# The Night Life of Computers

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-night-life-of-computers/181845>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [June 14, 2003, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-night-life-of-computers/181845 "2003-06-14T15:26:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\
**Post date:** [June 14, 2003, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-night-life-of-computers/181845/1 "2003-06-14T15:26:00Z")

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Anyone who wants to know what your computer does at night when you’re not around should go to [this link](http://www.divstivs.plus.com/iconwar/) . It’s amusing. The things you find out on the Web!

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**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\
**Post date:** [June 14, 2003, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-night-life-of-computers/181845/2 "2003-06-14T23:30:29Z")

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Badly written site.

I get nothing in iCab but a blank page.  
I get nothing in Netscape 6 but a blank page.  
I get nothing in Opera 6 but a blank page.

I open the source code, copy out the referenced .swf file and download it with iCab’s download manager to my desktop. It doesn’t run in QuickTime as a standalone Flash movie because “invalid media data was found in the movie”.

I dunno WTF the page author thinks constitutes compatibility, but this ain’t it. Does it only work with Internet Explorer?

Wonder how the Linux users fare with it.

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**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\
**Post date:** [June 15, 2003, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-night-life-of-computers/181845/3 "2003-06-15T02:26:23Z")

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I don’t know. I use Netscape 7 and it worked just fine for me. I confess myself to be at a loss.

(I didn’t know that QuickTime could play Flash movies–I’ll have to remember that–thanks for the info.)

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**Author:** ![Dijon\_Warlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@Dijon\_Warlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dijon_Warlock)\
**Post date:** [June 15, 2003, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-night-life-of-computers/181845/4 "2003-06-15T02:31:33Z")

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Worked in Netscape 4.79. DiabloII kicks ass.

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**Author:** ![Cougarfang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c67d28/32.png) [@Cougarfang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cougarfang)\
**Post date:** [June 15, 2003, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-night-life-of-computers/181845/5 "2003-06-15T02:53:04Z")

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So… the best way to survive in an iconwar is to be the Diablo thing or the recycling bin?

The bin shoulda eaten the Diablo and then self-destructed.