SpiderChat

TeleFinder Chat from Thurday, January 28, 1999 6 PM PST.
In attendance:
From Spider Island:
Sysops: Donald McHose, Daniel O'Leary, Bob Nunn

Donald McHose: Hey Bob , Dan.
Daniel O'Leary: Anyone want a Suzie you can see the options on?
Daniel O'Leary: hehe, I got it.
Bob Nunn: Hey, I would like one that would work.
Donald McHose: wouldn't do me any good right now ;-(
Bob Nunn: Still using 1.7, I can't get 2.0 up at all. Crashes hard.
Daniel O'Leary: The one I have seems to work if you don't have GX Graphics on.
Donald McHose: wouldn't want that on a server anyhow would ya?
Daniel O'Leary: I am working on CGI's now.
Daniel O'Leary: The ones I am working on make total use of SSI.
Donald McHose: nice
Daniel O'Leary: I am building very complex forms from pieces, that reconfigure themselves depending upon where they are located in the document tree.
Daniel O'Leary: They look like a single form, but composed of many parts.
Daniel O'Leary: They time and datestamp and self-sign all submissions too.
Daniel O'Leary: grin.
Daniel O'Leary: Even the default submission data for each piece is a separate file.
Donald McHose: getting ready to give E-Bay a run for the money?
Bob Nunn: I have reworked most of my web site again, and have just opened an online ordering system for the company I work for.
Daniel O'Leary: When I get a few spare moments, I will tackle a new Add New User program.
Daniel O'Leary: and one that pushes updates to common user files.
Daniel O'Leary: I told Don about that one last night.
Daniel O'Leary: I think he may have detected some new files.
Donald McHose: to true ;-)..Bob is your on-line ordering via spml -n-such?
Daniel O'Leary: My primary development platform at work is an SGI, and I'm glad that I can use the same code on both platforms.
Donald McHose: because its C++ ?
Bob Nunn: Wish I had the time, but we will have close to 10,000 items online by the end of the year. Using a Linux server and program. I send the output, handle registration etc. through the TF server.
Daniel O'Leary: Hehe...
Bob Nunn: May be able to go to Mac OSX server looks like though.
Daniel O'Leary: I like the Java and SPML thing.
Daniel O'Leary: Need to get into Beans.
Donald McHose: I should say so..but what the hey, if ya got sumthin that works now...run with it. MacOSX looks like a whole new ball game esp. with web objects and such.
Daniel O'Leary: I will most likely be getting a 400 MHz G3 with MacOS X.
Donald McHose: Beans are neat if someone would support a good application environment for writing them.
Donald McHose: Guess you will be busy in Feb.
Daniel O'Leary: Yes.
Daniel O'Leary: It will be nice to jump back to current generation systems.
Daniel O'Leary: I have to admit that by and large, this 8100 has served me very well.
Daniel O'Leary: Which reminds me, I can answer that question about CSI cards - They work just fine.
Daniel O'Leary: I am using one right now.
Bob Nunn: Been happy with mine. I use the CSI Hurdler as well.
Donald McHose: yes there are a number of these work horses out there still..thats good to read.I wonder why the other sysop was having so many problems?
Daniel O'Leary: Mine is a 4 port hurdler. Would like to have a hustler, to move the other DTE to 115.2K.
Daniel O'Leary: I do not know what they are referring to. I've run just about every version of TF that came down the pike on this server.
Daniel O'Leary: I have run every version of OS too.
Bob Nunn: I have same card. Wish I could do the same. Who knew, I only run 2 modems now that most of the traffic comes in from the web.
Daniel O'Leary: A point of Information, I now moderate two Fido echoes.
Daniel O'Leary: MAC_TELEFINDER, and SYSTEM7.
Bob Nunn: The only time both of them get lit is when the net connection at the office is down. Most of the execs use Headgap mail since it is more reliable than the IS setup.
Daniel O'Leary: Grin.
Daniel O'Leary: Tell the execs to flow that down to the rest.
Daniel O'Leary: buy more TF servers.
Daniel O'Leary: hehe
Bob Nunn: The IS guys have taken to fingering their crosses anytime I come to a sr. staff meeting. ;-)
Donald McHose: that's just beautiful !
Daniel O'Leary: About Fido, I am trying to pick up two more echoes, PowerPC and MAC_GAMES.
Donald McHose: Speaking of mail..did any of ya'll check Maui mail lately?
Daniel O'Leary: if you get the time, check these out.
Bob Nunn: They can't understand why iMacs are cheaper than the HP dumb terminals, there must be something wrong with them they seem to think?
Daniel O'Leary: I went to the site, but do not have an account.
Bob Nunn: Nope, I used to check them out when they were running HDS mail. Have they changed it? I had heard they were having trouble.
Donald McHose: looks like they went over to Stalker
Daniel O'Leary: Checked out the email client, but my requirement is that it be integrated with the BBS.
Daniel O'Leary: There is something wrong with them, they are not a PC clone.
Daniel O'Leary: nor are they expensive HP hardware.
Bob Nunn: And they aren't broke all the time keeping the 1/2 dozen goobers they have for staff working.
Daniel O'Leary: hehe
Daniel O'Leary: HP has lost my respect.
Daniel O'Leary: They USED to market great stuff.
Daniel O'Leary: Now they sell Junk.
Daniel O'Leary: Same thing that SGI is preparing to do.
Bob Nunn: The owners wife couldn't get into the store since her link was dead to the net. She was viewing buffer. IS told them they would get to it a week from Thursday? What bugs me is she accepted it.
Daniel O'Leary: It is a damned shame.
Daniel O'Leary: shame.
Donald McHose: That too!
Daniel O'Leary: Bob, users on that junk have come to expect less from their systems.
Bob Nunn: Gotta go where the bucks are I guess. I always hate to see someone cheapen their product for mkt. share.
Daniel O'Leary: Sorry excuses are just accepted.
Daniel O'Leary: Except for me, I HAMMER it.
Daniel O'Leary: Crap like NT is inexcusable.
Daniel O'Leary: Crap like OFFICE is inexcusable.
Donald McHose: We had an IT geek come into our office this Am for a desk top fix..four hours later he needed one of us to upgrade an account to pay for his working on four others. Finally he snuck out for lunch never to return ;-)
Bob Nunn: Evidently. Not production oriented I guess. I had to move the sales gal down to a Mac to register users for the store. They have decided she needs $3000 worth of hardware and software. Kills me.
Daniel O'Leary: Hehe. I just don't tolerate it here, or at work.
Donald McHose: 98 has been a huge boon to their group.
Daniel O'Leary: At each opportunity I demonstrate that I can produce work and data that ANYONE can use, not just the suckers with the latest dribbleware orifice version.
Donald McHose: Well my Mac surfer shirts are not deemed professional now ;-)
Bob Nunn: One of our sales reps said that the head network guy told him the reason his reflections terminal software wouldn't work is because he was on 98 instead of 95 and suggested he downgrade.??
Donald McHose: Gots to go pick up kids see ya'll
Daniel O'Leary: AND I do it on 5-6 year old systems.
Bob Nunn: Wear a toga and sandals with an olive wreath on your head. Gives them new perspective on what is acceptable.
Bob Nunn: So do I. I have finally retired all 68k's except for one Quadra 800. But I still have plenty 6100/60/66s in use.
Daniel O'Leary: Grin. The other thing I point out is the workload versus instability factor.
Daniel O'Leary: this 8100 blows them out of the water... ALL of them.
Bob Nunn: They are starting to irritate me though. With the iMac on my desk it is hard for me to help someone on a 6100.
Daniel O'Leary: Time to get them all iMacs.
Bob Nunn: You are right. My 8100/110 and my Power Computing 120 are just fine. Not quite as snappy but still plenty acceptable.
Daniel O'Leary: color coded by group, grin.
Bob Nunn: All but the Artists. Need the larger screens for them but the rest would be good. Yep move them programmers to a Tangerine iMac!
Bob Nunn: Did you get to see any of Job's keynote?
Daniel O'Leary: I have the crappie Real Player version.
Daniel O'Leary: It is on my homepage... Wish I had a QT version.
Bob Nunn: Someone got a bootleg video from a CA TV station. Got to see it at the AppleCore meeting week before last. Was good! Liked the 50 iMacs hooked to the OSX server.
Daniel O'Leary: THAT is what sold my wife.
Bob Nunn: Yep. Gonna wait a while but will have one of those eventually at home here.
Bob Nunn: Would like to learn a bit more about Unix etc. Looks like a good way to do it perhaps. Guess I could try the Linux.
Bob Nunn: Haven't heard much but understand there is a newer PPC version of it now.
Daniel O'Leary: Yes, there is a new MkLinux, too.
Daniel O'Leary: I use Unix daily, and love it. My SGI has a VERY Mac-Like front end on it.
Bob Nunn: May look into it some more. Been sending database files back and forth, using BBEdit and FileMaker to produce the files but it would be nice to use the database native I think.
Daniel O'Leary: When I get more JAVA savvy, look out.
Bob Nunn: I am hoping that 5.7.3 will take care of the odd occasional crash I sometimes get. Can't complain about 5.7.2 much though goes for weeks now.
Daniel O'Leary: I am gradually fixing Suzie.
Daniel O'Leary: I am running low on space again and had to nuke my MetroWorks directory.
Daniel O'Leary: I need to get a current version of that, along with the space to reload it.
Daniel O'Leary: hehe
Bob Nunn: I guess what kills me is that it is always the same crash according to MacsBugs. I would like to test Suzie when you get it cleaned up. I hate to wait for 1.7 to read thru the 600 odd users.
Bob Nunn: I would run it more often if it didn't. Slugs things down a good while during its session.
Bob Nunn: Guess I oughta get back to it. My wife is calling. Bye
Daniel O'Leary: There is a behavior difference when it is on a schedule vs. when it is sublaunched.
Daniel O'Leary: Okay, will catch you later.
Bob Nunn: Looking forward to seeing it. Later.