Minimal
stressed for motivation and achievement2003-11-02
New definition of ‘essential’
Have you ever downloaded and installed the Apache web server? It staggers me at times just how anally retentive some people can be. No, not you — the Apache foundation. On the download page, they insist that:
It is essential that you verify the integrity of the downloaded files using the PGP or MD5 signatures.
Essential? Really? That’s odd — I never feel the need to verify other software I download. Still, the site offers further explanation of why it’s essential, so I followed the link. What I found was the most hideously drawn-out, complicated and plain old inconvenient authentication procedure known to man. This little snippet, taken from half-way through the process, sums it up nicely:
A good start to validating a key is by face-to-face communication with multiple government-issued photo identification confirmations.
And this is essential, is it? Already exasperated with the obscene display of nerdiness in front of me, that tipped me over the edge. Expletives flew at my monitor and Blogger was called upon to chronicle my disbelief. It’s stuff like this that gives us geeks a bad name, so please note this: I am not one of them.
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