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...
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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