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The best part - the consultant who patched the server is on Hacker News! He commented on his part here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23775404 https://n

The best part - the consultant who patched the server is on Hacker News! He commented on his part here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23775404 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23775404

croes 3y ago
So the article says >Well, the consultant came in and patched our server and rebooted it. But I called him, and he said he didn't touch the mail system. But the comment >Since my preference to wipe and reload was unacceptable - too much downtime and too many billable hours - the obvious thing to do was update sendmail Must be the part where >The story is slightly altered in order to protect the guilty
- searealist 3y ago
  Or it’s just one of the many things that don’t add up because he made the story up.
  - SiempreViernes 3y ago
    See the official FAQ, point 1: http://www.ibiblio.org/harris/500milemail-faq.html http://www.ibiblio.org/harris/500milemail-faq.html
    - searealist 3y ago
      “Trust me I’m not lying”?
      - bradknowles 3y ago
        I know Trey. He's one of the most honest and forthright people I've ever met. To a fault, probably. And as the former comp.mail.sendmail FAQ maintainer, I can confirm all sorts of weirdness can and will happen if you mix versions of the binary versus the config file.
        NoZebra120vClip 3y ago
        He certainly was honest and forthright about how much he embellished and... "took license" to spin this yarn. After reading the FAQ, I wondered if there was even a kernel of truth to be found in the story, because he successfully poked holes in practically every detail that made it interesting.
dang 3y ago
I'd forgotten about that! That part of the thread begins here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23777700 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23777700. We put it in /highlights which may be of interest to people: https://news.ycombinator.com/highlights https://news.ycombinator.com/highlights
- redbell 3y ago
  > We put it in /highlights.. +1, After two years from joining HN I’m still learning about it. This is the first time I heard about highlights section! I couldn’t find it in lists nor on any other part of the site yet still interesting to read some comments there that do not show up in best comments section. How exactly this works?
  - dang 3y ago
    The word "best" in /best and /bestcomments doesn't mean best, it means most-upvoted. Upvotes, unfortunately, happen for reasons other than bestness. It's always irritated me but I haven't changed it, out of deference to history and lack of a pithy alternate name. Anyone? Maybe /up and /upcomments?
    - J_cst 3y ago
      We do not have downvotes, so no risk of ambiguity: my love for clarity would suggest /voted /upvoted
      - swores 3y ago
        We do in fact have down votes, you just need 500 (I think?) karma to be able to use it. When you see comments that are not "dead" but are greyed out, they've been downvoted more than they've been upvoted.
      - 3836293648 3y ago
        Downvotes do exist, but you need to reach 500 karma to unlock them, or at least that's what the rumours say. I don't have them, but I have seen comments in the negative, so there must be some truth to it

The best part - the consultant who patched the server is on Hacker News! He commented on his part here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23775404 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23775404

croes 3y ago

So the article says >Well, the consultant came in and patched our server and rebooted it. But I called him, and he said he didn't touch the mail system. But the comment >Since my preference to wipe and reload was unacceptable - too much downtime and too many billable hours - the obvious thing to do was update sendmail Must be the part where >The story is slightly altered in order to protect the guilty

searealist 3y ago
Or it’s just one of the many things that don’t add up because he made the story up.
- SiempreViernes 3y ago
  See the official FAQ, point 1: http://www.ibiblio.org/harris/500milemail-faq.html http://www.ibiblio.org/harris/500milemail-faq.html
  - searealist 3y ago
    “Trust me I’m not lying”?
    - bradknowles 3y ago
      I know Trey. He's one of the most honest and forthright people I've ever met. To a fault, probably. And as the former comp.mail.sendmail FAQ maintainer, I can confirm all sorts of weirdness can and will happen if you mix versions of the binary versus the config file.
      - NoZebra120vClip 3y ago
        He certainly was honest and forthright about how much he embellished and... "took license" to spin this yarn. After reading the FAQ, I wondered if there was even a kernel of truth to be found in the story, because he successfully poked holes in practically every detail that made it interesting.

dang 3y ago

I'd forgotten about that! That part of the thread begins here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23777700 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23777700. We put it in /highlights which may be of interest to people: https://news.ycombinator.com/highlights https://news.ycombinator.com/highlights

redbell 3y ago
> We put it in /highlights.. +1, After two years from joining HN I’m still learning about it. This is the first time I heard about highlights section! I couldn’t find it in lists nor on any other part of the site yet still interesting to read some comments there that do not show up in best comments section. How exactly this works?
- dang 3y ago
  The word "best" in /best and /bestcomments doesn't mean best, it means most-upvoted. Upvotes, unfortunately, happen for reasons other than bestness. It's always irritated me but I haven't changed it, out of deference to history and lack of a pithy alternate name. Anyone? Maybe /up and /upcomments?
  - J_cst 3y ago
    We do not have downvotes, so no risk of ambiguity: my love for clarity would suggest /voted /upvoted
    - swores 3y ago
      We do in fact have down votes, you just need 500 (I think?) karma to be able to use it. When you see comments that are not "dead" but are greyed out, they've been downvoted more than they've been upvoted.
    - 3836293648 3y ago
      Downvotes do exist, but you need to reach 500 karma to unlock them, or at least that's what the rumours say. I don't have them, but I have seen comments in the negative, so there must be some truth to it