The Daily WTF: Curious Perversions in Information Technology

ochrist · 2013-09-20 Reply Admin

About the third one: 1996 is also missing.

"Before 1996" = "x < 1996"

Excellent catch! Updated article to reflect. --M

Roby McAndrew · 2013-09-20 Reply Admin

So I=2? Not really thermodynamics, just basic algebra (bring back the serif I say)

2013-09-20 Reply Admin

A shame that James didn't feel like revealing which fourth law of thermodynamics he'd found.

I just hope there's another label somewhere which explains what on earth the "warmth rating" stuff means.

TheCPUWizard · 2013-09-20 Reply Admin

Not an Equation (though written as one), it is more of a function with the right hand side being a result as defined below:

Warm rating 1 Quilt best for a warm night during summer, homes with air-conditioning or for those who sleep warmly. Coolest quilt available.

Warm rating 2 Quilt best for a slightly cooler autumn or spring night, homes without air-conditioning or for those who like a little more warmth.

Warm rating 3 Quilt for all purposes and all-year round. Suitable for many homes.

Warm rating 4 Quilt best for a cool night in most air-conditioned homes, or for those that need less warmth in the middle of winter.

Warm rating 5 Quilt best for a cold night during winter and for those that like to sleep warm.

2013-09-20 Reply Admin

Our very own Alex Papadimoulis spotted this on WKYC's weather channel. "It was like this for quite a while," he wrote, "confirming that no one -- even the station -- watches Channel 3-2."

… except Alex himself it seems. :-)

2013-09-20 Reply Admin

Why does a database engine needs to have a language?

2013-09-20 Reply Admin

TheCPUWizard:
a result as defined below:

I was hoping you had made these ratings up. Then I googled. You didn't.

Good to know that "warm rating 1" is "for those who sleep warmly" while "warm rating 5" is "for those that like to sleep warm".

But what if I want to sleep warmly and warm at the same time?

2013-09-20 Reply Admin

faoileag:
TheCPUWizard:
a result as defined below:
I was hoping you had made these ratings up. Then I googled. You didn't.
Good to know that "warm rating 1" is "for those who sleep warmly" while "warm rating 5" is "for those that like to sleep warm".

But what if I want to sleep warmly and warm at the same time?

Obviously, "Warm Rating 5" is for when you enjoy using the website!

2013-09-20 Reply Admin

Inspiration has struck. Time to go write some surveys. Giddy-up, tallyho, and maybe both at once.

2013-09-20 Reply Admin

The office installer isn't really a WTF - for whatever reason, 32 bit and 64 bit versions of office components can't run side by side, and the installer is telling you that. if you want 64-bit office, get rid of the 32 bit components you have installed. If you want 32-bit, get rid of the 64-bit stuff.

Its not the most user-friendly thing in the world, but its not WTF-worthy.

2013-09-20 Reply Admin

Now I understand why they call it a monkey puzzle...

too_many_usernames · 2013-09-20 Reply Admin

Roby McAndrew:
So I=2? Not really thermodynamics, just basic algebra (bring back the serif I say)

Yes! I have another potential member of my coalition to abolish sans-serif fonts...

2013-09-20 Reply Admin

Tony:
The office installer isn't really a WTF - for whatever reason, 32 bit and 64 bit versions of office components can't run side by side, and the installer is telling you that. if you want 64-bit office, get rid of the 32 bit components you have installed. If you want 32-bit, get rid of the 64-bit stuff.
Its not the most user-friendly thing in the world, but its not WTF-worthy.

But he IS running 32-bit and 65-bit versions of Office components side-by-side... so he's a liar and needs to go away?

2013-09-20 Reply Admin

anonymous:
But he IS running 32-bit and 65-bit versions of Office components side-by-side... so he's a liar and needs to go away?

Is it the 65-bit stuff that's the problem?

2013-09-20 Reply Admin

"confirming that no one -- even the station -- watches Channel 3-2."

It's just not worth watching without the music they used to have.

2013-09-20 Reply Admin

To all those bitching about the 32-bit vs 64-bit thing. The machine word size is THE MOST KEY dimension in any computing system. NOTHING LITERALLY NOTHING is more fundamental, goe more to the core of what underlies EVERYTHING a computer does.

Use applications built for the machine word size of your CPU. If you must run 32-bit apps on 64-bit machines, then virtualise, and don't bitch about the performance.

Be thankful that software vendors are even still willing to support legacy 32-bit systems.

2013-09-20 Reply Admin

John:
To all those bitching about the 32-bit vs 64-bit thing. The machine word size is THE MOST KEY dimension in any computing system. NOTHING LITERALLY NOTHING is more fundamental, goe more to the core of what underlies EVERYTHING a computer does.

I'd say instruction set is more important. A 32bit app will run natively on an x64 edition of Windows. An ARM binary will not.

John:
Use applications built for the machine word size of your CPU. If you *must* run 32-bit apps on 64-bit machines, then virtualise, and don't bitch about the performance.

As stated above, 32-bit x86 apps will run natively without performance degredation on an x64 edition of Windows. Neither virtualisation, nor "bitching about performance", is needed.

2013-09-20 Reply Admin

John:
To all those bitching about the 32-bit vs 64-bit thing. The machine word size is THE MOST KEY dimension in any computing system. NOTHING LITERALLY NOTHING is more fundamental, goe more to the core of what underlies EVERYTHING a computer does.
Use applications built for the machine word size of your CPU. If you must run 32-bit apps on 64-bit machines, then virtualise, and don't bitch about the performance.

Be thankful that software vendors are even still willing to support legacy 32-bit systems.

Ummm, actually Microsoft recommends using the 32-bit version of Office, even on 64-bit systems. (At least that's how it was for Office 2010, not sure about Office 2013.)

2013-09-20 Reply Admin

30into:
anonymous:
But he IS running 32-bit and 65-bit versions of Office components side-by-side... so he's a liar and needs to go away?

Is it the 65-bit stuff that's the problem?

Typeo.

The 64-bit installer says he's running a 32-bit Office application. The 32-bit installer says he's running 64-bit Office applications. Both say this isn't supposed to be possible, yet it's fact.

2013-09-20 Reply Admin

TRWTF is people who make their houses so cold with air conditioning in the summer that they need to cover themselves with a warm blanket to keep warm inside their house!

2013-09-20 Reply Admin

[quote user="TheCPUWizard"]Not an Equation (though written as one), it is more of a function with the right hand side being a result as defined below:

Warm rating 1 Quilt best for a warm night during summer, homes with air-conditioning or for those who sleep warmly. Coolest quilt available.

Warm rating 2 Quilt best for a slightly cooler autumn or spring night, homes without air-conditioning or for those who like a little more warmth.

Warm rating 3 Quilt for all purposes and all-year round. Suitable for many homes.

Warm rating 4 Quilt best for a cool night in most air-conditioned homes, or for those that need less warmth in the middle of winter.

Warm rating 5 Quilt best for a cold night during winter and for those that like to sleep warm. [/quote]

"TRWTF is people who make their houses so cold with air conditioning in the summer that they need to cover themselves with a warm blanket to keep warm inside their house!"

-- And random anonymous users who forget to use the [Quote] buttome the first time

2013-09-20 Reply Admin

TheCPUWizard:
Warm rating 1 Quilt best for a warm night during summer, homes with air-conditioning or for those who sleep warmly. Coolest quilt available.

So "warm rating 5" is the dorkiest quilt available?

2013-09-20 Reply Admin

TheCPUWizard:
Not an Equation (though written as one), it is more of a function with the right hand side being a result as defined below:
Warm rating 1 Quilt best for a warm night during summer, homes with air-conditioning or for those who sleep warmly. Coolest quilt available.

Warm rating 2 Quilt best for a slightly cooler autumn or spring night, homes without air-conditioning or for those who like a little more warmth.

Warm rating 3 Quilt for all purposes and all-year round. Suitable for many homes.

Warm rating 4 Quilt best for a cool night in most air-conditioned homes, or for those that need less warmth in the middle of winter.

Warm rating 5 Quilt best for a cold night during winter and for those that like to sleep warm.

I take it air-conditioning means both cooling and heating where this was written up, is that correct? Otherwise, why would you need a warmer quilt where there's no air-conditioning? Here in the states, air-conditioning only refers to cooling (houses have heating and air-conditioning). I've always thought it strange that heating wasn't considered air-conditioning - the air is being conditioned, right?

cellocgw · 2013-09-20 Reply Admin

¯\(°_o)/¯ I DUNNO LOL:
TheCPUWizard:
Warm rating 1 Quilt best for a warm night during summer, homes with air-conditioning or for those who sleep warmly. Coolest quilt available.
So "warm rating 5" is the dorkiest quilt available?

I was thinking it's for hipsters who use the blanket before it's cool.

Pawprint · 2013-09-20 Reply Admin

Sarcasto:
TRWTF is people who make their houses so cold with air conditioning in the summer that they need to cover themselves with a warm blanket to keep warm inside their house!

AKA my ex-wife.

operagost · 2013-09-20 Reply Admin

quibus:
John:
To all those bitching about the 32-bit vs 64-bit thing. The machine word size is THE MOST KEY dimension in any computing system. NOTHING LITERALLY NOTHING is more fundamental, goe more to the core of what underlies EVERYTHING a computer does.
Use applications built for the machine word size of your CPU. If you must run 32-bit apps on 64-bit machines, then virtualise, and don't bitch about the performance.

Be thankful that software vendors are even still willing to support legacy 32-bit systems.

Ummm, actually Microsoft recommends using the 32-bit version of Office, even on 64-bit systems. (At least that's how it was for Office 2010, not sure about Office 2013.)

Only if you need to use 32-bit add-ins.

2013-09-20 Reply Admin

John:
Emphatic demonstration of not knowing what he's talking about.

Good effort, at least: I actually felt like you felt like you knew what you were talking about.

no laughing matter · 2013-09-20 Reply Admin

John:
The machine word size is THE MOST KEY dimension in any computing system. NOTHING LITERALLY NOTHING is more fundamental, goe more to the core of what underlies EVERYTHING a computer does.

You are fundamentally wrong. First you must check if your "computing system" uses two state logic, three state logic (also known as "TRUE, FALSE, FILE_NOT_FOUND"), four state logic (funny enough this is the first google result when searching for "two state logic", but only the second when searching for "four state logic". Consequently i put it behind both terms), five state logic, six state logic, seven state logic (this is a f*cking google patent! since when is counting to seven enough to get a patent?), eight state logic, nine state logic (PDF), ten state logic, drunk state logic and finally quantum state logic.

Change in word-size is a very miniscule change compared to changing between these.

no laughing matter · 2013-09-20 Reply Admin

Warm Rating 0 Kilt best for a scotsman on a horse. All other man should wear pants, dammit!

TheCPUWizard:
Warm rating 1 Quilt best for a warm night during summer, homes with air-conditioning or for those who sleep warmly. Coolest quilt available.
Warm rating 2 Quilt best for a slightly cooler autumn or spring night, homes without air-conditioning or for those who like a little more warmth.

Warm rating 3 Quilt for all purposes and all-year round. Suitable for many homes.

Warm rating 4 Quilt best for a cool night in most air-conditioned homes, or for those that need less warmth in the middle of winter.

Warm rating 5 Quilt best for a cold night during winter and for those that like to sleep warm.

2013-09-20 Reply Admin

For the cat drop-down box, it's quite possible the code calculates the lowest year based on current year, considering the average lifespan of a cat is 12-14 years, with females living 1-2 years longer, so 14-16 years.

Maybe they wanted to be more "generous" in code and bumped it to 17 years going back, but I think it makes sense not to give you a possible list of birth years that are unrealistic for a cat...

2013-09-20 Reply Admin

no laughing matter:
eViLegion (unregistered):
also my name is evilegion im a pretentious baby
Fact is that your name is not eViLegion, so does this mean you are too stupid for a simple Copy&Paste?

My working theory is that I inadvertently trolled a full retard a few days back (by doing my usual thing of calling a retard a retard) and now he thinks I'm going to be reduced to a quivering sack of nerves because he's called me pretentious. He ought to understand that it can only count as pretension if I'm NOT obviously better than him.

2013-09-20 Reply Admin

TRWTF is that "Microsoft Office 32-bit Components 2013" is a 64-bit program.

2013-09-20 Reply Admin

Pawprint:
Sarcasto:
TRWTF is people who make their houses so cold with air conditioning in the summer that they need to cover themselves with a warm blanket to keep warm inside their house!
AKA my ex-wife.

I was going to say I've been in fights with my girlfriend over this very thing, but it looks like you already took it to the next level.

2013-09-20 Reply Admin

No he did not install side by side.

If I hypothetically installed StarCraft 64-bit (not that it exists but bear with me) and Diablo 32-bit, would you call that side by side?

He individually installed specific 32-bit applications (Access Database 2007) and installed other different 64-bit applications (Lync 2013, SharePoint Designer 2013, Office 32-bit components, and the Office Professional Plus 2013 suite...not the same app as the 32-bit one).

He's running the installer for the entire suite and it is telling him he needs to pick one or the other (or each screenshot is from a different run of the installer (64 bit install vs. 32 bit install).

Not WTF worthy.

chubertdev · 2013-09-20 Reply Admin

TheCPUWizard:
Not an Equation (though written as one), it is more of a function with the right hand side being a result as defined below:
Warm rating 1 Quilt best for a warm night during summer, homes with air-conditioning or for those who sleep warmly. Coolest quilt available.

Warm rating 2 Quilt best for a slightly cooler autumn or spring night, homes without air-conditioning or for those who like a little more warmth.

Warm rating 3 Quilt for all purposes and all-year round. Suitable for many homes.

Warm rating 4 Quilt best for a cool night in most air-conditioned homes, or for those that need less warmth in the middle of winter.

Warm rating 5 Quilt best for a cold night during winter and for those that like to sleep warm.

This is why strong-typed languages are better.

1 + 2 !== 4

"1" + "2" !== "4"

WarmRating.One + WarmRating.Two === WarmRating.Four

pseudocode, so don't bother complaining

2013-09-20 Reply Admin

eVil:
full retard

F on concept, originality.

2013-09-20 Reply Admin

I confirm that for Office 2013. This is because of the old plugins.

2013-09-20 Reply Admin

Dan:
Why does a database engine needs to have a language?

Um, so's it can sort text columns based on the language in use by the user?

2013-09-20 Reply Admin

30into:
anonymous:
But he IS running 32-bit and 65-bit versions of Office components side-by-side... so he's a liar and needs to go away?

Is it the 65-bit stuff that's the problem?

The extra bit is for parity checking. If you don't use parity checking you deserve to get corrupt data.

2013-09-20 Reply Admin

John:

Use applications built for the machine word size of your CPU. If you must run 32-bit apps on 64-bit machines, then virtualise, and don't bitch about the performance.

Be thankful that software vendors are even still willing to support legacy 32-bit systems.

Is that some sort of Windows problem? Solaris was running 64 and 32 bit programs side by side on 64-bit hardware in the late 1990s.

eViLegion · 2013-09-20 Reply Admin

bAd:
eVil:
full retard
F on concept, originality.

I'm pretty sure that grading someone F on their output has been around for decades, if not centuries, whereas Tropic Thunder is only 5 years old.

Any chance you're gonna admit defeat soon, because replying to someone with less than half my cat's IQ is getting tedious?

Gene Wirchenko · 2013-09-20 Reply Admin

John:
Be thankful that software vendors are even still willing to support legacy 32-bit systems.

Why? I would rather continue to use my older apps without having trouble because of getting a new system. Microsoft, in their less than infinite wisdom, does not allow XPMode to run on some versions of Windows 7. So much for using some of my 16-bit apps that I have developed and used for years. The code works; why should I have to rewrite it?

Sincerely,

Gene Wirchenko

2013-09-20 Reply Admin

Gene Wirchenko:
John:
Be thankful that software vendors are even still willing to support legacy 32-bit systems.

Why? I would rather continue to use my older apps without having trouble because of getting a new system. Microsoft, in their less than infinite wisdom, does not allow XPMode to run on some versions of Windows 7. So much for using some of my 16-bit apps that I have developed and used for years. The code works; why should I have to rewrite it?

Sincerely,

Gene Wirchenko

You're going to be sad when real 64-bit takes over, and you can no longer use any < 64-bit apps without a massive performance hit.

You shouldn't use 16-bit apps because they haven't been updated in what? 20 years? One of the major reasons our infrastructure is constantly failing is that it sits in top of ancient, unmaintained code. Even "modern" infrastructure tends to simply be a layer of Pretty Interface on top of the same, ancient, unmaintained code.

2013-09-20 Reply Admin

Anon:
Gene Wirchenko:
John:
Be thankful that software vendors are even still willing to support legacy 32-bit systems.

Why? I would rather continue to use my older apps without having trouble because of getting a new system. Microsoft, in their less than infinite wisdom, does not allow XPMode to run on some versions of Windows 7. So much for using some of my 16-bit apps that I have developed and used for years. The code works; why should I have to rewrite it?

Sincerely,

Gene Wirchenko

You're going to be sad when real 64-bit takes over, and you can no longer use any < 64-bit apps without a massive performance hit.

You shouldn't use 16-bit apps because they haven't been updated in what? 20 years? One of the major reasons our infrastructure is constantly failing is that it sits in top of ancient, unmaintained code. Even "modern" infrastructure tends to simply be a layer of Pretty Interface on top of the same, ancient, unmaintained code.

Does "Unmaintained" mean "Works perfectly and doesn't need to be changed any more"?

Coyne · 2013-09-20 Reply Admin

Sorry, Alex, but I can't agree with your conclusion. Yes, the station obviously doesn't watch it. But that doesn't mean no one else does...

These stupid problems are so common nowadays that I would just shrug and move on, because calling the station to tell them is something I would give a priority a bit below scraping mold off bread.

For example, here a while back "Oxygen HD" cable channel was out. Just the HD version; the standard channel was fine. Did I call my provider and tell them the channel was out? Let's see: Gotta dig up a number, wait while they tell me how important my call is, and then argue with them whether there's really a problem. And, of course, there will have to be a service guy come out to my place to verify it's not my box because (you know) I'm too stupid to know anything about the way cable works.

Shrug...and move on to the standard Oxygen version. That went on for about a week.

Then the standard Oxygen version went out, too: Both the HD and the standard are now black screen. Did I call my cable provider? Nope. Just checked it once a day or so. Shrug and move on...to some other channel.

On the 3rd day after the second failure, both channels came back. Shrug and start watching them again.

There's other ways to find weather information and channels to watch. My life is too short to waste telling people whose lifeblood is their service, that their service sucks or is broken. Just shrug and move on. Endure.

chubertdev · 2013-09-20 Reply Admin

David:
Does "Unmaintained" mean "Works perfectly and doesn't need to be changed any more"?

Yeah, "Works perfectly and doesn't need to be changed any more" isn't a thing.

2013-09-20 Reply Admin

The duvet cover actually makes sense.

If you take a one rated, and add a two rated, the net effect is that of a four rated, since you generally trap air between the two as well, making the overall effect greater than the sum of the parts.

By packaging them that way you can either use them seperately or together, allowing you either 1,2 or 4 rated warmth...

2013-09-20 Reply Admin

vali1005:
For the cat drop-down box, it's quite possible the code calculates the lowest year based on current year, considering the average lifespan of a cat is 12-14 years, with females living 1-2 years longer, so 14-16 years.
Maybe they wanted to be more "generous" in code and bumped it to 17 years going back, but I think it makes sense not to give you a possible list of birth years that are unrealistic for a cat...

Maybe they're allowing for Earl.

2013-09-21 Reply Admin

Me:
If you take a one rated, and add a two rated, the net effect is that of a four rated, since you generally trap air between the two as well, making the overall effect greater than the sum of the parts.

You might even be able to get the rating up to 8 or 10, depending on exactly "what kind of air" you trap under/between the blankets. ;-)

2013-09-21 Reply Admin

operagost:
quibus:
Ummm, actually Microsoft recommends using the 32-bit version of Office, even on 64-bit systems. (At least that's how it was for Office 2010, not sure about Office 2013.)
Only if you need to use 32-bit add-ins.

The 64-bit version leaves out various components that the 32-bit ones have (or had - like the calendar etc) so older spreadsheets or whatever fall over.

You probably don't need those controls anymore (eg the calendar control), but like anyone is going to re-write old stuff that works happily just because Microsoft decided you should.

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