Windows 8 sign in - no problem



  • Monday afternoon, boss sends me a mail with some company's (let's call it AstroDrink) VPN connection information. I'm supposed to sniff around their database and make an assessment for a new GUI we will be slapping together.

    I never used Windows' PPTP VPN, but instructions are clear enough. I fire up my trusty old Windows 7 desktop, "connect to a workplace", bla bla bla. Click on the newly created connection, copy/paste username and pass into a popup and I'm in. What follows afterwards is a WTF for a later date. Suffice it to say, VPN was working like a charm and haven't given it another thought... until now.

    Fast forward today. I'm working from home. I need to get back into that machine and do some more research. My VPN connection is at my work PC. No prob, I'll just create a connection from my Windows 8 home PC. Just like I did the day before yesterday. So right click "Networks and sharing center", connect to workplace, etc... pretty much the same deal. Why are people so down on W8? This isn't bad at all.

    Ok, time to connect. Click on the network icon...

    Ugh, always a downer when you're reminded this isn't a flat Windows 7. Why couldn't they just keep little old popup instead of slapping this ugly rectangle over the third of my screen? Oh well, I'll get on with connecting and soon won't have to see this bullshit any more.

    Right, now just to copy/paste username and password, and...

    ...fuck. It rolls back when it loses focus.

    Ok, think. Surely, someone has at some point tried to copy/paste login information into this thing. Surely there was a torrent of bug reports during usability testing. What would M$ do that would least distract them from wacking off at their mobile world domination plans? How about... simply remember what you typed in when the sidebar loses focus? That makes sense as a quick & dirty fix, right?

    Nope. At this point, rage begins bubbling up. I take a deep breath. "Calm down, cartman82, you're stronger than this". There's got to be a solution.

    I got it! All I need is to copy/paste all the information once and then arrange it once the side bar opens. Ha! Take that Microsoft!

    There we go. Now just copy/paste that password into the lower box and no lost focus required. Easy-peasy.

    Hmm... twitch... I seem to be missing copy command. But surely, the keyboard shortcut HAS to work. Good old Ctrl+C. It has been a part of Windows for decades. Every textbox everywhere ever has this shit. They couldn't have screwed THAT much. They couldn't

    *the sound of keyboard clicking. no change in the textbox


    A minute later I painstakingly typed in the password and (after two false attempts) went on my way. But seriously, what were they thinking?

    Also, anyone has better workflow for this?



    1. Go to desktop
    2. WinKey+r
    3. Type: "control panel" and press Enter
    4. Select "Network and Internet"
    5. Select "Network and Sharing Center"
    6. Select "Set up a new connection or network"

    Edit: didn't realize that your problem is after all of that. ......... nevermind.



  • @cartman82 said:

    Also, anyone has better workflow for this?

    Use Windows 7?

    The only thing that's impressed me with Windows 8 is that it has built in support for right clicking and mounting ISO images. That's literally the only thing.



  • @cartman82 said:

    Also, anyone has better workflow for this?

    I copied the script I've been using forever. It calls rasphone with a bunch of arguments, which spawns the regular VPN window. I don't do anything with that sidebar shit.



  • @Keith said:

    built in support for right clicking and mounting ISO images.

    I ued to think builtin PDf suppoer was great, until I realized it's not windowed, and the UI is crippled.

    When I tried to drag a pdf into firefox ( which has a superior pdf reader!!!! ) it just opens in the system default, even though I told firefox not to.

    oh, systems
    why
    why



  • @Keith said:

    Use Windows 7?

    The only thing that's impressed me with Windows 8 is that it has built in support for right clicking and mounting ISO images. That's literally the only thing.

    I've been resisting it for half a year before giving in. It looks better (yes, even with metro). And it works better too. At least until modern crap stabs you in the back, like here.



  • @dhromed said:

    I copied the script I've been using forever. It calls rasphone with a bunch of arguments, which spawns the regular VPN window. I don't do anything with that sidebar shit.

    Uuuuh, nice. I didn't even know this thing existed.

    I gave you a like, don't spend it all in one place.



  • I'm going to buy candy


  • Considered Harmful

    @dhromed said:

    I'm going to buy candy

    Do you own a van?



  • I'll need more likes to buy a van.



  • @dhromed said:

    I'll need more likes to buy a van.

    I've donated to the cause.

    Filed under: Heart donation



  • @dhromed said:

    I'll need more likes to buy a van.

    Sure you don't want a truck instead?



  • I'm in love with these screenshots. Such anonymization. Much layout. So nice.

    I wish submissions arrived in TDWTF's inbox like this instead of the "HERE'S A ZIP FILE OF 200 fullscreen JPEGS!!"

    ugh.



  • Hmm... twitch... I seem to be missing copy command. But
    surely, the keyboard shortcut HAS to work. Good old Ctrl+C. It has been a
    part of Windows for decades. Every textbox everywhere ever has this
    shit. They couldn't have screwed THAT much. They couldn't

    *the sound of keyboard clicking. no change in the textbox

    Did you mean Ctrl-X? Because Ctrl-C not changing the textbox is, uh, normal behavior.



  • @emurphy said:

    Did you mean Ctrl-X? Because Ctrl-C not changing the textbox is, uh, normal behavior.

    My ruse is up!



  • Ok, so copy-and-paste didn't work... did you think to try drag-and-drop?


  • Discourse touched me in a no-no place

    @mark_bowytz said:

    I wish submissions arrived in TDWTF's inbox like this instead of the "HERE'S A ZIP FILE OF 200 fullscreen JPEGS!!"

    Those sound exactly like TRWTF, even without needing to open the silly thingsā€¦


  • BINNED

    @mark_bowytz said:

    I wish submissions arrived in TDWTF's inbox like this instead of the "HERE'S A ZIP FILE OF 200 fullscreen JPEGS!!"

    Paging @ben_lubar



  • Eww, jpeg? I'd use PNG. And they wouldn't fit on a screen.


    Filed under: unxplaining the joke



  • @anotherusername said:

    Ok, so copy-and-paste didn't work... did you think to try drag-and-drop?

    Nope.

    Just so you know, I had to 'forget' painstakingly entered password to test this out. Hope you are happy.

    EDIT: reply to wrong person. still learning...



  • @ben_lubar said:

    Eww, jpeg? I'd use PNG. And they wouldn't fit on a screen.

    They are PNGs. And they are not full screen. Not sure about the way they are presented in mail, though.





  • Thank you guys so much for the likes.

    now I can buy the van and do the needful.



  • Aaaaaand this is why I switched to Mac.



  • On a mac, it's constant slowly simmering disgust, instead of a calm intersected by explosions of rage.


  • BINNED

    @cartman82 said:

    On a mac, it's constant slowly simmering disgust, instead of a calm intersected by explosions of rage.

    On Linux it's calm, followed by WTFery, followed by poking around in the terminal, followed by an ugly hack.

    Potentially possible on a Mac, no idea how locked down/open it is though.



  • @Onyx said:

    On Linux it's calm, followed by WTFery, followed by poking around in the terminal, followed by an ugly hack.

    Potentially possible on a Mac, no idea how locked down/open it is though.

    Hacking Mac is for me like hacking Linux used to be. Just when you think everything is smoothed over, there's another annoyance to overcome. Dunno if the shift is due to my skill level or Linux GUI maturing or me just lowering my expectations enough (probably a combination).


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