10/17   Anybody ever called MS's tech support line?  I have some dumbass
        questions about MS outlook and asking the motd is getting old.  I'm
        wondering if people have gotten useful info out of calling MS.  I've
        checked the FAQs online and they don't have what I need.
        \_ man outlook
        \_ http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/outannoy
        \_ http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&group=microsoft.public.outlook

10/17   A question for those who have lived in Switzerland.  What is the best
        way to get broadband connection in Geneve?  Does the "telereaseau"
        thing support cable modem?  Most people here haven't even heard of it.
        \_ I don't know about Switzerland, but in France (Paris, at
           least) the local cable company (Cable Lyonnaise) was
           selling subscriptions for cable modems.  And this was in
           1999.  So likely the Swiss have heard of it, especially in
           Geneva. -cathyg
              \_ Swiss Cheese, Cable Mayonnaisse
           \_ Paris is a world apart from Geneva.  I have met > a dozen real
              estate agents and property owners in downtown Geneva during my
              search for housing and none of them has heard of cable modem.
              \_ Why the hell are you there then? Trying to find white chicks?
                \_ you know the saying, Europeans are dumb and Americans rule.
                   Or is it the other way around?
                  \_ Other way around.  Americans rule and Europeans are dumb.
        \_ Telereseau is the cable network;  contact your cable provider,
           or have a look at http://www.hispeed.ch/www.cablecom.ch (run it
           through babelfish or google, and send them a nice mail to ask
           for details.)  Also, Swisscom, Agri and Sunrise all offer *DSL
           in most areas.  I'm in Zurich;  mail me if you'd like me to dig
           up some more details.  -John

10/17   The software technology, according to industry sources, would
        essentially act as a downloader, repeatedly requesting the same file
        and downloading it very slowly, essentially preventing others from
        accessing the file. While stopping short of a full denial-of-service
        attack, the method could substantially clog the target computer's
        Internet connection.
        http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2818064,00.html
        \_ yeah, like this tactic won't be effectively nullified in the
           next release of whichever file-sharing program is being targetted,
           or at worst the release after the next
        \_ Sounds like a job for caching proxy servers.

           \_ GO CLICKARRAY!
10/17
"The integration of Passport into XP seems to be pointless," said
Child, a high school student from Atherton, Calif. "I don't know why
Passport can't just stay in Web sites where it belongs. The only
explanation is that Microsoft wants to begin to integrate Passport
into applications as well."
        \_ Well, duh.  Even Microsoft has said this - look at .NET
           and the new Messager in XP.
                \_ Which is why it'll be more than just an operating
                   system. It'll be a new eXPerience!
                   \_ Yeah, eXPerience the pain when some virus writer
                      discovers a security hole.

10/17   Where can I find proof that CS enrollment is down? Is this true
        for grad school as well?
             \_ yeah. word of mouth.  the mouth happened to be faculty on
                the admis committee.  But theyre probably lying...cos if
                it's not on the web, it's not true, right?
        \_ you can get off your ass and come talk to harvey.
                        the invisible bunny rabbit? _/
        \_ they took in 40 seniors from cal to be 1st year grads
          \_ is this from word of mouth (rumor)?
        \_ yeah. word of mouth.  the mouth happened to be faculty on
           the admis committee.  But theyre probably lying...cos if
           it's not on the web, it's not true, right?
           \_ sure. this is why every single nook and cranny has been
           \_ sure. this is why every single nook and cranny [fixed]
              in soda has been turned into grad student space.

10/17   Is "const volatile" or "volatile const" a valid type qualifier in plain
        C?  I want to define something for some read-only hardware registers.
        I'm wondering if something like
                typedef struct {
                  const volatile int reg1, reg2, ......;
                } myRegs, *myRegsPtr;
        will do the trick.  I want the fields to be read-only but I don't want
        the compiler to optimize away any read operations.  I tried compiling
        the above and there's no error, but I don't know if it'll always
        compile to the right thing.  Thanks.
        \_ If the HW registers are read-only then you shouldn't need to do
           anything like const.  Just do volatile reg1, reg2, etc. This stuff
           is memory mapped right? So when you write to hardware locations
           that are read only, nothing will happen. When you read it back it
           will still get the read-only value.  (If the HW is designed
           correctly).  Things get trickier if you're using this struct to
           keep a shadow copy of the registers due to some ASIC bug.  But
           generally, read-only means exactly that.  Read-only.
           \_ Does "const volatile" actually mean anything then?
           \_ Yes it's memory mapped.  I realize I don't need to use "const",
              but I just want to use it so that the compile will generate an
              error when someone accidentally writes code to assign a value
              to that location.
              to that location, just like what it does for an ordinary const
              variable.
        \_ Yes, it's defined in standard C, and it does exactly what you
           want: you're not allowed to assign to the variable (const), but
           the compiler will read the value from memory every time you
           access it (volatile).  --mconst
           \_ You need volatile mconst.  -John

10/17   Fun Poll. Florida/NBC anthrax is sent by:
        a lone wacko (like the unibomber):      .
        bin-Laden associates:                   .
        Linus Torvalds                          .
        \_ For the last fucking time, it's Unabomber.  not "unibomber".
        bin-Laden associates:                   .
        Linus Torvalds                          .
        CIA                                     .
        \_ Because when the FBI can't solve a case, they turn to the CSUA motd.
           \_ "Survey says ......"