Comments on: Control Panel Glitch https://www.habitablezone.com/2018/07/17/control-panel-glitch/ Sat, 11 Apr 2026 02:11:35 -0700 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: ER https://www.habitablezone.com/2018/07/17/control-panel-glitch/#comment-41768 ER Tue, 17 Jul 2018 21:10:14 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=71935#comment-41768 Then you click on the button labeled where you want to go (Geek, Space, Flame, etc.) When you get there, another horizontal button bar appears at the top of the page so you can go somewhere else. There are 9 of them. But if you open a post there may be a link in there to send you somewhere else, off-Zone, like the Irish Times Website in this case. After I read that, I went back to the page I was originally at (one of RL's posts), but now all the 9 buttons were just blank lines, no labels. The buttons still work, they're just not labeled. Its as if going to the "Irish Times" somehow caused some damage to the Habzone webpage. This problem is intermittent. Sometimes, the stack of post links on the left side of the page are trashed, too. Where is this other "Control Panel" I've never been able to figure out how to get there. When I want to do something fancy like Trash a post or retrieve a Draft, I go through "Profile", on the "Control Panel" menu on the R side of the page. <em>Fortunately, updating my Browser is not an issue. My system no longer accepts updates, although it annoys me constantly by telling me so. I really only use my system for email and the Zone (all the heavy-duty processing and official business my wife does on her computer) so I am resisting upgrading as long as possible. I already have had three machines go obsolete on me and requiring replacement, even though they were mechanically working just fine. I think I am being taken advantage of. I'm tired of replacing hardware that is working perfectly just because Microsoft has decided to sell me another software product. You forget, Robert. For me this is just a utility, like a radio set or a landline telephone. Its not my living or my hobby. When maintaining the technology starts cutting into my use of it it's time for me to dump it. I have better things to do with my limited time on earth than learning new operating systems or installing software and negotiating with internet and email providers. I don't mind taking the trouble to learn how to use my tools, every workman has that obligation, but when I have to go back to school every two years just to "keep up" I just lose interest. I know that's an unreasonable and pig-headed attitude to have in this day and age, and maybe its just because I'm getting old and cranky, but I've spent my whole life working in high tech and everything I was good at is now obsolete and forgotten. Do you have any idea how demoralizing that is for a man who spent his entire career solving technical problems? I don't mind making the effort to learn new stuff, but I really resent having to re-learn how to do the same old stuff over and over. Its like being forced to learn dead languages or tribal dialects that are not spoken by anyone any more. You probably have a name for this phenomenon. But I know I'm not the only one who feels this way.</em> Then you click on the button labeled where you want to go (Geek, Space, Flame, etc.)

When you get there, another horizontal button bar appears at the top of the page so you can go somewhere else. There are 9 of them. But if you open a post there may be a link in there to send you somewhere else, off-Zone, like the Irish Times Website in this case. After I read that, I went back to the page I was originally at (one of RL’s posts), but now all the 9 buttons were just blank lines, no labels. The buttons still work, they’re just not labeled.

Its as if going to the “Irish Times” somehow caused some damage to the Habzone webpage. This problem is intermittent. Sometimes, the stack of post links on the left side of the page are trashed, too.

Where is this other “Control Panel” I’ve never been able to figure out how to get there. When I want to do something fancy like Trash a post or retrieve a Draft, I go through “Profile”, on the “Control Panel” menu on the R side of the page.

Fortunately, updating my Browser is not an issue. My system no longer accepts updates, although it annoys me constantly by telling me so. I really only use my system for email and the Zone (all the heavy-duty processing and official business my wife does on her computer) so I am resisting upgrading as long as possible. I already have had three machines go obsolete on me and requiring replacement, even though they were mechanically working just fine. I think I am being taken advantage of. I’m tired of replacing hardware that is working perfectly just because Microsoft has decided to sell me another software product.

You forget, Robert. For me this is just a utility, like a radio set or a landline telephone. Its not my living or my hobby. When maintaining the technology starts cutting into my use of it it’s time for me to dump it. I have better things to do with my limited time on earth than learning new operating systems or installing software and negotiating with internet and email providers. I don’t mind taking the trouble to learn how to use my tools, every workman has that obligation, but when I have to go back to school every two years just to “keep up” I just lose interest.

I know that’s an unreasonable and pig-headed attitude to have in this day and age, and maybe its just because I’m getting old and cranky, but I’ve spent my whole life working in high tech and everything I was good at is now obsolete and forgotten. Do you have any idea how demoralizing that is for a man who spent his entire career solving technical problems? I don’t mind making the effort to learn new stuff, but I really resent having to re-learn how to do the same old stuff over and over. Its like being forced to learn dead languages or tribal dialects that are not spoken by anyone any more.

You probably have a name for this phenomenon. But I know I’m not the only one who feels this way.

]]> By: Robert https://www.habitablezone.com/2018/07/17/control-panel-glitch/#comment-41767 Robert Tue, 17 Jul 2018 18:52:03 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=71935#comment-41767 First, where: By "splash page", do you mean the "root" at https://habitablezone.com/? Which control panel are you referencing in the title? But I don't follow the sequence of events: click on a link to another site, go there, return...you'd return to a forum page, not the root/splash page. Are the legends in the top menu bar disappearing on forum pages too? Who's on first? Your OS is first, and yep, clinging to an antique and unsupported Windows XP can bring you a world of hurt. How old is your browser? (Because the limitations of XP may limit how far you can update your browser, and disappearing links could be a browser fail.) ProTip: Make your links open a new browser tab by including 'target="_blank"' in the <a> thingie. That way you never unload your HZ page, so likely nothing will be disturbed. First, where: By “splash page”, do you mean the “root” at https://habitablezone.com/? Which control panel are you referencing in the title?

But I don’t follow the sequence of events: click on a link to another site, go there, return…you’d return to a forum page, not the root/splash page. Are the legends in the top menu bar disappearing on forum pages too?

Who’s on first? Your OS is first, and yep, clinging to an antique and unsupported Windows XP can bring you a world of hurt. How old is your browser? (Because the limitations of XP may limit how far you can update your browser, and disappearing links could be a browser fail.)

ProTip: Make your links open a new browser tab by including ‘target=”_blank”‘ in the thingie. That way you never unload your HZ page, so likely nothing will be disturbed.

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