[its_so_on]

#creative (see [1])

The Apple implementation is "logically the same" as the Microsoft implementation, yet so much cleaner.

check for yourself. http://www.apple.com/library/test/success.html vs http://www.msftncsi.com/ncsi.txt

i won't comment on the differences, which include the meaningless URL and useless "ncsi" in the text, and the fact that it still looks like an error rather than a successful test page.

The Apple page is absolutely minimal. Yet everything is in its place, and it can't leave any developer confused for a millisecond, or make a typo, as it's a human English word at a human, English URL.

Apple is Apple. Microsoft is a split millisecond of headache for a developer who rechecks his spelling of "ncsi" and the whole meaning of the ncsi concept three times to make sure his code is correct.

just like windows versus mac. yeah, it's logically the same. but one just works, one requires a three-page document. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc766017%28WS.10%...

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[1] This post is tagged as being creative (as opposed to rational). as a note, about half of my posts speak to creativity and design and half speak to rationality and logic. most people only do one or the other, so i can understand why each group is confused by the other. this lets me build two brands. just ignore the posts that don't apply to you.

[TazeTSchnitzel]

Microsoft uses a DNS query, even cleaner.

Now stop trolling.

[jodrellblank]

Not at all cleaner. Don't test DNS resolution if you want to know about HTTP access, they are different and many networks or firewalls will allow DNS but require a login for HTTP.

[its_so_on]

#creative

I was specifically talking about that one page and its location. It is English, meant to be parsed as a literal by a program, it's not a random number or a response to a query, that .txt file is literally logically equivalent to the "succss" html page.

so, why is it so convoluted English instead of also just reading "Success"? It's just Microsoft being Microsoft.

this is not trollish of me in the slightest. if it doesn't apply to you, please just ignore it. I stand by the statement.

[jcfrei]

I chuckled - I hope you're not serious.

[its_so_on]

#creative

I'm serious in kind, but not degree :) I do realize it's pretty frivolous, and a bit funny.

It's also a good minimal example!

Even though it is only meant to be used as a literal in a program to check against with a regex, still, someone has to write that regex. Someone will either write in "Success" or write in " -- i just flipped tabs, clicked a link, then flipped back to finish this sentence -- "Microsoft NCSI".

so, ha-ha, but a little serious. it's a good example that pervades every other creative choice made at the two companies.

[Gigablah]

# sane

> but one just works

Except when it doesn't: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4546039

[RobotCaleb]

Oh bother.

[its_so_on]

sorry if i missed the dns part; talking specifically about the test page in question