Tag: Complaints

So this afternoon I was at a friend’s house trying to get his ubuntu netbook working with a broadband dongle. It just refused to connect, and on failure displayed a notification dialog that basically read ‘did not work’. Once this dialog appears, the only way to reattempt a connection is to unplug and replug the broadband dongle, as ‘networkmanager’ disables the connection when it fails.
There were logs – the fine syslog.log file, which is almost completely useless for diagnosing the failure in the connection – it seems to be telling me that the connection succeeded, but then was immediately disconnected. About as useful as a slap in the face with a wet haddock.
armed with my iPhone I first attempted to ensure that the connection details were correct. The management tool added the settings, so I immediately did not trust them. Google pointed out some options, but every time the connection failed there was another 30+ second delay unplugging, replugging and reentering the PIN (it ignored the pin option in the network manager configuration).
I fired up my laptop running Windows. It installed the management tool, I looked at the settings, shouted at both the Internet and the ubuntu configuration, both of which were telling complete lies about the settings. Here’s a hint for all you mobile broadband providers – make the settings easily findable using google – there is a lot of outdated and completely invalid information out there that makes this an issue.
so, ultimately, a problem that I struggled with for quite a while under ubuntu was solved in less that 30 seconds under windows, and yet another reason why I think that NetworkManager is a thing of satanic horror that makes using computers under Linux a complete pain in the arse. This ‘solution’ is probably the singularly worst example of dumbing down configuration to the point when something goes wrong, it is practically impossible to diagnose or fix the problem.
In this case, I will have to say… progressive disclosure is a good potential solution to complicated user interfaces. The complete excision of all forms of configuration into the magical tool of automagic only works if it works all the time, and as a friend is fond of saying “If you design a system that it cannot fail then the first thing that happens is that it will.”

This is kind of silly… paid and renewed ages ago. There is a huge backlog of checking this, apparently.

This is one of those odd things. For several years I have paid a data plan on my mobile phone to read my email. I think at the first time I paid it, they were looking for about €10 for 10MB of data (up and down). As time has passed I have still been paying this internet tax for the phone, only in the last two years with the purchase of a Nokia N95 has it become something of a complete fraud.
I’ve just lost this entry due to it being (a) a web 2.0 item and (b) not capable of dealing with the downing of my internet connection. Not making me a happy camper.
I bought the phone, while I still had my €13 for 10MB data connection plan. There was nothing better available. I assumed (more fool me) that there would be an option for a better data plan as I was buying a phone which required a half decent packet connection. Apparently, my mobile company were unaware of the fact that my phone was using the packet connection until I was in excess of €300 in the hole, and that was a paltry 2 weeks after getting the phone. Something to do with them being complete pillocks.
After a while, a plan became available that allowed for 1GB data per month. I barely use 100MB on the phone (I have a broadband dongle and am paying for broadband access in two locations simulataneously). I will be using my phone to tether my laptop. This is a given.
Apparently, the new phone plans for the iPhone and tethering will ask for a supplemental €15 which is epletivingly ridiculous. You cowboys have been charging us 10cent per 160 7bit message which is 64cent a KB or €655 a MB. All the code to deal with these is built into the system. The messages themselves pass through a mostly unused D-channel. They are free. Stop taking the piss. Data access should be a right – just like food and shelter.

Ok, this is me too, but at least I listen to myself… most of the time.
firstly, listen to the user. If they repeat something more than once then it probably means that they want to ignore that particular thing all the time. Let’s be honest, when my mail host sends me the same certificate for the umpteenth time, you’re likely to guess the answer based on the last 200000000 times I clicked Yes.
Oh, no you disclaim! this is security! people need to be saved from their stupidity.
The problem is that the current ‘security’ and ‘authenticity’ system is supported by money.
I can pay someone enough money and they will probably claim that I’m the first bank of owning all your children – and because of the trust system, you won’t be able to disavow that claim. After all I paid my $200 to get that claim.
The entire system of trust on the internet is based on a first-come-first-served monopoly of ‘I trust you’ mechanisms. This is simple, but ultimately a poor trust mechanism.
The solution probably involves a complex series of gpg keys, but ultimately it would be more satisfactory because:

• It does not involve money
• trust can be reduced as well as increased

This rant was brought to you by shredder aka thunderbird 3 – after all you are too stupid to manage your own email; even though you just want a secure channel between you and the email server.

I really hope that it doesn’t mean that they’re keeping the security code on file – after all that’s a violation of the PCI