Upside down, you turn me, you're giving bork instinctively: Firefox flips as a train connection is missed
- Reference: 1599553809
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/09/08/bork/
- Source link:
Spotted by a Register reader on one of the newer [1]Northern Trains Limited trains (possibly a [2]Class 195 ?) Firefox is having a bit of an off day, with the onboard screen flipped and whinging about an inability to connect.
This is an experience shared by many travellers using the service, particularly during some of its more troubled periods. One passenger described the trains to us as "crowded, late, overpriced, antiquated," before launching into a tirade about the number of ageing bus-based Pacer trains (which the 195 is supposed to replace) still running on the network, although "even the newer trains are [expletive deleted]" he spat.
Harsh, although the history of this particular rail franchise has had more twists and turns than the most badly laid out bit of track. Operated by Northern Rail from 2004, the franchise was taken over by Arriva Rail North in 2016. A better example of borked rail would be hard to find in the events that followed.
[3]
Click to enlarge
Originally supposed to run well into the 2020s, the franchise was unceremoniously yanked from Arriva North [4]on 1 March 2020 following howls of anguish from passengers faced with ongoing poor punctuality and not-so-great service. So bad were the problems that the UK government was forced to step in, and Northern Trains was formed to stabilise things.
Sadly, those elderly Pacers (dubbed by "an unholy alliance between the body of a bus and the base of a freight wagon" [5]by The Manchester Evening News ) continue trundling along the tracks due to delays in the introduction of newer models. And those that are running, well, clearly there a few minor teething issues.
It would seem that whatever connectivity Firefox is relying on has come out in sympathy with the travails of Northern Trains, with the topsy-turvy screen seemingly as borked as the history of the service that carries it. ®
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[1] https://www.railadvent.co.uk/2020/03/new-start-for-northern-passengers-as-northern-trains-ltd-begins-operating.html
[2] https://busandtrainuser.com/2019/07/10/new-trains-in-2019-6-northerns-class-195-and-331/
[3] https://regmedia.co.uk/2020/09/07/bork_northern_trains_firefox.jpg
[4] https://www.gov.uk/government/news/northern-franchise-enters-new-future
[5] https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/pacer-northern-railway-greater-manchester-18719276
[6] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: Arriva tarde
Arriva does not mean that in Spanish, in fact it is not even a word. The correct one for arrivals is "Llegada", from the verb "Llegar". So the correct way to say it in Spanish would be "Llega tarde".
However, in Catalan there is "Arribada" with that meaning, with b instead of v. Here we have "Arriba tard".
OTOH, "Arriba" in Spanish is an actual word, but meaning "up".
P.S: as for how trains run here, the state-owned railway company Renfe used to be known as "Rogamos Empujen Nuestros Ferrocarriles Estropeados", literally "Please push our broken trains", or with "Esperen" (wait for) instead of "Empujen" (push).
Re: Firefox is losing the plot full stop
Baby, meet bathwater.
Re: Firefox is losing the plot full stop
The baby started growing and toddled of to pop ants with a magnifying glass. It is now playing with matches. Emptying the bath is no longer a problem. Firefox has become increasing more irritating over the years and convinced me to go elsewhere. If it is doing what you want, fine but otherwise I recommend trying out the competition.
Re: Firefox is losing the plot full stop
Makes sense. The latest version of Firefox for Android is a complete POS. So bad after using Firefox since the get-go, I finally moved to another browser.
Re: Firefox is losing the plot full stop
Opera seems to be inserting random semi-colons into your posts. Perhaps the next step is a better keyboard, maybe one without drying sugary beverages in it?
Maybe that particular train was supposed to be sold to Australian railways but somehow ended up in Blighty?
˙˙˙ǝɯ oʇ ǝuᴉɟ sʞool
....bit harsh all the down votes that comment got :)
Oh, you... I see what you did there, touché!
Rotate 180
?? Seems someone was playing with the screen rotation?
Re: Rotate 180
It is often beneficial to turn a display upside down for better readability when looking up at it rather than down as it would be on a desktop then have the software or display driver correct that. Viewing angle may supposedly be symmetrical but I've found that not to be the case.
That of course can lead to a crazy mixed-up upside-down world when things go wrong as appears to be the case here.
Proxy down??
Port 8080 is one of the common ports used when people set up proxies, So I'm guess either the proxy or a network connectivity issue.
Have they tried turning the Northern Trains on or off again.
The UK government was forced to step in
Much of the Northern saga results from (a) delayed Network Rail electrification projects preventing rolling stock being released for other lines and (b) the government not funding the Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Oxford Road Capacity Scheme while insisting extra trains be forced through the congested Castlefield corridor. So it's more the case of the government stepping in to scapegoat the TOC in order to divert blame from the government.
Ironically, one reason the "Nodding Donkey Pacers" are being withdrawn is - not that they're noisy, uncomfortable, draughty, slow and polluting - but that they don't meet accessibility criteria as they lack, inter alia, electronic displays ...
Re: The UK government was forced to step in
I have heard that another reason for the delayed introduction of new rolling stock is lack of training schedule/space/places for drivers, and that was before March. Who knew that converting from one train cab to another was the equivalent of switching between Airbus and Boeing? (p.s. I have never driven a train larger than 00 gauge).
Re: The UK government was forced to step in
It’s far more complicated when switching between older and newer stock. The pacers were remarkably simple trains, with a lever for every power and brake operation.
Newer trains have far more computer control, complex door control and coupling systems as well as single lever power/brake control that takes a bit of getting used to.
That combined with different power and brake efficiencies.
Doesn’t take to long to show a new driver the controls and give them a chance to learn them, but imagine that, one at a time, over the course of hundreds of drivers, without interrupting the standard service. Also, a lot of new aircraft come with a Sim package for the airline, trains remain quite bespoke to the operator, so an SIM type facility is usually quite generic and more to do with learning how to deal with specific conditions rather than specific trains.
Upside down with an error message is still preferable to the trainwreck that is the new version of Firefox on Android.
Arriva tarde
Arriva is German owned now and operates(?) in 14 countries, arriva in Spanish and Italian means arrive or arrives; tarde means late.
More than a few Spanish people use the two words together to describe the company.