On my "adventures" exploring CD based PC software I came across a lot of really big goof-ups. Not all of this garbage is related to DRM. In fact this entry is about an electronic formulary – little more than the HTML version of the paper book – and it does not have any DRM. Well, how on earth could they f… up this? They could, believe me they could.
I said little more than HTML version of the book. This little more is a heavily butchered old version of Mathcad ("Mathcad Explorer 8") which allows certain formulas to be interactive (the 1990s are already demanding attention with this word). In other words you can type in your own numbers and see the computer using your values in the formula. Yes, I took the opportunity to throw in a division by zero, but it caught the exception and didn't crash. At least this works. To get to the point of having the old Mathcad running I had to use my good old reliable Windows XP computer. Now have a look at the cover (No, I'm too lazy to translate the whole text!). It clearly says Windows 7 is a supported OS. The time frame for release of this CD is about 2008/2009 considering it mentions Win 7 on the packaging.
Most computers that came with Windows 7 preinstalled already had the 64-bit version. The Mathcad installer does not start because the loader is 16-bit. Again: A 16-bit Windows executable in 2008. Okay. I admit: Many bad installation routines where 16-bit and consequently failed with the transition to 64-bit Windows. But that is not all. No. I got it to start: The actual installation program is 32-bit in this case, but the (maybe autostart related) loader isn't. So I started the installation program and got this:
This picture was taken from here. The best graphical representation of the word "necrobump". @Alexander1970 was so kind to modify it for me in a way that the necromancer raises Windows 95 from the dead instead of a forum thread.
A huge "THANK YOU!", Alex.
Ever wanted to work with the professionals? Commercial software fail… I can't stop facepalming.
I said little more than HTML version of the book. This little more is a heavily butchered old version of Mathcad ("Mathcad Explorer 8") which allows certain formulas to be interactive (the 1990s are already demanding attention with this word). In other words you can type in your own numbers and see the computer using your values in the formula. Yes, I took the opportunity to throw in a division by zero, but it caught the exception and didn't crash. At least this works. To get to the point of having the old Mathcad running I had to use my good old reliable Windows XP computer. Now have a look at the cover (No, I'm too lazy to translate the whole text!). It clearly says Windows 7 is a supported OS. The time frame for release of this CD is about 2008/2009 considering it mentions Win 7 on the packaging.
Most computers that came with Windows 7 preinstalled already had the 64-bit version. The Mathcad installer does not start because the loader is 16-bit. Again: A 16-bit Windows executable in 2008. Okay. I admit: Many bad installation routines where 16-bit and consequently failed with the transition to 64-bit Windows. But that is not all. No. I got it to start: The actual installation program is 32-bit in this case, but the (maybe autostart related) loader isn't. So I started the installation program and got this:
You got to be kidding me! You want to install parts of IE3 on a modern Windows?!?! Why would that program need components from an Internet Explorer that was present on Windows 95B (and even Windows 3.1 got IE5). Forget it. How could anybody do this in 2008? How could they get away with this? How can anybody publish commercial software pressed on CDs, demand money for it and deliver such an outdated, in my opinion dangerous, garbage?? Falcon…
This picture was taken from here. The best graphical representation of the word "necrobump". @Alexander1970 was so kind to modify it for me in a way that the necromancer raises Windows 95 from the dead instead of a forum thread.
A huge "THANK YOU!", Alex.
Ever wanted to work with the professionals? Commercial software fail… I can't stop facepalming.
