Comment On What the Ad? - Big Promises

I'm not saying that some advertising is prone to exaggeration, but sometimes, on occasion, the truth might be stretched at least a little bit.  Here are a few ads that I came across that I thought may be overstating their abilities just a little bit. [expand full text]
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Re: What the Ad? - Big Promises

2008-12-04 08:12 • by calloatti (unregistered)
The last comment you will ever need!

Re: What the Ad? - Big Promises

2008-12-04 08:13 • by The Last One (unregistered)
Hey, I was one of the lucky tech support people expected to deliver on "The Last One's" promises. Nice old lady, assistant to the big boss, called me up to The Office one day. "We bought this program, now can you make it work? We want it to do word processing, spreadsheet, database, communications, printing, budgets, payroll, asset tracking..."

I had some fast thinking and 'splainin to do, but eventually she understood that they had been conned.

(Any "Last One" lawyers out there reading this, go ahead and sue me. It would be worth it to get the chance to at last meet a representative of the company and punch you in the face.)

CAPTCHA: vindico - seems appropriate

Re: What the Ad? - Big Promises

2008-12-04 08:14 • by m0ffx (unregistered)
I shudder to think what the BASIC produced by The Last One would have looked like.

As for LanLINK - seems like an ancestor of the hated Winmodem.

Re: What the Ad? - Big Promises

2008-12-04 08:14 • by The Sussman (unregistered)
TRWTF: I don't see any picture, personally.

Re: What the Ad? - Big Promises

2008-12-04 08:17 • by Me, myself and I (unregistered)
Not funny, bring back MFD!

Re: What the Ad? - Big Promises

2008-12-04 08:17 • by NeoMojo (unregistered)
232823 in reply to 232820
The Sussman:
TRWTF: I don't see any picture, personally.
Try looking impersonally.

Re: What the Ad? - Big Promises

2008-12-04 08:19 • by amischiefr
Everybody run to Mexico, its the end of programming as we know it!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Re: What the Ad? - Big Promises

2008-12-04 08:19 • by bjolling
232825 in reply to 232820
The Sussman:
TRWTF: I don't see any picture, personally.
Maybe you broke the network and the pictures didn't make it to your terminal? Personally!

Re: What the Ad? - Big Promises

2008-12-04 08:20 • by Code Dependent
And the beat goes on (yes, the beat goes on)

Apple: "don't believe our ad"

Re: What the Ad? - Big Promises

2008-12-04 08:22 • by MiffTheFox
232827 in reply to 232820
TRWTF is that AdBlock blocks these.
@@|http://img.thedailywtf.com/images/ads/*

Re: What the Ad? - Big Promises

2008-12-04 08:24 • by The Internets (unregistered)
According to Programmers Heaven, Mystic Pascal was released in January 1st, 1900. Truly mystic.

Re: What the Ad? - Big Promises

2008-12-04 08:25 • by Phill
232829 in reply to 232827
MiffTheFox:
TRWTF is that AdBlock blocks these.
@@|http://img.thedailywtf.com/images/ads/*



It's a scam by Alex to try and get us to remove this AdBlock rule.

VERY annoying.

Re: What the Ad? - Big Promises

2008-12-04 08:27 • by Cpt (unregistered)
232830 in reply to 232827
MiffTheFox:
TRWTF is that AdBlock blocks these.
@@|http://img.thedailywtf.com/images/ads/*


Nope, those are not blocked on my Firefox, and I don't have any pictures either...

Re: What the Ad? - Big Promises

2008-12-04 08:31 • by Marbo (unregistered)
232832 in reply to 232830
Cpt:
MiffTheFox:
TRWTF is that AdBlock blocks these.
@@|http://img.thedailywtf.com/images/ads/*


Nope, those are not blocked on my Firefox, and I don't have any pictures either...


Nope, thats a whitelist filter for adblock - add that to your filter list and the pictures will magically appear from the interwebs. or something.

Re: What the Ad? - Big Promises

2008-12-04 08:37 • by some coder (unregistered)
232834 in reply to 232829
Phill:
MiffTheFox:
TRWTF is that AdBlock blocks these.
@@|http://img.thedailywtf.com/images/ads/*



It's a scam by Alex to try and get us to remove this AdBlock rule.

VERY annoying.


Personally, I think he's thinking like a hacker. Brillant!

Re: What the Ad? - Big Promises

2008-12-04 08:40 • by Warr (unregistered)
Uh, 73 or more users??

The Last One

2008-12-04 08:40 • by Alistair (unregistered)
Despite *The*Last*One* being all you'd ever need, they did actually publish a successor a few years on.

A couple of articles on the original here: http://www.tebbo.com/presshere/html/wf8104.htm and here http://teblog.typepad.com/david_tebbutt/2007/07/the-last-one-pe.html

Hope those links work

Re: What the Ad? - Big Promises

2008-12-04 08:44 • by anonym (unregistered)
can't see the picture, a filter here is blocking them ;-(

Re: What the Ad? - Big Promises

2008-12-04 08:50 • by Anonymous (unregistered)
Wow, this was a truly fantastic article. Old computer adverts are always quite amusing but old computer adverts that dramatically oversell their products are just hysterical. However, as others have noted, I'm pretty sure this is a continued effort to get visitors of the site to stop using AdBlock. This assumption is pretty much confirmed by the fact that the latest advertising article references images from a directory that is not blocked by AdBlock. Yet this article puts all the images in a directory that is blocked by AdBlock, even though these are not actually sponsored adverts. I'm pretty sure that was no accident. Still, you can't blame the fine folks at TDWTF for trying to claim back some of the costs of running this site for us. Thanks guys.

Does anyone remember,

2008-12-04 08:56 • by 300baud (unregistered)
"Can a computer make you cry?"

http://chrishecker.com/Can_a_Computer_Make_You_Cry%3F

Hard to believe I used to think EA was the bee's knees.

Re: What the Ad? - Big Promises

2008-12-04 09:00 • by snoofle
232843 in reply to 232840
Anonymous:
Still, you can't blame the fine folks at TDWTF for trying to claim back some of the costs of running this site for us. Thanks guys.

You know, if ALL of us kicked in just one dollar, Alex woudn't need to run ads at all.

I'm willing; anyone else?

Pics

2008-12-04 09:06 • by Jurgen (unregistered)
Doesn't seem to have to do anything with yer'all plug-ins. Try IE Tab and the pics magically appear so it probably is a server-side thing (howzat for strange reasoning..?)

Re: What the Ad? - Big Promises

2008-12-04 09:15 • by Anon (unregistered)
If there was such a thing as a Nobel prize for computer science, the makers of The Last One would clearly win it.

Re: Pics

2008-12-04 09:20 • by Vic Tim (unregistered)
232849 in reply to 232846
Jurgen:
Doesn't seem to have to do anything with yer'all plug-ins. Try IE Tab and the pics magically appear so it probably is a server-side thing (howzat for strange reasoning..?)


-sigh- Those plugins are not system-wide plugins like Flash and Java, but extensions for Firefox. IE Tab can't use them because it basically turns FF into a frontend, a frame for webpages rendered by IE's engine, for convenience... so all the security, both real and imagined, vanishes-- along with AdBlock filtering.

Back on topic, Firefox isn't everything it claims, either... But I'm too lazy to try Opera and learn to like it. And IE is strictly for Flash on sites that use javashit in such a way that FF chokes... like adult swim's video player. I don't know what the image in question is saying about what aside from other comments, but as far as browsers go, FF will probably be THE LAST ONE I'll ever use.

Re: The Last One

2008-12-04 09:20 • by Matt.C (unregistered)
232850 in reply to 232836
Alistair:
Despite *The*Last*One* being all you'd ever need, they did actually publish a successor a few years on.

A couple of articles on the original here: http://www.tebbo.com/presshere/html/wf8104.htm and here http://teblog.typepad.com/david_tebbutt/2007/07/the-last-one-pe.html

Hope those links work


Fascinating stuff. Thank you. :D

Re: What the Ad? - Big Promises

2008-12-04 09:39 • by KrakenBlob (unregistered)
232851 in reply to 232847
Anon:
If there was such a thing as a Nobel prize for computer science, the makers of The Last One would clearly win it.


There is something close to it, it's called the Turing award.

Re: What the Ad? - Big Promises

2008-12-04 09:45 • by Hugh Jeffner (unregistered)
Checked Disable on this page only
F5
<reads article>
Unchecked Disable on this page only

Re: What the Ad? - Big Promises

2008-12-04 09:46 • by IT Girl (unregistered)
232854 in reply to 232843
snoofle:
Anonymous:
Still, you can't blame the fine folks at TDWTF for trying to claim back some of the costs of running this site for us. Thanks guys.

You know, if ALL of us kicked in just one dollar, Alex woudn't need to run ads at all.

I'm willing; anyone else?


Not unless you're willing to snail mail it. If I had to register to view this site, I would stop reading it. I prefer Alex's ad sponsorship to keep his site "free" for the rest of us.

Re: What the Ad? - Big Promises

2008-12-04 09:48 • by Peter V (unregistered)
I can't see the pictures.

Works in Vista

2008-12-04 09:50 • by Jo Bob (unregistered)
http://img.thedailywtf.com/images/ads/Mystic-In-Vista.png

Ok, the image shows that Mystic ran in Vista, but did it actually compile a working executable?

CAPTCHA: genitus - A genius who was interrupted for tea?

Re: What the Ad? - Big Promises

2008-12-04 09:51 • by Old Coder (unregistered)
WTF? I'm using Firefox (2.0.0.18); I see the pretty pix; and I don't see any ads as I have Noscript and Adblock plus running. What's the problem?

Re: What the Ad? - Big Promises

2008-12-04 10:03 • by Jippen (unregistered)
232858 in reply to 232820
Turn off adblock

Re: Works in Vista

2008-12-04 10:06 • by Mark Bowytz
232859 in reply to 232856
Jo Bob:


Ok, the image shows that Mystic ran in Vista, but did it actually compile a working executable?



Nope - the version I found was v1.5 Being able to turn it into an exe comes in v1.6 according to the included notes. However, I think you get an object that would be linked to an exe.

Re: What the Ad? - Big Promises

2008-12-04 10:07 • by stolen_username
I'm disappointed that after more than 30 comments, nobody's pointed out that the endorsement for Solution Systems' Lisp interpreter came from, "W.L. Whipple."

(though I guess a lot of people probably can't see it...)

Re: What the Ad? - Big Promises

2008-12-04 10:18 • by Hz (unregistered)
"Mystic Pascal"

Yeah, Pascal can feel like that sometimes. Still I would not like to use a compiler or a language which relies on mysticism... Or maybe they sell candles and goat blood too?

Re: What the Ad? - Big Promises

2008-12-04 10:18 • by jspenguin
When I read about white beareded gurus on a mountain top writing Lisp, I thought of this guy.

Re: What the Ad? - Big Promises

2008-12-04 10:21 • by Anonymous (unregistered)
232864 in reply to 232854
snoofle:
Anonymous:
Still, you can't blame the fine folks at TDWTF for trying to claim back some of the costs of running this site for us. Thanks guys.

You know, if ALL of us kicked in just one dollar, Alex woudn't need to run ads at all.

I'm willing; anyone else?

Yep, I'm in.

IT Girl:
Not unless you're willing to snail mail it. If I had to register to view this site, I would stop reading it. I prefer Alex's ad sponsorship to keep his site "free" for the rest of us.

Offering up a dollar to Alex and co does not infer that the site would become registration only - sticking a "Donate via Paypal" button on the site does not automatically render it members-only.

Re: What the Ad? - Big Promises

2008-12-04 10:23 • by Voodoo Coder
232865 in reply to 232829
Phill:
MiffTheFox:
TRWTF is that AdBlock blocks these.
@@|http://img.thedailywtf.com/images/ads/*



It's a scam by Alex to try and get us to remove this AdBlock rule.

VERY annoying.


I can see it now...

Alex is sitting in a dark basement room, steepling his fingers and thinking to himself...

"I'll MAKE them see those tiny, unobtrusive advertisements! Yeahsss...then, I'll become a millionaire while they sit in front of their computer, sobbing about the massive inconvenience of switching off their ad-blocking software for a few minutes...and they'll have no choice...for they'll be the outcasts of the IT world if they do not view the DailyWTF! Outcasts, I tell you! Mwuahahahaa!"


If only Alex lived in the same world where all of those who are whining do. Apparently, web space is free there...oh, and the key to turn off an ad-blocker is guarded by a panther, behind several electrified barbed wire fences interlaced with poison oak.

Re: What the Ad? - Big Promises

2008-12-04 10:39 • by heltoupee
232867 in reply to 232817
This comment posts comments by asking you for your comments in plain english. This is the last comment you'll ever need post.

Re: What the Ad? - Big Promises

2008-12-04 10:40 • by Chutney (unregistered)
232870 in reply to 232865
Right, I still can't see the pics. As I did when we had this a couple of weeks ago with the old computer ads, I have checked all my settings which are not blocking anything other than stuff they should be blocking (popups for instance). As far as I can see, I don't have ad blocker installed, using firefox 3.0.4. Doesn't work in ie7 either, so I'm stumped. Maybe its something my ISP is doing?

Just put the pics in a folder without 'ads' in it then we can all see them. I have no objections to ads on the web site so long as they are relevant (and they usually are).

Please.

<rant over>

Re: What the Ad? - Big Promises

2008-12-04 10:50 • by Dave (unregistered)
Yeesh, you are all a bunch of whiners. It's not some secret plot to force you to click banner ads, these really are old computer advertisements, so it makes sense to put them in a folder called 'ads'. Learn how to configure your filters, or stfu.

Re: What the Ad? - Big Promises

2008-12-04 10:52 • by Asiago Chow (unregistered)
Another "no adblock; can't see them" here. I can see real ads on this site, eg slickedit, but I can't see these pictures.

Maybe someone upstream thinks they are doing me a solid.

Re: What the Ad? - Big Promises

2008-12-04 10:53 • by Code Dependent
232875 in reply to 232864
Anonymous:
- sticking a "Donate via Paypal" button on the site does not automatically render it members-only.
Good idea. I would be a lot more likely to arbitrarily send Alex a dollar via Paypal than I am to click on an ad on the site. The ads don't interest me; the site does, and a dollar freely given now and then would add up, over a year's time, to about what I pay for one latte.

Re: What the Ad? - Big Promises

2008-12-04 10:55 • by Scott (unregistered)
I want a return of mandatory fun day!

Re: What the Ad? - Big Promises

2008-12-04 11:02 • by JimM
The Last One:
The Last One(r) uses those answers to generate a totally bug-free program in BASIC, ready to put to immediate use
Dead Easy:

On Error Resume Next

Done!

Re: The Last One

2008-12-04 11:34 • by Ozz (unregistered)
232894 in reply to 232836
Alistair:
Despite *The*Last*One* being all you'd ever need, they did actually publish a successor a few years on.

A couple of articles on the original here: http://www.tebbo.com/presshere/html/wf8104.htm and here http://teblog.typepad.com/david_tebbutt/2007/07/the-last-one-pe.html

Hope those links work

Should that second link be:
http://teblog.typepad.com/david_tebass/2007/07/the-last-one-pe.html

(http://thedailywtf.com/Articles/The-Clbuttic-Mistake-.aspx)

Re: What the Ad? - Big Promises

2008-12-04 11:35 • by bene (unregistered)
I wonder why noone said this yet, but I only seen text. Show me the images, SHOW ME THE IMAGES!!

Re: What the Ad? - Big Promises

2008-12-04 11:37 • by Alexis de Torquemada
My father is a journalist. He once told me that programmers were obsolescent as in a few decades, computers would program themselves. I replied that by the time this happened, computers would also write news articles. He thought about this for a moment and answered that he didn't believe that. Writing news articles was waaaay too complex!

Re: What the Ad? - Big Promises

2008-12-04 11:37 • by The Last One (unregistered)
http://www.tebbo.com/presshere/html/pw8102.htm

Re: What the Ad? - Big Promises

2008-12-04 11:38 • by The Last One (unregistered)
http://www.tloconsultants.com/tloutil.htm
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