Tech: Do you get disconnected here frequently?

Subject: Tech: Do you get disconnected here frequently?
From: frogprince
Date: 22 Sep 04 - 01:40 PM

I can browse indefinitely elsewhere on the web , and get disconnected very rarely; when I try to compose more than a very few words to submit here, I more often than not get disconnected and have to start over at least once. Does this happen to others, am I on a long run of bad luck, or does anyone tech-minded person have a real explanation?

Subject: RE: Tech: Do you get disconnected here frequently?
From: GUEST,MMario
Date: 22 Sep 04 - 01:47 PM

I've never had it happen - either at work or at home. (except in the chat room)

Subject: RE: Tech: Do you get disconnected here frequently?
From: Mudlark
Date: 22 Sep 04 - 02:04 PM

I dont get disconnected, but often links from Mudcat crash my computer. I've just about given up following them, even when interested. It just happened again, a link to the cartoon For Better of for Worse, in the BS section.

Subject: RE: Tech: Do you get disconnected here frequently?
From: Joe Offer
Date: 22 Sep 04 - 02:08 PM

Mudlark, I'm guessing you had problems with the link posted by Kevin McGrath. Does this link work for you? What browser are you using?
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Tech: Do you get disconnected here frequently?
From: Jeri
Date: 22 Sep 04 - 04:12 PM

Every once in a while, I get disconnected, but it happens whether I'm in Mudcat or not. Some ISPs will disconnect you if you're inactive for a certain amount of time. You can check to see if you're still on line before submitting a post so you don't lose it, or you can copy it before you send it and paste it back in once you re-connect.

Subject: RE: Tech: Do you get disconnected here frequently?
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 22 Sep 04 - 04:16 PM

Following on from Jeri's comment, you can always compose your post in Word, or Notepad, then copy+paste.
That way if you lose your connection your message is still available.
It also makes spell checking easier.

Nigel

Subject: RE: Tech: Do you get disconnected here frequently?
From: Mudlark
Date: 22 Sep 04 - 06:01 PM

Hi Joe...The link you just offered worked a treat. I suspect it's the ones with fancy downloads that flummox my iMac, using Netscape 4.77. I'm running OS 9.6, I think, and have 128 MB memory. Whenever I check memory it seems like I should have enough for complex downloads but I've given up on music stuff as well, so maybe not.

Subject: RE: Tech: Do you get disconnected here frequently?
From: Little Robyn
Date: 22 Sep 04 - 06:13 PM

I used to get disconnected regularly, until my husband modified my e-mail - it had been set (not by me) to check for new mail every 1/2 hour and has the instruction to hang up afterwards.
It no longer checks for new mail unless I ask it to!
And I don't get disconnected any more!
Robyn

Subject: RE: Tech: Do you get disconnected here frequently?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 22 Sep 04 - 06:51 PM

I'm puzzled - I just checked with the thread where I posted that link (For Better or Worse), and so far as I can see the link I gave there was exactly the same as the one Joe just gave here:

http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/0/5/7/10570/10570-h/10570-h.htm - my link

http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/0/5/7/10570/10570-h/10570-h.htm - Joe's link

Maybe some Joe clone has corrected the link I gave, if there was some problem with it. Worked fine for me, and I was using Mozilla Firefox, which seems much more reliable than Internet Explorer (only problem is, I haven't been able to find a spell-checker that works with it yet.)

Subject: RE: Tech: Do you get disconnected here frequently?
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 22 Sep 04 - 07:27 PM

Have you tried ieSpell?

Subject: RE: Tech: Do you get disconnected here frequently?
From: M.Ted
Date: 23 Sep 04 - 12:34 AM

You should use a newer version of Netscape--or try iCab--it seems a bit smoother an definitely is more stable, especially on older OS--

Subject: RE: Tech: Do you get disconnected here frequently?
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 23 Sep 04 - 01:50 AM

With my plain old POTS connection, I get disconnected fairly often on the 'cat - especially when I'm composing posts. They always seem to take longer than I think, and my service decides I've gone away.

I blame it on the extra care and thought that goes into all my posts here (????) - but I never thought too many others had that problem...

John

Subject: RE: Tech: Do you get disconnected here frequently?
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 23 Sep 04 - 01:59 AM

My dialup ISP will occasionally drop me out - even while in the chat room, and it seems often to go in bursts of more than one occurrence, often close together - it seems like some sort of interference. My phone service is now provided not on a copper pair, but on a 'broadband' type link via a microwave style cable.

I was forced to get the 'you have another call coming in' notification permanently removed, as

1) having it installed at all still seemed to send some noise down the line

2) I could not switch it off, other than before EVERY call. When I did have it on my other provider, if I switched it off, I had to switch it back on after every call - so i tended to forget about it anyway...

Any noise on the line may cause the modem to drop out.

Robin

Subject: RE: Tech: Do you get disconnected here frequently?
From: GUEST,Jon
Date: 23 Sep 04 - 08:03 AM

Yep, MC does seem to have a wierd habbit of giving 404s for brief periods.

I suppose it could lie somewhere on a route to MC but I know its not my ISP. My ISP can cause me problems as foolsetroupe mentions but if I get that, I get it with all pages and I usually have 6 browser windows open at some are different sites (MC, folkinfo, the annexe, bbc4 message board, bbc2 message board and bbc news often google as well). That MC fails far more often and that in most cases I have no problem with a 404 to the other sites to me does indicate their must be something wrong at or towards MC.

Subject: RE: Tech: Do you get disconnected here frequently?
From: greg stephens
Date: 23 Sep 04 - 08:15 AM

I have ntl cabeletv internet. I'm always having Mudcat trouble, even when other sites seem to be fine. For example, I can be reading a thread, but can't get back to the main forum page. Or I can be unable to post at all for several hours, but when I do get on I find other Mudcatters have been posting happily during the time I havent been able to access anything. One of those things with cabletv I guess. And it's always freezing halfway through writing a post, which is highly irrit

Subject: RE: Tech: Do you get disconnected here frequently?
From: GUEST,Jon
Date: 23 Sep 04 - 08:34 AM

Greg, I was talking about frequent short intteruptions rather than longer ones where something has clearly gone wrong.

I would suggest that at least part of your observations is likely to be down to other users knowing backdoors. Sometimes for example MC has been available on more than one machine. Most recently (changed now) the one ending in 105 was not www.mudcat.org which was 99. So if www.mudcat.org crashed and you were in the know, you could still get in on another server.

I've just done some looking up, at the moment there looks to be a version buddy.mudcat.org - a new one on me with an IP address of 207.103.108.110 that looks as if it might work as a back door. One just keeps to have to keep checking as the rules change.

Subject: RE: Tech: Do you get disconnected here frequently?
From: greg stephens
Date: 23 Sep 04 - 09:08 AM

Jon: a very useful bit of information, thanks very much! I havent been able to access my personal messages for three days, though I have been able to get into the forum OK. But I just tried your buddy.mudcat.org idea, and got straight in and got to my messages. Brilliant.

Subject: RE: Tech: Do you get disconnected here frequently?
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 24 Sep 04 - 04:15 AM

I have noticed that from time to time, some posters here seem to have their brains disconnected frequently... :-)