[Oberon] How software breaks

[easlab at absamail.co.za]

n-o dialer & ppp setup assumes that "@" would not be a valid
char of the UserID nor Password strings for ISPs.

So when an ISP allocates a UserID containing char "@" [which
is legitimate per rfc] the system breaks.

A tedious workaround/patch allows one to stumble on.

Then when the telco-line is down and vital email needs to be Tx/Rxed,
and the good-old-faithfull DOSbased n-o laptop [because you don't 
want to disturb the factory created virtual, perhaps compressed, 
partition] is called to the rescue, we find again the illegal "@" char
disaster.   The labour of the previous patch can't be reused, because
the versions differ substantially.

Over years one has accumulated reliable 'google strings'. eg. to
get the replys to all one's NewsGroup posts of the previos month.

Then google "updates" and nothing works.
So you try the dumbed-down standard method: download the form
and fill-it-out.   Which gives 
TRAP 7  Index out of range (PC Native 11.10.2001)
HTTPDocs.Request  PC = 5056
	C =  001653A0H
	R =  00000030H
	aut =  00000000H
	ch = e
	cookie =  00000000H
	host = "groups.google.com"
	i = 256
	j = -1
	key = 2
	label = ""
	log = TRUE
	method = "GET"
	path = "/groups?as_q=&num=10&as_scoring=d&hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&btnG=Googl" ...
	port = 80
	proxy = FALSE
	query =  001651A0H
	str = ""
HTTPDocs.Connect  PC = 8515
	C =  001653A0H
	base =  00000000H
...
You can't beat the entropy !

Can one ever resist the pressure to conform with top-posting 
Micro$loth outsp00k ?

Is this why abdool bombed the twin-towers ?

== Chris Glur.     Be happy, don't worry.