Re: Microsoft jokes and MetBSD

["SN_Diamond" <Norman.Diamond@example.com>]

Stephen J. Turnbull wrote:

> So I said I was gonna install NetBSD, right?  So I fired up the new
> Gateway notebook, opened Exploder to
> http://www.netbsd.org/i386/install-notes.html, and Exploder exploded.
> Hard lock, couldn't figure out how to get it to go away.
>
> I know how to get it to go away....

If you have to use Exploder, then another way to make it go away is to use
Windows 2000 or Windows NT4.  Those kernels are moderately reliable (NT4 SP3
being best), so when Exploder tries to read or write non-existent memory
locations, the kernel will kill the Exploder windows.  Under Windows 95 or
98 or ME of course, Exploder gets to stomp on other random applications and
drivers and the kernel itself, with no limit to the amount of damage it can
do.

Also when Exploder wants to use 100% of the CPU time, under Windows 2000 or
NT4 you can open up the Task Manager, and the Task Manager will run at a
higher priority than Exploder so at least you can arrange to get something
done.

> FWIW, the same page crashed Mozilla M18 too, multiple times.  Hmmm....

Yup.  When Netscape wants to use 100% of the CPU time, it's a bit harder to
figure out what's going on.  Maybe you'd better open a terminal emulator
window and nice yourself with a negative number so that when Netscape
emulates Exploder you'll be able to do a ps and a kill.  If you let Netscape
run long enough it'll bring down Gnome, and I've seen reports that it brings
down X11 in non-Linux systems.

As usual, the biggest difference between Microsoft and Linux is that Linux
makers don't get to rob us when we buy a machine in the first place.  The
second-biggest difference is that, if you haven't lost the skills you had 20
years ago, you might have a chance to fix the bugs in the sources.

Yours sincerely,
Norman Diamond