I believe our sysadmin is filtering some websites that I and others visit during the day. Yes I know, company time etc. But visiting the FTE website is a far cry from chewing bandwidth loading MP3,s or watching streaming videos. There are other web sites and users where much more time is "wasted" than my farting around with FTE for 20 min before work.

Symptoms... since we got a new sys admin and a new server(old one blew up at same time), several web pages like the FTE webpage come up but with topic date stamps from the day we brought up the new server. For example all topic categories on the FTE page show a date stamp of July 31. Clicking into a topic page shows two things. 1) New postings with correct date stamp, ie I can see and read all your new postings. 2) None of my postings are visible and there are no new postings after one of mine on any particular topic. BUT, the topic listing page does show I sent a posting and the correct date. 2A) When I go home and look at the same postings, all my stuff plus new postings after my stuff do show up properly.

So the problem only appears at work and it only affects postings to the topic pages where I have posted recently.

Some uncertainty involved since I vaguely recall wondering why some posting threads seemed to terminate right after I made a posting. This happened before the new sysadmin and server so I don't know if it was imagination or the thread really did die or some efforts at web filtering were being tested.

So, my question is... 1) Is FTE being filtered at my work? and 2) Is there a work around? I DO NOT use the web at work for anything more questionable than FTE, so I would like to be able to post and read during the same session rather than having to go home to see my post and any replies or additions after my post. Or 3) Is there something strange with the FTE website?

Jim Henderson

 

Sounds like they may be blocking cookies (which is how the system determines last read) and have a proxy server that is ignoring our server's request not to cache certain pages. Try a different browser, such as Opera, it seems to request a reload regardless of what a proxy gives it.

 

Your work could be filtering your web access. They may also be logging the URLs your visiting. Logging URL or IP address is a common practice. My work does this too as well as monitoring keystrokes. They switched over to a new network setup and now all the Mac users get a message at start up that states all their activities are/could be monitored, including keystrokes. I'm about the only person in my group that uses a PC and have not gotten this ominous message, yet. I was thinking of working with my home ISP (who just happens to by my next door neighbor) and setup up some sort of tunneling virtual private network . Not sure if this will bypass they companies big brother server, but it's worth a try.

 

Thanks for the advice. I'll see if I can find some work arounds or change my browser, could be tricky in a networked environment where we are supposed to be using "approved" software.

Worst case is, I can post replies etc but not see them til I get home. The only irritation is that I can't see any new postings on a topic where I post a reply.

Could be worse, my last job had a sys admin who felt that no one should have a PC on their desk, a VT100 was all any lowlife user really needed.

Jim Henderson

 

you are being watched no doubt!
logging urls and https
next is time spent there versus your performance on the job!
be 3 steps ahead have all your work done ahead of time.

just my $.02

rich

 

Well, heck. The new server died yesterday. The new sysadmin said it appeared to be flakey all along. A new server is on line and all the "weirdness" appears to be be gone.

Either it was a server dying in strange ways or all the security stuff is not installed yet.

Oh well, guess at least for now I can post and read the FTE site without too much bother.

Jim Henderson

 

>Could be worse, my last job had a sys admin who felt that no
>one should have a PC on their desk, a VT100 was all any
>lowlife user really needed.



That guy sounds like he lives a boring life, if he even has one at all. Everything in serial ASCII text, boooooooring!

 

Don't know if his home life was boring, but at work, the 40 or 50 of us who were "outa control PC users" certainly spiced things up for him.

He was one of thise guys who HAD to control everything and would get into shaking clenched teeth type discussions when he couldn't have things his way. It was actually funny but scary too. I think he was a bit of a nut case.

I have worked with Sysadmins who realized his job was to help us work more efficiently and quicker. And then there was that VT100 guy who prefered we all get our data at 300baud.

Meanwhile back at my current ranch... things are still going OK. I hope no draconian measures are taken to choke down the network.

Jim Henderson