I tried to click through to a slate article just now. Big .NET error. Ugly. I figure the linker got the url wrong. I slice off the request and just leave http://www.slate.com/ — and still, ugly. Ten minutes later? Still down. This is what we call FAIL. Someone should be getting a page, someone should be implementing a static “be back soon” — I’m stunned to see a major site fail so spectacularly and nakedly.
UPDATE 25 minutes later: back up. Glad to see it. I hate that kind of downtime – as a web professional and as a reader. Can’t imagine how the Slate staffers feel.
five comments so far...
You can just see the chickens running around with their heads cut off on the slate web team.
One line in a config file to set up a friendly error page in ASP.NET… total newb maneuver over there.
Isn’t Slate owned my M$?
compilation debug=”false”
@Sassy I wonder if they were even aware. Seems simple enough to redirect to a downtime page. Anything’s better than giant error page.
@MAS — Initially part of MSN, now owned by Washington Post (according to Wikipedia)
eeek! that would not be a fun day at the office!
btw, hows your mom?? you all have been in my prayers 🙂
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