Netscape and DNS error messages (re: w3TROPICOS page)

[Gundega Korsts]

Replying to Leonard Krishtalka (Date:    Mon, 15 Jul 1996 17:21:50 -0500)
    Subject: Re: w3TROPICOS Now Available (fwd)
    http://www.mobot.org/mobot/research/

>       Unfortunately, when I tried a search on the "w3TROPICOS" page, I was
>informed that Netscape could not locate the "mobot.mobot.org" server, and
>that this server did not have a DNS entry.

Welcome to the world of Netscape, the company that grew too fast and the
software that has to run in too many different configurations.

This error message comes up when Netscape and the local configuration
conflict in any of many ways beyond my understanding. If you try again
later, it should work, regardless of which valid address Netscape refused to
recognize. I've sometimes had to reboot several times before the problem
goes away, and sometimes have had to wait a day -- and this for sites I use
every day, like the Library of Congress.

Since "local configuration" includes your own microcomputer system files,
the network, the IP assignments, and the Internet connection server, solving
these conflicts isn't easy, nor is it under one person's control.

It's really too bad that Netscape can't generate a different error message,
one admitting that the problem began before the DNS entry could even be checked.

In short: if you've checked the orthography of the URL and found it not
lacking, don't necessarily believe Netscape's DNS error messages. Try, try
again.

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Gundega Korsts                 gkorsts at agronomy.org
Asst. Editor, Agronomy Journal & Crop Science registrations
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF AGRONOMY
677 S. Segoe Rd., Madison WI 53711-1086  USA
608-273-8090 ext. 318 voice, 608-273-2021 fax
http://www.agronomy.org/
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