12BoC The Register's Bork column is coming to an end, and to mark the occasion we present the 12 Bork's of Christmas. Today: an unwanted appearance by the Windows command line.

No PowerShell for this administrator, oh no. Whoever is behind this screen (spotted by Register reader Sam Owens) has fired up cmd.exe , probably via a script or batch file, and piped the output somewhere passers-by can admire it.

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Click to enlarge

Why the timeout and why three seconds? [2]timeout is usually used to pause the command processor for a few seconds (although a user could strike a key to skip it, if only a keyboard was attached). As for the why – maybe a wait for a connection or a network host to respond?

Or as Owens observed: "Maybe the board is getting [ready] for the grand wfh on Monday!" – this one being snapped earlier this month as the UK Prime Minister issued guidance that working from home would probably be a good idea to counter the Omicron variant.

While we can't comment on the ins and outs of yet another COVID-induced timeout for the country, it appears the deliberately rusted Spitalfields signage is getting itself ready for a period of inaction.

[3]

The sign doubles as a Wi-Fi access point as well as advertising. Well it would do if it wasn't for the hulking box of Windows cmd.exe obscuring the view.

[4]

[5]

Still, it is somehow appropriate that a rusty metal box be used to house Microsoft's finest. Far be it from us to wonder how far that corrosion has spread through the operating system, and what patches have had to be hurriedly welded in place to stop the whole thing falling apart.

Instead, let's take an administrator's scripting whoopsie as a metaphor for the last couple of years. Waiting 3 seconds? If only... ®

A little ditty we are calling: The 12 Borks of Christmas '21

♬ On the fourth day of Borkmas, the bork gods sent to me:

a playful scripting stuffup;

[6]

[7]plea for a battery ;

[8]picturesque Paint job ;

and [9]a Notepad where nary one should be ♬

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[1] https://regmedia.co.uk/2021/12/14/12boc_04.jpg

[2] https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/administration/windows-commands/timeout

[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/bootnotes&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YcruZYuY0q93pn6l0F1ZMAAAAAk&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0

[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/bootnotes&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YcruZYuY0q93pn6l0F1ZMAAAAAk&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0

[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/bootnotes&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YcruZYuY0q93pn6l0F1ZMAAAAAk&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0

[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/bootnotes&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YcruZYuY0q93pn6l0F1ZMAAAAAk&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0

[7] https://www.theregister.com/2021/12/27/bork/

[8] https://www.theregister.com/2021/12/26/bork/

[9] https://www.theregister.com/2021/12/25/bork/

[10] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/