Outdated software on MLL computers?!
 

I've been meaning to post this for a long time. Whenever I use the MLL computers I can barely access Gmail, arguably the most popular website in the world, because the browser is so outdated. I also have trouble using Dropbox and ever Flyertalk barely works. I suspect this could easily be solved by updating IE, or downloading chrome or Mozilla? Maybe someone can contact AC? :D

I wouldn't touch one of those public machines. You don't travel with a laptop, tablet, smartphone?

Surely an-almost-SE-but-not-quite-lowly-E75 such as yourself travels with their own tablet or ultrabook? I mean, who actually uses the lounge computers?

Yup, I do, this is just for printing purposes. I tried the HP direct printing thing once, most recently a year ago, and it would only let me print 20 or 30 pages, and other times it didn't work at all. So now, I e-mail myself documents I need to print, and login to gmail to print them. Last time though, maybe 4 weeks ago, at YYZ, the documents were too big to email, so I needed dropbox and it wouldn't work at all - I mean it let me login but I couldn't click on anything.

Is this supposed to be your effort as part of a charm offensive?! Printing over 30-40 pages at a time?! This is along the lines of your Gas Jacking thread.

I don't understand why petty theft turns some people on...

Outdated software on MLL computers?!
 

I mentioned this to them on Twitter and they said they would forward my concerns to the appropriate team. I am sure they are looking into it. Surely they are, because it is a bit ridiculous.

How is this theft?

AC offers a business centre with a printer. This is exactly what it's there for.

Of course they are outdated. They still run Microcrap stuff don't they?

I don't think AE is responsible for them, are they maintained by Bell?

Suuuuuure they are.

There is also free booze available. So I guess bringing a bottle and filling 'er up should be game too, no?! (Oops! Did I just give him an idea?)

This guy, by his own admission, regularly prints 30/40/50+ pages not cause he forgot to print them at home, but to specifically print them at the cost of someone else. This mentality that anything that's not bolted down is game is just truly despicable. What happened to common sense?!

That's a bit unfair. A better analogy to printing 40 sheets of paper would be consuming something else in excess (a bottle of vodka, a tray of cookies). Though I don't really consider printing a 40 page document in the lounge to be offside.

Your booze example is analogous to someone opening up the printer paper carriage and helping themselves to a stack of blank paper for use later on.

+1, I've done 150 pages once - I was flying to IST and realized I forgot a training manual at home. Ended up printing the manual out so I could mark up the paper for my presentation of it.

I never saw a sign limiting printing, or saying anything about "reasonable amounts".

There are "no sings" for many things in life.

I totally understand if you forgot something and end up using the printer for that purpose, which is truly what the intended use is. But OP is regularly forgetting to print things so he can print them at the lounge.

Again, a display of one person hoarding a benefit put out with good intentions and eventually ruining it for the one person who might also need to print out a trip itinerary or two.

I don't see it that way. I think it's safe to assume (given 50+ pages per job that he admits to) he is doing all this printing for future use and not to use solely for use during the time spent at the lounge hence the comparison to taking liquor out of the lounge to sip on later.

loooooooooool - I can print to my heart's content at the office. The only reason I print in MLL is either: 1) To lighten my load of things I bring with me (e.g. printing work at the lounge to do on the plane on the way home); or 2) Because I need to review new documents that came in after I left the office.

You really aren't a very nice person, are you?

+1

Exactly, it's about what is reasonable. Printing a one off 150 page document because you forgot it happens. To constantly and consistently use up the resources so there is nothing left for anyone else is just gluttony.

I'm certainly much nicer and more respectful than you towards others, specially female FAs that you (by your own admission) regularly ogle over.

Your excuses are "loooooooooool" at indeed. Maybe you should Edit your OP to match your story cause the way I read the OP you were bragging about how you email yourself stuff or put files in your Dropbox so you can later print them at the MLL. That sounds like quite a lot of preparation for your excuse.

In any case, for all interested, this will certainly be the future of the business center at MLL if enough people decide to be like our friendly FTer above:

Business Center Costs - How Much Is Too Much?

looool - what have I ever done to female FA's? I added one to FB and now we're friends.

And I e-mail things from my work laptop, usually work e-mail, to my GMAIL to print; and if it's too big e.g. scanned at high resolution, then it goes on dropbox, to print. You really are an online bully!

You could be breaking your corporate policy.

Lounge entry is valued at, according to AC, $50. IMO, that covers printing some documents.

I can't imagine anyone prints documents in the lounge for immediate use. I printed 20 sheets of boarding passes and itinerary information for use the next day. Is that abuse? I didn't use it in the lounge.

I think you should read the post I replied to first to understand what I meant by the "future use" comment.

Online bully? I'm actually quite fair. I even defended you in your other thread. I also told you in response to your PM that at the end of the day you shouldn't take things personal. I don't think that fits the description of a bully exactly.

Don't public computers allow you to access "Internet Options"?

http://www.nyu.edu/its/faq/cache.html

An interesting viewpoint. Who knows what info others may pick out of a public workstation.

Oh there's a lot of fun stuff to pick up from public computers. Although the kiosk mode of the computers in the MLL is pretty good - the restrictions on the Windows capabilities are pretty restrictive - among the better I have seen on public use computers. :)

However, many people forget to empty to temporary file storage folder and restart the computer after they leave. During my occasionally rare visits to the MLL I love going to each station and poking around to see what people have left behind. :D

But the post you responded to was speculation of what someone thought Tedgrrrr does that contradicts what he says he does.

Yes, if he were printing books to sell to people, I would agree it's not appropriate. But what he says he does is, in my opinion, appropriate.

Yups, that's why I e-mail everything to myself to avoid anyone being able to access secure work e-mail and/or VPN. I would hate for someone to get into my gmail, but it wouldn't be nearly as bad.

Also, almost anything I print is either research and/or a publicly filed document that anyone can access on PACER.

Contact AC
 

Returning to the question, I have contacted AC. Whenever I am in the YYZ lounge, I fill out one of those surveys and tell them the software is out-of-date. What's weird is that lounge has 2 F/T attendants! What to do they do? Why can't they take the initiative to update the software?

OP might be complaining due to lack of FACEBOOK access on those machines? :p
Gotta keep 'em fresh in your mind I guess.

Yes, especially with Gmail. Sure, maybe not everyone uses Dropbox and maybe things like Java are a luxury. But if a computer can't properly run Gmail then something is very wrong. I tried downloading Chrome last time but wasn't able to, Jayson seems to know a lot about computers, maybe he can update them for us :p

Really??? You think the lounge agents should be updating system software on the public computers in the MLL?

No way that's gonna happen. The lounge attendants are rotated frequently, for some of them - their computing skills may barely meet what some of us would consider to be basic computer skills - at best. Updating MLL computers is just not part of their job duties and I doubt some would even be able to be adequately trained to update such a customized OS build.

Finally, I don't even think computers in the MLL are managed by Air Canada IT - their configuration is just way too secure (relatively speaking) to be something AC IT would have done! :p In fact, I doubt AC IT has anyone left working there who could manage such a configuration. :eek:

I suspect the configuration and management of the MLL computers has been outsourced - just like the rest of AC IT - to some firm that was responsible to configure and install them - probably as a one time deal with no recurring maintenance other than for hardware failures. I also suspect that whomever at AC negotiated the contract with the system supplier was probably a weak contract negotiator, I bet the contract has no (or very weak) previsions about keeping the systems and its installed software updated on a regular basis. :rolleyes:

I won't say that I haven't poked around a little, but to do what would be necessary to bring the systems up to date would also involve violating sections 342.1 and 430 (1.1) of the Canadian Criminal Code - something I see no need to do just to check e-mail :p

That's one of the reasons why I maintain my own services (mail, web, file storage, etc), I know my systems will always be usable by any browser or system, I even use an old 16-bit browser as part of my QC testing - just to be sure my systems are accessible from pretty much any system - from anywhere. ;)

OP's issue could end up being a moot point. Based on the rate of disappearance of machines in the YYC MLL over the past few months, looks as though there may not be any hardware at all in the business centres before long.

It's not theft if one is trying to recoup the cost of scam charges.

:D

I suppose scamcharges are a form of petty theft.

"Free market" evangelists notwithstanding. :D

Indeed the MLL computers/network/printers are managed by AC IT.

I was recently in the YYC lounge and their printer was broken - asked at the front desk regarding it, and was responded they don't look after technical issues and then led me to a guy in a back office (behind the buffet area) who confirmed the printing/networking issues but that there was nothing they could do about it.

He had been complaining about these intermittent issues for some time. I asked if I could print on his computer, but he said his printer doesn't work either!

Word of caution those transiting YYC, print your documents ahead of time.

I think this has more to do with ongoing computer/networking issues they have specifically in YYC - see my post above.

Folks several posts have been removed for not only being off topic but were personal comments not permitted under FT TOS as noted here. Please refrain from personal attacks or comments and if you disagree with another member, challenge the opinion or idea - not the person. You may challenge others' points of view and opinions, but do so respectfully and thoughtfully.

Thanks,

tcook052
Air Canada Forum Moderator

Was in YVR, of the all of machines there, only 1 was used, everyone one else in the lounge had their own laptop or tablet out. Personally, my preference is that they get rid of most of the desktops and add a few printing stations where you can plug your own laptop to for printing/scanning/faxing.