h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

We'd just like to take this opportunity to apologise for the recent server problems.

Today's downtime was a bit of a mystery, which is why it took longer than normal to fix. But in general, most of the problems we get are because of the search service locking up on the server causing everything else to lock up.

We're developing a way of automatically detecting and correcting this situation. It's been quite successful when we've tested it, but it needs to be refined so that it can run all the time, and so that it doesn't cause problems itself (the danger of automated tools is that they sometimes detect problems where none exist and get into a loop themselves, so we're being cautious).

In order to fix this, we may have to disable the search facility temporarily - however, we will of course inform you if and when this is likely to happen.

Thank you for your patience.

No, Thank you for your efforts and progress. I still think you need to give the hampsters a treat now and then to get their best efforts.

I can do without the search facility for a while if it prevents us from further downtimes

Thanks for informing us what's going on. It has been very annoying and frustrating lately!
I kept thinking it was the Safari browser I recently started using for Mac 10.4 tiger.

At least I know it's not me now!

I know you're all working very hard, and we thank you for your patience with us while we complain away. We love you and the hampsters really

You mean that the search facility was working!!???

When???

Did I miss something ???

You mean I locked the whole system up by using the search facility ?

I use the search facility nearly every day for something or other, so wouldn't want to do without it permanently. But I am certainly willing to give it up temporarily.

Should we ask for some development so that when someone activates search it says 'Please do not press that button again'?

Go on, you know you want to!

With all those ignorant people on here, do you really think it would make any difference if you did ? Except for provoking them to press the button deliberately ?

Oh, please. That would be really funny. Course some wiseacres would just keep pressing it to see what it says next.

"Press that button again and the hamster gets it. Pow!! Right between the eyes..."

Can't remember the last time I used the search its not the most accurate is it? Mind you could be worse, theres one website I use on which its so diffiult to find anything at all, weather using search or following links, that the only way I have found to use it is to go to google and tell it to search their webpages only Well once I'm elected I'll be sending all our specially trained hamsters to help power the servers

*imagines an army of hamsters dressed in leather carrying tiny whips and chains*

trechary! you've been looking in my secret server opperational hamster breeding and training centre!

Oooh, election dirty tricks campaigns?

Sounds like it to mee.... you know, I don't think any of the candidates deserve to be trusted any further than a bucket load of lobsters on teh stove can dance to ealing.... well.... thats what they say wher eI come from You know... the more I think about it, I think it'd be best for everyone to vote for the MRBP/2legs

How very public spirited of you. And how full of carp you are. You actually sound like a politician