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We can't send email more than 500 miles (2002)

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Re: We can't send email more than 500 miles (2002)

#121

Post by pontifier »

thyrsus wrote: post #72

I've had enough years to become wiser, become a fanatic for configuration management, and get over the embarrassment: I'm the consultant that screwed things up. Some background: the Stat department was running a variety of systems besides the Solaris workstations, and there was, within UNC-CH, a separate support organization that was cheaper and more comfortable with Microsoft products where Stat was sending their su…

This is absolutely one of the key formative stories that helped me to think about systems at light speed scales.

I'm currently at the very early stages of building a science museum and will eventually try to incorporate this story into an exhibit about light speed. This along with "Nanoseconds", foot long pieces of wire like what Grace Hopper handed out, can truly help to bring this topic to life.

I'm also attempting to use this as the basis for a blockchain based "proof of proximity" in which a very high number of round trip encryptions of the previous blocks hash are stored in a bitcoin block. The number of round trips would be high enough that devices even a few hundred feet apart couldn't complete the task before the next block.

Re: We can't send email more than 500 miles (2002)

#122

Post by ISL »

markstos wrote: post #119
hardsoftnfloppy wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can I get a signed copy on dot matrix printout please

Finding a working dot matrix printer may be the most expensive part!

My father recently retired his printer (Epson LQ-850) not because the printer had failed, but because driver support was lacking. We had used the same printer since ~1992. He was super bummed; he had stockpiled ribbons and still had a full box of tractor-feed paper.

The explanation he was given by the person in charge of administration on his university-department computer: At least on the system he was using, modern drivers expected a reply from the printer in response to commands, but apparently, the LQ-850 only receives commands but does not reply.

Re: We can't send email more than 500 miles (2002)

#124

Post by henpa »

Since I've worked with linux email servers (sendmail, qmail, postfix, exim, etc) practically my whole profissional life (since around 1997, but used BBS since 91 - I'm 41 now), this story really amused me and got my attention! I love this kind of email debugging! LOL

Re: We can't send email more than 500 miles (2002)

#125

Post by mindcrime »

staycoolboy wrote: post #58

The one thing that throws a wrench in this story for me: Lattes. Latte's in 1994? In North Carolina? No way. Maybe on the West Coast, but I moved to Cali in 1989 and they were a rarity until the mid-late 90's. There were only 425 starbucks in the US in 1994 (from their site). The "fancy coffee" craze was just a blip on the radar in the mid 90's but gaining momentum. ;-)

Latte's in 1994? In North Carolina? No way

Definitely possible. Chapel Hill isn't like the rest of North Carolina, so I'd expect something like that to appear here before other parts of the state. And I remember the Books-a-Million in Wilmington started adding a cafe / starbucks-like area for "fancy coffee" about 1996 or so. I have no problem believing there were shops serving latte's in Chapel Hill during the era this story is described as happening in. And to be fair, the author even says in the FAQ that he's not sure about the exact date(s). It could have been as late as 1997.

Re: We can't send email more than 500 miles (2002)

#126

Post by staycoolboy »

function_seven wrote: post #66
staycoolboy wrote: post #58

The one thing that throws a wrench in this story for me: Lattes. Latte's in 1994? In North Carolina? No way. Maybe on the West Coast, but I moved to Cali in 1989 and they were a rarity until the mid-late 90's. There were only 425 starbucks in the US in 1994 (from their site). The "fancy coffee" craze was just a blip on the radar in the mid 90's but gaining momentum. ;-)

> The "fancy coffee" craze was just a blip on the radar in the mid 90's but gaining momentum. Friends premiered in 1994, with The Central Perk being a major set piece of the show. I mean, yeah, its New York City and not North Carolina, but college towns anywhere are going to be early in trends. A latte in 1994 seems plausible to me. I remember getting them from a Gloria Jeans in my local suburban mall around 1990 or…

Oh yeah, that's right. Good point! I just illustrated how unhip I was in the early 90's.

Re: We can't send email more than 500 miles (2002)

#127

Post by lozf »

wuster wrote: post #59

Best part of reading this is coming away having learned the existence of units the CLI. How did I spend 20 years on the shell and not have needed or discovered this?

I also discovered `units` because of this tale... but I was lucky enough to read it beck in the early days (pre 2005 at least).

Re: We can't send email more than 500 miles (2002)

#128

Post by abhgh »

I used to collect these kind of stories:

When I flush my toilet my computer reboots: http://www.techtales.com/tftechs.php?m=199712#66 (the first story on the page)

If I buy vanilla ice-cream my car wont start: http://www.netscrap.com/netscrap_detail.cfm?scrap_id=501

A specific cargo routing crashes system: https://www.jakepoz.com/debugging-behind-the-iron-curtain/

Tape-drive failure only within large print jobs: http://patrickthomson.tumblr.com/post/2499755681/the-best-de...

Interplanetary debugging with the Mars Rover: https://www.eetimes.com/the-trouble-with-rover-is-revealed/#

Re: We can't send email more than 500 miles (2002)

#129

Post by freiheit »

markstos wrote: post #119
hardsoftnfloppy wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can I get a signed copy on dot matrix printout please

Finding a working dot matrix printer may be the most expensive part!

They still make and sell new ones. Niche market for them because they can print onto transfer paper (with or without putting ink onto the top paper).

Re: We can't send email more than 500 miles (2002)

#130

Post by TurkishPoptart »

pontifier wrote: post #121
thyrsus wrote: post #72

I've had enough years to become wiser, become a fanatic for configuration management, and get over the embarrassment: I'm the consultant that screwed things up. Some background: the Stat department was running a variety of systems besides the Solaris workstations, and there was, within UNC-CH, a separate support organization that was cheaper and more comfortable with Microsoft products where Stat was sending their su…

This is absolutely one of the key formative stories that helped me to think about systems at light speed scales. I'm currently at the very early stages of building a science museum and will eventually try to incorporate this story into an exhibit about light speed. This along with "Nanoseconds", foot long pieces of wire like what Grace Hopper handed out, can truly help to bring this topic to life. I'm also attempting…

I actually don't understand the last part of the OP story - can someone explain it?
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