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Previous: M27 westbound sign in Hampshire, UK | Main | Next: Vending machine dispenser
December 31, 2005 12:03 AM
Broken: Microsoft Application error reporting
Jonathan Wolf Rentzsch points out an amusing error message:
You chose to end the nonresponsive program, Microsoft Application Error Reporting.Jonathan writes:
Ironic... Microsoft Outlook hung one morning, and when Microsoft Application Error Reporting
tried to report the error, that hung too.
[P.S. Happy New Year from This Is Broken! -mh]
Ha, once when I was burning a DVD on my uber-un-equipped computer (450MHZ + 256 RAM), Task Manager Froze and I had to end-process it.
PS: it took 24 hours to encode and burn a DVD on that computer!
ever notice in IE that what it says on the "status" bar, is exactly what it's NOT doing?(i.e. "connecting to", "downloading from", "finding site", etc.), because if it was really doing that, it would be done before you could even read the text...
scott, The trick is to add a contant delay after each status change. This way the user has enough time to read your useless message!
In my opinion, many M$ products are faulty to a degree. Consider IE, it takes something like twice as long to render HTML pages as firefox. You would think that since they include it as part of the OS, it would be decently fast but no.
Why must there be compitition between operating systems? Why can't Bill Gates, Mr. Macintosh and Mr. Linux all create on supersystem? Windows capability, Mac safety, Linux speed & easiness. BAM! Millions of dollars in sales...
True, true Mr. Bob...
But I think the real reason is money. Those three big-shots are so caught up on trying to make money, they most likely do not care about us: their loyal consumers...
Speaking of "strange" things with Microsoft, sometimes when the computer freezes, I have to turn it off manually. When it comes back, there is a bleu screen (DOS) that says to me that the computer was not turned off properly and blah blah blah. It is checking the hard disk and everything. The message tells me that I can interrupt the process but it is not recommended, the problem is:there is no way to interrupt it !! Am I surprised?
Well, the Mac Safety part won't work, because Macs are only safe because they're unpopular.
That's a load of crap. Wouldn't a virus writer rather get the credit for writing the first OS X virus than the 3,629,102nd Windows exploit? That there is no OS X virus almost five years after the OS was introduced is proof that it ain't as easy as you think.
One large reason is that OS X requires an administrator password before software can be installed. Windows does not. Windows will blithely run an executable with no input from the user.
Also, Web browsers are not integrated with the OS on the Mac. IE and Windows are so tightly tied together that you can't run one without the other, which means a security hole in one opens both to attack. And there's no shortage of security holes in Windows and IE.
This isn't news to most people, so the question is whether you were playing dumb or whether it comes naturally for you.
One large reason is that OS X requires an administrator password before software can be installed. Windows does not.
It does, but it's usually blank and you've already entered it. Windows' user security is actually quite good, it's just horribly misconfigured by default.
IE and Windows are so tightly tied together that you can't run one without the other, which means a security hole in one opens both to attack.
That's not true, regardless of what Microsoft may say. If an attacker is in a position to take advantage of IE's integration, they have nothing to gain from doing so.
But since the user security is misconfigured, the currently logged in user typically has all the priveledges you need.
But since the user security is misconfigured, the currently logged in user typically has all the priveledges you need.
Exactly.
Does anyone actually send these reports in? For me, they're just an extra button-click to kill. (Especially considering the number of times I have to kill nonrespinsive applications.)
"Well, the Mac Safety part won't work, because Macs are only safe because they're unpopular."
That is true. Hackers don't make Mac viruses because it would affect a tiny fragment of the market.
And Mac viruses do exist. http://freaky.staticusers.net/virus.shtml
Have fun.
Gee, I'm learning a lot about the other operating systems out there--interesting to read all sides of the story.
Alas, how I long for the good old days; when spam was just a slab of processed meat, viruses could be dealt with by throwing back a handful of antibiotics, and popups were those books you bought for your kids!
You guys know so much about OSs, you might be able to answer my question: does upgrading your Mac or Linux involve having to reinstall the OS? If not, then Bill Gates is one greedy nerd because you do in Windows.
Comments on this entry are closed
Previous: M27 westbound sign in Hampshire, UK | Main | Next: Vending machine dispenser
First!
typical for MS. That you expected anything differnt is broken.
Posted by: Ron at December 31, 2005 12:10 AM