hotmail

[stevem]

I havent been able to get into hotmail for the past few days. Anyone else out there experiencing problems as well??

[Jonas]

Checked my hotmail both yestarday and today here in Sweden and no problems .

[Stevie42]

no problems with hotmail and im stuck in africa where bugger all works.

[stevem]

Now this is starting to get interesting. There are lots of reports of the same problem I'm experiencing, and just to rule out an IE issue I've installed firefox and the same problem. Time to dig out the detective hat.

[stevem]

Just thought I would give netscape a try, and what do you know there is a problem with hotmail, but both IE and firefox wouldnt show the error page.

Account Temporarily Unavailable
We apologize, but your account is temporarily unavailable. This delay does not affect the entire site or result from any problem specific with your account however the server that holds your account information is temporarily unavailable. We do not expect this delay to last much longer, so please continue to check our site for your account status.

We will do our best to make your account available as quickly as possible. We appreciate your support, and sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.

[stevem]

Originally Posted by dizbusta

I still don't have a problem.

The problem has now been resolved. Read my post fully. There are lots of servers in the hotmail configuration, and unfortunately the server my account resides on was down.

This highlights the differences in various O/S and hardware configurations in use. This setup in hotmail isnt that good, if a single failure can can result in a loss of service to multiple users.

I would hope that users which pay for hotmail access at least get some sort of redunancy.

[Burg]

Originally Posted by stevem

This highlights the differences in various O/S and hardware configurations in use.

The OS or hardware is totally irrelevant on the Internet with a thing as webmail. If you have a good browser (not IE) then there will be no problem.

Originally Posted by stevem

This setup in hotmail isnt that good, if a single failure can can result in a loss of service to multiple users.

What else is new? Hotmail=Microsoft. And all their servers "running" on IIS (though I suspect they have a big amount of *nix servers in a hidden room to manage the load and traffic). It has been lousy, it is lousy and it will always be lousy.

It still wonders me why 95% of the people use the most crapiest webmail available (hotmail), buy a Mercedes with a Skoda motor (Wintendo), pay fortunes for programs and anti-[spyware|malware|virus] software, while there are superior alternatives available, which are free, and which can turn your computer in a fully customized Mercedes with a Mercedes motor.

Difficult? Don't make me laugh. If you take your computer serious and you see it as an valuable asset in your daily life, make the move:

1. Downlaod SuSE 9.1
http://www.novell.com/products/linux...l_iso_int.html
2. Burn the file (.iso) to CD
3. Boot from CD

And 25 minutes later you will have a Linux version on your computer, NEXT to your W version. At boot you can always choose if you want to start W or Linux.

I never spoke to someone who wants to go back to W after getting to know Linux. Yeh sure, you will have to invest time to learn certain things, same as you had to learn W, but there is thing different: Linux is fun! And it's a delight to work with good software.
And there is a big Linux community willing to help you out anytime.

It's the same as quitting smoking:

You will not lose a thing, you will only gain.

[seafox]

Hi Steve,

Same this happens here in the US in California. Earthlink, a major service provider, goes down every once in a while and there is nothing we can do until they fix it. Also had SBC service go down, and they are a phone service provider also.

We would switch over to dial up and sometimes that would work while the DSL was down, othere times it would not.

[LivinLOS]

Originally Posted by Burg

I never spoke to someone who wants to go back to W after getting to know Linux. Yeh sure, you will have to invest time to learn certain things, same as you had to learn W, but there is thing different: Linux is fun! And it's a delight to work with good software.
And there is a big Linux community willing to help you out anytime.

Well you have one here...

I have 'played' with linux (and BSD) since slackware 3.2 days... every once in a while I will put a distro back on or upgrade my last dual boot.. each time theres more functionality but then I need to load my blue tooth card.. or DL my phone cam pics.. or utilize media PC function (DRM being a 'killer' app exactly as it sounds !!!) or...

I agree in the server arena it is leaner, meaner, and deserves its merits but in the desktop I feel there needs to be a unification effort !!! In fact despite its security faults Linspire (ex lindows but all that lobby money buys you a fair bot of dubious trademark protection) is the most grandmother friendly install I have done in a while..

I just never have been able to keep it my main boot partition.. each time you try market saturation pulls you back.. photoshop CS2.. drivers.. etc...

For the desktop domination I feel that linux has to really focus on providing a unified desktop experience.. the problem with choice is everyone has differing tastes (a camel was a hourse designed by commitee).. To break the nieche it needs something like 'tiger' or OSX to be made wintel compatible.. that would shake the OS wars up...

[Burg]

blue tooth card.. phone cam pics.. or utilize media PC function

I agree that you have to be more picky in selecting your hardware, especially usb for example. My Lexmark printer, no way I got it to work on Linux, I dumped the cheapo and bought one decent printer.
Those manufacturers are too stupid or too lazy to write Linux drivers, that's up to them, but to ignore Linux is a narrow minded, short term thinking, foolish act.

I recently bought a external HD (harddisk) (usb2). In the shop it took the Thai technicians about 45 minutes to install and get it working on XP (3 reboots and one "hang"). At home I did a "mount /dev/sdc1 /HDDISK" and I was up and running.

.. photoshop CS2.. drivers.. etc...

I used Pshop extensively for 5 years on my Wintendo machine. Switching to Linux made me work with "the Gimp". I love it! Never want to go back to Pshop again. Besides that, The Gimp is open source and free, Pshop cost you a fortune. But even if it was for free, I would stick with the Gimp.

For the desktop domination I feel that linux has to really focus on providing a unified desktop experience..

The nice thing about Linux is that you can customize it any way you want, you can have the desktop you want. You can have some heavy desktopmanagers like Gnome or KDE, or some light weighted windowmanagers like Icewm (I am using). Maybe, you are right, so many options and choices confuse people. Some guidance from a Linux friend will help them a lot.

We work in a 100% Microsoft free office. We don't have malware, spyware, anti-virus kits or wahtever, computers never crash, and the people can do anything they want, they can open Word docs (OpenOffice), they can create pdf's, they can skype, browse, mail, print, play video's and listen mp3's. And of course, to update or modify their machines is a piece of cake for me (ssh).

The first word my wife learned from Holland was "godverdomme" (****ing shit). That was 4 years ago when I did not know about the fine world of Linux. I was shouting at my Wintendo machine more then 5 times a day: godverdomme this and godverdomme that.

After my total switch to Linux two years ago I never said that word again to my computer. I wasted 8 years on Wintendo. Never ever will I install or use that crap again.

The fact that it's totally free is for the most people no option to switch. They all use their software illegal. The majority doesn't know though that they pay indirectly 200-300 $ for their OS when buying their machine.

And Microsoft is not stupid. They accept that everybody is using their software illegal. At the moment that it would be clear how MUCH you are paying for that OS on your new PC, people are going to look at alternatives.

I'm not using Linux because it's free. I am using it beacuse it's a damn fine piece of software with hundreds of quality apps available, stable, secure. It is absolutely great fun to work with!

[LivinLOS]

I agree with a lot of what you say Burg but I also get tired of Linux apostles that dont recognise the facts out there..

You say a PC purchaser spends 2 - 300 USD on a windows licence when its well known that bulk purchasing for system builders like dell spend nothing like that amount on a licence.. Why would they when a full retail pack is far cheaper..

Comparing gimp to PS CS2 (the magic brush feature alone is a killer app) is not realistic to me.. gimp has nothing like the feature set of CS2 for digital photo work..

So you never use any wintel box.. What mobile phone do you use ?? I dont know of a single GSM mobile or smartphone that will sync with linux.. Dont say I should give up functionality like a good mobile backup system ??? Why ?? I also think your external HD is a fluke rather than a common occurance.. I needed some pics from a mates digicam the other day.. Plug in via usb.. Device found, identified, driver auto installed and drive mounted without even touching the PC.. Try and get the pics off a digicam onto linux..

Linux on laptops is a very hit and miss affair.. Supported hardware and driverless systems that only partially work because there is often no true support system in free software is another large issue...

Also I work with video encoding a little.. WMVHD high definition DVD's are a killer app.. quite simply linux will not get this working.. Shame as studios are releasing hidef content right now (I have a media PC wired into my home theater)..

Gaming.. Lets be realistic there are very few ports of current titles..

Do any of the online retailers (i tunes etc) work on linux ??? You claim users can 'do anything they want' but thats clearly not the case.. Also while the OS remains very stable I have found linux apps that do crash, code compiled for one derivative or flavor not being totally compatible accross all tree forks etcs.. My wintel boxes stay up for weeks at a time also without reboots.. The continual knocking of windows on stability front just feels odd to me when I hardly ever have a crash and when I do its app related rather than OS related..

Dont get me wrong.. I think linux is a good OS but I am OS agnostic, I use what feels right, while in the server side linux wins hands down for desktop use I dont find thats the case..

[stevem]

Originally Posted by Burg

The OS or hardware is totally irrelevant on the Internet with a thing as webmail. If you have a good browser (not IE) then there will be no problem.

It is not irrelevant, and I do agree IE isnt the best browser available. I come from a background of 20+ years of VMS, and UNIX or its derivatives are nothing more than 4 letter words.

[stevem]

Originally Posted by dizbusta

PArdon me for trying to be helpful - obviously you won't get any more from me.

Diz, I was only trying to point out that if your hotmail account wasnt on the failed server, then you would not experience any problem.

[Burg]

> You say a PC purchaser spends 2 - 300 USD on a windows licence when
> its well known that bulk purchasing for system builders like dell

How much we pay (in)directly to Microsoft or Dell f.e will always be a mystery to us.
It's about deals and deals. If a manufacturer decides to install W by default, sure he will get a very good price from Microsoft.

> Comparing gimp to PS CS2 (the magic brush feature alone is a killer
> app) is not realistic to me..

That depends on what kinda of graphical artist you are. For me, editting and manipulating pics for the web, the Gimp does everything PS does. If you are a real DTP-er, probably you are using a Mac, and you will complain about the lack of CMYK in the Gimp, which is abracadabra and a non issue for me.

> So you never use any wintel box.. What mobile phone do you use ?? I
> dont know of a single GSM mobile or smartphone that will sync with
> linux..

I use a nokia, but only to call. I never thought about syncing it with my PC. My mobile is not important to me..but ..I'm planning to buy a PDA for my wife, and then .. yes ..we need some syncing. Jpilot does a excellent job in syncing Palms for example.

> digicam the other day.. Plug in via usb.. Device found, identified,
> driver auto installed and drive mounted without even touching the
> PC.. Try and get the pics off a digicam onto linux..

I do every day, it works splendid.
My script does this (code deleted)
I put my card in the cardreader (usb 2, multi-card reader)
$ getpicsfrom_dcam
# mount /dev/sda1 /dcam
# cp /dcam /hard-drive
# rename files, based on timestamp in header
# autorotate with jhead, based on header
# resize (optional)
# rsync them to another PC
# delete pics from card
Within 30 secs I have all my pics, renamed, rotated and resized in a time-of-the-day-directory, on two PC's. Resize (ImageMagick) needs some more time of course, we'll do that in the background, nice and easy.

Just bring me a camera, I will have the pics in no time on my pc.

> Linux on laptops is a very hit and miss affair.. Supported hardware
> and driverless systems that only partially work because there is
> often no true support system in free software is another large
> issue...

The support you get on Linux is the best available. No, no offical support, in a sense that you can call a desk somewhere with your questions (you can do that with some distro's). The Linux community IS your helpdesk. A very big, high skilled helpdesk, knowing almost very solution to every "problem". And WILLING to help, because of enthousiasme.

I buy you 10 beers for every piece of hardware on your PC that SuSE 9.3. doesn't recognize. You buy me a bottle of wine when SuSE recognizes everything.

> Also I work with video encoding a little.. WMVHD high definition
> DVD's are a killer app.. quite simply linux will not get this
> working.. Shame as studios are releasing hidef content right now (I
> have a media PC wired into my home theater)..

Could be, I don't know about that. Propably a closed proprietary format out of Redmond.

I did home video editting on W and now on Linux. MPlayer does all the encoding I need. It's a masterpiece. http://www.mplayerhq.hu/

> Gaming..

I never play games myself anyway but I heard some stories.
I always say to people: "If you like gaming keep a partition with W. but only for your gaming".

> up for weeks at a time also without reboots.. The continual knocking
> of windows on stability front just feels odd to me when I hardly ever
> have a crash and when I do its app related rather than OS related..

There we go again. I heard this argument so often. My Windows machine is very stable, it nevers crashes, selldom has a "hang" or reboot .etc..

It could be all true. The only thing I know is that I worked with this software intensively during 8 years, 3.11, 95, 98SE, NT 4.0 and it was louzy. No improvement in 8 years what so ever.
And now some Windows users try to tell me that is HAS improved. That is nevers crashed, it's stable and even secure! Burg, try it! We had a great improvement the last years, since XP.

(I already feel miserable thinking my data is on a NTFS partition.. brrr..)

Agree, I never worked with XP in my life. I saw it 3 times in action in the last 2 years:

1. At my fathers home, XP. I had a CD with digicam pics from Thailand, installed ACDSee on his PC, viewed some pics, I was telling a story about one pic to my father, we laughed and we looked back at the screen, "Fatal exception etc.". I didn't even touch the thing.
2. Brother in Bangkok, XP laptop. We bought some mp3 CD's at Phantip and went back to the hotel to listen to them. What should have been The Beatles sounded like Engelbert Humperdinck. Very slow and low voices. "Scam!" my brother yelled, "let's go back to Phantip!"
Back home in Phuket we played the same CD on my Linux box. Lennon sounded as perfect as always.
3. Bought a external HD is Phuket, 3 reboots and one hang in 25 minutes.

I just don't believe it anymore. Solely based on my own experiences.
And the new "improved" Vista is going to be the same crap out of the same factory.

> Dont get me wrong.. I think linux is a good OS but I am OS agnostic,
> I use what feels right, while in the server side linux wins hands
> down for desktop use I dont find thats the case.

I think 95% of the people, the click dummies, would be far better of with a Linux machine.
Some special people will always stay with Windows ;-)

Excusez the long post.

Burg

[stevem]

Originally Posted by Burg

> And now some Windows users try to tell me that is HAS improved. That is nevers crashed, it's stable and even secure! Burg, try it! We had a great improvement the last years, since XP.

Yes while windows isnt the best platform to run a mission critical application on, by god so many places do, and to say that it hasnt improved over the years is very naive.

I think that the most significant improvement to windows came with W2K, with the implementation of a protected kernel. Prior to this windows was a JOKE!!!.

XP is well on the way to becoming a data center platform, but still has some way to go. The main designers of the kernel are from the very early days of VMS, and VMS is now a C2 OS.