Simon Butcher

Progress

Posted
Comments 2

Progress bar, it will never stop!

Everything's a computer these days, and with so many of these devices being connected to the Internet it seems that engineers are getting lazier. Being a software engineer myself, I'm starting to wonder if I shouldn't become a plumber.

I worked a full day yesterday despite it being a Saturday, mostly performing code deployment and system maintenance. For those of you who work in the industry, you'll know that it basically means sitting around waiting for progress bars. I've returned home and want to decompress from my day of waiting, only to find more progress bars waiting for me!

We're using DLNA quite a bit at home now, and despite its shortcomings and annoyances it is reasonably convenient. Both the TV and the PlayStation 3 can stream fine, but the latter has the superior interface. The TV is still useful for formats that Sony has decided are naughty, though. Tonight I feel like watching something, and then heading off to bed.

Within seconds of turning on the TV, I'm presented with a dialogue box that states that a new version of the firmware is available, and it asks me if I want to download it. It'd be nice to have the option to say “no” at this point, but the only option I have is “OK”.

Samsung TV updating

Oh okay, so I can cancel after it starts download. I'll leave it be.

After the update (roughly 30 minutes), the TV reboots, but it automatically switches to Internet@TV mode which, unsurprisingly, requires an update for all the apps I didn't want installed but can't remove…

Samsung Internet@TV updating

The TV had reverted back to factory defaults, so after fixing all of the settings, it was time to settle down to watch something on the PS3…

Sony PlayStation 3 updating

Forget it, I'm going to bed.


Categories Geek, Rambling

Comments

  1. I used to tell people who refused to learn the basics of computer maintenance, that your computer is not like your telly. You can't just switch it on and it works. Time for a new analogy.

  2. (Author)

    One day light globes might just be bloody computers too. Google are working with another company (can't remember the name right now) on "smart" globes that can be controlled with an Android-based home automation system. In the future, will we also need to wait for our light globes to boot when we return home from holidays?

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