A Million Little Pieces Of My Mind

Computers

Whining

By: Paul S Cilwa Page Views: 1,138
When Microsoft hands you lemons…
Estimated reading time: 1 minute(s) (62 words)

As a computer professional who started working in that field before there was such a thing as email, as you might expect I have an opinion or two about the state of computer software and hardware—and little reason to keep them to myself.

Of course, most of the things I've complained about are now moot. But I have a long memory.

Heroes of Y2K

By: Judy Backhouse Posted: 1/1/2002 Page Views: 958
Hashtags: #C #VisualC #VisualBasic
What really happened and why Y2K wasn't "hype".
Estimated reading time: 5 minute(s) (1009 words)

We initiated great, complex Y2k projects. We compiled project plans. We filled in endless forms about the state of our Y2k projects. We wrote monthly reports about the progress of the Y2k projects. We went to meetings where we were told how the future of the company depended on the Y2k project being completed in time. We dealt with panicked business people. We soothed troubled nerves at dinner parties. We were asked to predict the outcome by distant cousins who knew we were "in IT". We became overnight experts in the working of diesel generators, photocopiers, motor vehicles and washing machines.

And, collectively, we averted the disaster.

The Passing of a Friend

By: Paul S Cilwa Posted: 12/29/2006
Updated: 3/18/2010		 Page Views: 1,792
Hashtags: #Blogging #Frontpage #Microsoft
Let us mourn the passing of Microsoft FrontPage.
Estimated reading time: 3 minute(s) (505 words)

Why can't I just keep using the copy of FrontPage that I own, you ask? Because FrontPage isn't a stand-alone product. In order to use most of its features, the server that hosts the site must be running FrontPage Extensions. And with the death of FrontPage, so die the extensions. With no updates to the extensions, servers running them will become increasingly subject to hacker attacks as more vulnerabilities are discovered.

Hold That Tiger…Responsible

By: Paul S Cilwa Posted: 2/28/2007 Page Views: 993
Hashtags: #Conspiracy #ConsumerRights #Onrebatecom #Tigerdirectcom
When a good rebate goes bad…
Estimated reading time: 12 minute(s) (2825 words)

To hold the merchant responsible for the contract implied in a rebate, you may well have to make it your business to follow up on it, even though you shouldn't have to. As long as we allow big business to operate for profit rather than the collective good of mankind, we'll have to insist that we be treated fairly; because it won't happen on its own.

Wailing and Gnashing of Teeth: Windows 7

By: Paul S Cilwa Posted: 9/30/2009 Page Views: 1,215
Hashtags: #Computers #Windows7
I decide to install the latest version of Microsoft Windows because I was too lazy to slash my wrists.
Estimated reading time: 8 minute(s) (1699 words)

I just attempted to install Windows 7 onto my home computer. This was the digital equivalent of ingesting poison while running in front of a South Carolina gun club on the first day of hunting season…guised as a deer.

The Mark of the Web

By: Paul S Cilwa Posted: 3/26/2026 Page Views: 205
Hashtags: #Windows #Security #Development #Programming #VisualStudio #OneDrive #MOTW #MarkOfTheWeb
Windows' Zone.Identifier alternate data stream flags downloaded files as untrusted, causing endless headaches for developers.
Estimated reading time: 7 minute(s) (1442 words)

If you've ever downloaded a file in Windows and then had something mysteriously go wrong when you tried to use it, you've been bitten by the Mark of the Web. It's a hidden piece of metadata that Windows attaches to files it considers "untrusted"—and its definition of "untrusted" is far broader than you might expect.