TUAW Recommends Joke App

ejdmoo writes "The Unofficial Apple Weblog, a very popular Apple enthusiast site, has accidentally posted (and since retracted) a recommendation for an application called Procrastinatr. Though the original website for Procrastinatr promises to 'efficiently prioritize your calendars and regain lost time,' it gives no real description of the functionality. In reality, the application was written as something of an extensive joke between friends, moving all iCal appointments and tasks forward a week. The author has since apologized and posted a fix for users who borked their calendars. This story once again highlights the importance of making sure something is legitimate before letting it run loose on your system, even if it appears to be coming from a reputable source."

sigh

[PunkOfLinux]

and if this had been done on windows systems, it would have made national news...

Re:sigh

[aleksiel]

on a mac, its a prank on windows, its a virus

Re:sigh

[Pink Tinkletini]

We Mac users are a merry folk. Tee hee.

This just in

[dhasenan]

This just in: Microsoft ships free calendar application with Windows.

Re:This just in

[anotherone]

two words: outlook express

Re:This just in

[TheGreek]

If you manage your calendar with Outlook Express, it's no wonder you're still living in your parents' basement.

Re:This just in

[generic-man]

Outlook Express doesn't have a calendar.

Re:This just in

[anotherone]

It doesn't? d'oh.

National vs. International

[SuperKendall]

and if this had been done on windows systems, it would have made national news...

As opposed to the international news site I'm reading the story on right now?

You may have forgot the Slashdot slogan is "News for Nerds".

Re:sigh

[roryrhorerton]

If this had been done on Windows systems, it might have actually affected more than 6 people.

Timeshifting

[jekewa]

I always try to move my appointments out a week. It gives me time to get to the things I had to postpone from their original schedule to this week.

Only one way!

[A nonymous Coward]

If it's til the end of time, you have to choose, either give or take, whichever way means backwards ... your choice.

Next Week

[neonprimetime]

Reminder: Post a response to this article on Slashdot

Re:Next Week

[blowdart]

I think you mean "Post this news article on slashdot". And it recurs every week.

Re:Next Week

[myepitath]

Don't you mean "... a dupe of this article"?

missed chance for potential irony

[Anonymous Coward]

This story once again highlights the importance of making sure something is legitimate before letting it run loose on your system, even if it appears to be coming from a reputable source.

This statement would've been a whole lot funnier if it had been editorial commentary rather than submitter commentary.

New Apple Slogans

[Cleon]

"Think Different...Maybe next week."
"Switch...When you get around to it."
"Get a Mac...Someday."

coming from a reputable source

[stratjakt]

Like an "unofficial weblog". Yeah, sounds reputable to me!

This app could have saved them!

[EddieBurkett]

If only they had Procrastinatr already installed for their calendars. They would have then waited a week to check TAUW, by which point the post suggesting they use Procrastinatr would have been fixed. What a shame...

In a more important story ....

[Anonymous Coward]

The word "loose" was used properly on slashdot. More news coming at 11.

Re:In a more important story ....

[gEvil (beta)]

Quit being such a looser...

Um

[TheSkepticalOptimist]

Its more a question of learning the meaning of procrastination, and wondering what an application based on the word is going to do to your calendars.

Honestly, anybody investing much time in making iCals probably has too much time on their hands, but schedules stuff for the future anyways.

Isn't this technically a Trojan virus? An application that when installed corrupts your data. I don't want to be devil's advocate here, but it doesn't require a terribly sophisticated delivery method to trick Apple users

Re:Um

[ratsnapple tea]

Right, because *nix users would never be tricked into running untrusted code [slashdot.org].

Re:Um

[nutsy]

Trojan virus

...

Don't mod me down for speaking the truth

How about modding you down for throwing bits of jargon around and hoping one'll stick?

Oh the irony

[HardCase]

This story once again highlights the importance of making sure something is legitimate before letting it run loose on your system, even if it appears to be coming from a reputable source.

Timothy, Zonk and the rest of you guys, are you paying attention?

Re:Oh the irony

[bunions]

this is exactly what I thought. And it's exactly why I still don't trust most internet 'news' sources, which have simply become simple relays for what others have said. Editors have a more important job than simply hitting the 'post' button. Unfortunately, it's a largely thankless job, so most people don't have much interest in doing it.

There are questions that should be asked

[ladadadada]

The question is: how do you verify the integrity of a program before running it on your system ?

You could read through the source code... no, that's ridiculous. Unless the program is as simple as this one was (I think I could re-write this in one line of awk) then reading the source code would take weeks or even months. That's assuming you have the knowledge.

You could take the recommendation of a trusted source; a source who is trusted through having recommended other software before which was good softwa

Learn your lesson??

[bonez_net11]

Hahahaha! This will teach some people to read the information about a piece of software instead of blindly *click* and *install*. Dumbasses :)

What a brilliant idea!

[exp(pi*sqrt(163))]

But I don't understand. Was there some kind of bug in this application? From the descriptions it sounds like it was 100% effective at postponing all of your appointments by a week.

Re:What a brilliant idea!

[gEvil (beta)]

I don't know if it was 100% effective. As far as I can tell, it just adjusted things in your calendar. Now if it had sent an email to the appointees notifying them that you couldn't meet with them as originally scheduled, but rather a week later, then I would call it 100% effective.

Re:What a brilliant idea!

[cp.tar]

I'm sorry, but you're plainly wrong.

If it sent the e-mail, you'd still have to meet all the appointees. That would only be 20% effective.

However, if it failed to send the e-mail, all your time would be free.

Re:What a brilliant idea!

[exp(pi*sqrt(163))]

You wouldn't have to meet them. You just run the program every week. But the catch is that you'd have to run it. You might put off doing it for too long and end up having to go to a meeting.

Aha! Some smart person could get really rich selling another program to run the procrastinator app on a regular basis. All my problems would be solved!

Now that you mention it...

[MyOtherUIDis3digits]

I don't think this ram-doubling, internet accellerating, penis enlarging app I just installed is working like it should either. Soon as this "formatting c:\, please wait" message that popped up goes away I will upd

update to Procrastinatr

[vldragon]

This app would have been much cooler if it would have only postponed event for a day. But the app would run all the time constintly pushing back all events one day. The should effectivly keep your schedule clear forever. An added bonus would be if it automaiclly e-mail all parties involved in an event telling them every time the even has been postponed.

not to mention...

[interactive_civilian]

One would also be able to avoid all of those unpleasant encounters that they wish to avoid (e.g. dinner with the really annoying girl in marketing, being the caddy for the CEO, having lunch with your parents in-law, etc.)...

"Nope, sorry. I have an extremely busy schedule tomorrow."

Re:not to mention...

[drachenstern]

dinner with the really annoying girl in marketing

are you seriously advocating /.ers give up the few chances they have to go on an official date?

having lunch with your parents in-law

ah, nevermind, I've obviously got the wrong idea about you, you're a /._2.x_er

To all the rest of the /. crowd . . . err, yeah, nothing witty now, sheesh, karma whoring without the benefits of

On running something just because someone told you

[nblender]

You can lead a windows user to a Mac, but you can't make him smart. Or: Once a windows user, always a windows user.

Re:On running something just because someone told

[ScaryFroMan]

Not windows user, but just "Idiot." People have been blindly doing what others tell them to do since the beginning of time. What kind of computer they use doesn't matter.

Re:On running something just because someone told

[MrSquirrel]

Yes, because all Mac users are genuises and all Windows users are idiots. ...stop with the fanboy attitude -- there are stupid people (in generous proportions) in both camps -- hey, Linux... stop smirking, you've got some too. EVERYONE should know not to run code you don't know is legitimate (...ESPECIALLY Windows users since they seem to be targetted the most). So if anything, I'm willing to bet it was stupid Mac fanboys (not calling all Mac fanboys stupid, I'm just saying the ones who are stupid and als

Re:On running something just because someone told

[MrSquirrel]

This isn't Apple-hatin', I grew up on Macs (an LC475 to be exact) and they hold a special place in my heart, but this describes a large number of Mac users I know and love (maybe not the love part) "Apple: Think Different... just like all the other trendy assholes with too much money who paid way too much money for a product that they will never take full advantage of and should have bought a 300 shit-pc from WalMart that would fulfill all their computing needs but then they wouldn't be able to pretend the

Re:

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Re:On running something just because someone told

[KiloByte]

Yes, because all Mac users are genuises and all Windows users are idiots. ...stop with the fanboy attitude -- there are stupid people (in generous proportions) in both camps -- hey, Linux... stop smirking, you've got some too.

Being "not ready for desktop" means there is an entry barrier, and thus we at least get less idiots. And this is not something to shake a stick at.

EVERYONE should know not to run code you don't know is legitimate

Uhm, Xen (Linux code) or qemu/vmware?

There's a dingy little Windows app n

Re:On running something just because someone told

[Eggz Factor]

I agree.... stuipd is as stupid does. BTW, which Mac virus did you help the "Mr. Mac-user-man-who-got-a-virus-and-said-"but that's impossible, it's a Mac, they don't have viruses"" with anyhow?

Re:

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Re:On running something just because someone told

[earthbound kid]

Macs for Mac users! [crazyapplerumors.com]

Slashdot Editors?

[mkw87]

Is this the app the slashdot editors use for when to post articles?

Also on TUAW - iStache

[szyzyg]

Go Stache yourself [notdustin.com]

Apparently another application put together for the Useless App Contest - more about it on Dustin's imeem blog [imeem.com]

I may as well post my own witty comment...

[martinultima]

In about a week.

Not a Joke -- Hofstadter's Law

[DingoBueno]

Joke?! This application was designed under a rigorous process and soundly performs in accordance with Hofstadter's Law [wikipedia.org]:

It always takes longer than you expect, even when you take into account Hofstadter's Law.

Jealousy

[Slovenian6474]

Can i get this for my PC? I could really use the extra time.