a celebrity. Their domain name is: www.whorepresents.com

2. Experts Exchange, a knowledge base where programmers can exchange advice and views at:
www.expertsexchange.com

3. Looking for a pen? Look no further than Pen Island at:
www.penisland.net

4. Need a therapist? Try Therapist Finder at:
www.therapistfinder.com

5. Then of course, there's the Italian Power Generator company: www.powergenitalia.com

6. We have the Mole Station Native Nursery, based in New South Wales: www.molestationnursery.com

7. If you're looking for IP computer software, there's always: www.ipanywhere.com

8. Welcome to the First Cumming Methodist Church and their website: www.cummingfirst.com

9. Then of course, there's these brainless art designers at Speed of Art and their whacky website: www.speedofart.com

10. Want to go on holiday in Lake Tahoe? Try their brochure website at: www.gotahoe.com

ID: 15207

Tech

Idiot Computer Virus

We regret to inform you, but by opening this email, you have just received the 'Idiot Computer Virus'.

Since our staff does not have any programming experience, this virus works on the honor system.

Please delete all files from your hard drive immediately, then manually forward this virus to everyone on your mailing list.

Thank You

ID: 17780

Tech

Remote

How dod the person take over the remote?

ID: 15808

Tech

5 Giggle Bytes

The following are real excerpts from Help Desk logs at real corporations. Or are they?

1. Help Desk: What kind of computer do you have?
Female customer: A white one...


2. Help Desk: And now hit F8.

Customer: It's not working.

Help Desk: What did you do, exactly?

Customer: I hit the 'F' key 8 times as you told me, but nothing's happening...


3. Hi, good afternoon, this is Elaine. I can't print. Every time I try, it says, 'Can't find printer'. I've even lifted the printer and placed it in front of the monitor, but the computer still says he can't find it...


4. Hi, this is Celine. I can't get my diskette out.

Help Desk: Have you tried pushing the button?

Customer: Yes, sure, it's really stuck.

Help Desk: That doesn't sound good; I'll make a note.

Customer: No ... wait a minute... I hadn't inserted it yet... it's still on my desk... sorry.

5. Help Desk: What's on your monitor now ma'am?

Customer: A teddy bear my boyfriend bought for me in the supermarket.

ID: 15210

Tech

C-Nile Virus Alert

TO: ALL EMPLOYEES
FROM: SYSTEM'S ADMINISTRATOR

SUBJECT: WARNING! C-NILE VIRUS ... MUST READ:

Just learned about this from a reliable source. It seems that there is a computer virus out there called the "C-Nile Virus" that even the most advanced programs from Norton cannot take care of, so be warned. It appears to affect those of us who were born before 1958.

Symptoms of the C-Nile Virus:

1. Causes you to send the same e-mail twice.

2. Causes you to send blank e-mail.

3. Causes you to send e-mail to the wrong person.

4. Causes you to send e-mail back to the person who sent it to you.

5. Causes you to send e-mail to other listed persons who received the e-mail from the person who sent it to you.

6. Causes you to forget to attach the attachment.

7. Causes you to hit "SEND" before you've finished the

ID: 16129

Tech

A Serious Interview With Your Favourite Geek

Focus Magazine Interview with Bill Gates

Microsoft Code Has No Bugs (that Microsoft cares about)

---------------------------------------------------------
In an interview for German weekly magazine Focus (nr.43, October 23, 1995, pages 206-212), Microsoft`s Mr. Bill Gates has made some tements about software quality of MS products. After lengthy inquiries about how PCs should and could be used (including some angry comments on some questions which Mr. Gates evidently did not like), the interviewer comes to storage requirements of MS products; it ends with the following dispute:

---------------------------------------------------------
FOCUS: Every new release of a software which has less bugs than the older one is also more complex and has more features...

Gates: No, only if that is what'll sell!

FOCUS: But...

Gates: Only if that is what'll sell! We've never done a piece of software unless we thought it would sell. That's why everything we do in software ...it's really amazing: We do it because we think that's what customers want. That's why we do what we do.

FOCUS: But on the other hand, you would say: Okay, folks, if you don't like these new features, stay with the old version, and keep the bugs?

Gates: No! We have lots and lots of competitors. The new version, it's not there to fix bugs. That's not the reason we come up with a new version.

FOCUS: But there are bugs an any version which people would really like to have fixed.

Gates: No! There are no significant bugs in our released software that any significant number of users want fixed.

FOCUS: Oh, my God. I always get mad at my computer if MS Word swallows the page numbers of a document which I printed a couple of times with page numbers. If I complain to anybody they say "Well, upgrade from version 5.11 to 6.0".

Gates: No! If you really think there's a bug you should report a bug. Maybe you're not using it properly. Have you ever considered that?

FOCUS: Yeah, I did...

Gates: It turns out Luddites don't know how to use software properly, so you should look into that. The reason we come up with new versions is not to fix bugs. It's absolutely not. It's the stupidest reason to buy a new version I ever heard. When we do a new version we put in lots of new things that people are asking for, and so, in no sense, is stability a reason to move to a new version. It's never a reason.

FOCUS: How come I keep being told by computer vendors, "Well, we know about this bug, wait till the next version is there, it'll be fixed"? I hear this all the time. How come? If you're telling me there are no significant bugs in software and there is no reason to do a new version?

Gates: No. I'm saying: We don't do a new version to fix bugs. We don't. Not enough people would buy it. You can take a hundred people using Microsoft Word. Call them up and say, "Would you buy a new version because of bugs?"

You won't get a single person to say they'd buy a new version because of bugs. We'd never be able to sell a release on that basis.

FOCUS: Probably you have other contacts to your software developers. But if Mister Anybody, like me, calls up a store or a support line and says, "Hey listen, there's a bug" ... 90 percent of the time I get the answer "Oh, well, yeah, that's not too bad, wait to the next version and it'll be fixed". That's how the system works.

Gates: Guess how much we spend on phone calls every year.

FOCUS: Hm, a couple of million dollars?

Gates: 500 million dollars a year. We take every one of these phone calls and classify them. That's the input we use to do the next version. So it's like the worlds biggest feedback loop. People call in, we decide what to do on it. Do you want to know what percentage of those phonecalls relates to bugs in the software? Less than one percent.

FOCUS: So people call in to say "Hey listen, I would love to have this and that feature"?

Gates: Actually, that's about five percent. Most of them call to get advice on how to do a certain thing with the software. That's the primary thing. We could have you sit and listen to these phone calls. There are millions and millions of them. It really isn't statistically significant. Sit in and listen to Win 95 calls, sit in and listen to Word calls, and wait, just wait for weeks and weeks for someone to call in and say "Oh, I found a bug in this thing"....

FOCUS: So where does this common feeling of frustration come from that unites all the PC users? Everybody experiences it every day that these things simply don't work like they should.

Gates: Because it's cool. It's like, "Yeah, been there done that. Oh, yeah, I know that bug." I can understand that phenomenon sociologically, not technically.

---------------------------------------------------------
So:

* Bug reports are statistically, therefore actually, unimportant;
* If you want a bug fixed, you are (by definition) in the minority;
* Microsoft doesn't fix bugs because bug fixes are not a significant source of revenue;
* If you think you found a bug, you are wrong, because really it only means you're incompetent; and
* People only complain about bugs to show how cool they are, not because bugs cause any real problems.

ID: 14375

Tech

Sardarji

A plain computer illeterate SARDAR rings tech support to report that his computer is faulty.

Tech: What's the problem?

Sardaar: There is smoke coming out of the power supply.

Tech: You'll need a new power supply.

Sardaar: No, I don't! I just need to change the startup files.

Tech: Sir, the power supply is faulty. You'll need to replace it.

Sardaar: No way! Someone told me that I just needed to change the startup and it will fix the problem! All I need is for you to tell me the command.

10 minutes later, the Sardaar is still adamant that he is right. The tech is frustrated and fed up.

Tech: Sorry, Sir. We don't normally tell our customers this, but there is an undocumented DOS command that will fix the problem.

Sardaar: I knew it!

Tech: Just add the line LOAD NOSMOKE.COM at the end of the CONFIG.SYS. Le me know how it goes.

10 minutes later.

Sardaar: It didn't work. The power supply is still smoking.

Tech: Well, what version of DOS are you using?

Sardaar: MS-DOS 6.22.

Tech: That's your problem there. That version of DOS didn't come with NOSMOKE. Contact Microsoft and ask them for a patch that will give you the file. Let me know how it goes.

1 hour later.

Sardaar: I need a new power supply.

Tech: How did you come to that conclusion?

Sardaar: Well, I rang Microsoft and told him about what you said, and he started asking questions about the make of power supply.

Tech: Then what did he say?

Sardaar: He told me that my power supply isn't compatible with NOSMOKE.COM

ID: 16853

Tech

Who Invented the Snooze Button?

I want to kick the guy who invented the snooze button...then five minutes later, I'll kick him again.
Thanks Andrew!

ID: 17021

Tech

National Parks

Why do mathematicians like national parks?

Because of the natural logs.

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