[techtalk] More Theory: why could I send mail but not websearch?

[Jenn V.]

I (Jenn V) wrote:

> I'm just going to do a web-search for a Mandrake 6.0 HowTo for modems. I
> don't know Mandrake at all, but I'm told it's an easy one to use.
> (and just as I'm about to do this, my link gives trouble. Wheee. Life is
> giving me a demonstration of your frustration!)
> I suspect that 'kppp' or 'pppd' will solve your problems. And given the
> difficulty I'm having websearching right now, I think I'll just send this
> with a request to someone who's actually got a /link/ at the moment to
> locate an appropriate HowTo.

I realise people may be seriously - and rightly - confused about why I sent
the mail, but claimed I was having trouble websearching. Those of the Chix
who are sysadmins may delete this mail now (or heckle me if I get anything
wrong!).

The trick is in the different ways mail and web are handled. Mail is a
'slow' transaction, and can be held for up to three days at any point if
the links give trouble. Web needs to be reasonably instant - a web
transaction times out in less than a minute if nothing starts happening.

So I sent the mail from here to my household server. That server sent it up
the modem to the main simegen.com mail server, which patiently kept trying
to send it to linuxchix.org. Which it did, within a matter of minutes.

But meantime, my web transactions kept timing out.


Jenn V.
-- 
  "We're repairing the coolant loop of a nuclear fusion reactor. 
   This is women's work!"
		Helix, Freefall. http://www.purrsia.com/freefall/

Jenn Vesperman    jenn at simegen.com     http://www.simegen.com/~jenn