windows coming to a cash point near you - whay :(

[russed]

i have just found this on the bbc site. it looks like banks are starting to use windows to power the atm's. the article isnt very nice about it!

here you go! (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3962573.stm)

[edesignuk]

They already do, I've seen 'em with Dr. Watson errors 'n stuff :eek:

[iMeowbot]

Yes, this change has been happening for a few years now, and at some banks it's not too uncommon to see an ATM stuck at a blue screen. Has anyone encountered more interesting problems with the Windows breed of ATM, like extra or missing money?

[stoid]

It's one thing for my Self-Service lanes at the grocery store to be running on that shlocky crap excuse for an 'operating' system. When they screw up, there is generally an attendant nearby that can fix the machine or in some other way keep it from slowing me down too much or ruining my day.

I think that Windows is the virus itself, now spreading to ATMs.

I refuse to drive a car with an internal computer powered by anything Microsoft, or especially Windows. That brings a whole new meaning to the terms 'crash' and 'Blue Screen of Death'.

[Sun Baked]

Yes, this change has been happening for a few years now, and at some banks it's not too uncommon to see an ATM stuck at a blue screen. Has anyone encountered more interesting problems with the Windows breed of ATM, like extra or missing money?Yes, the problems were bad enough that I had to terminate the ATM card and go back to using tellers for the transactions.

Luckily I never used the card as anything but an ATM card, and didn't use it as a debit card.

Sort of fun sticking the card in the slot and watching the machine crash as it spit the card back out. :rolleyes:

They always told me it was user error until the branch manager couldn't figure it out, and helped me kill the card.

[DavidLeblond]

Since when do ATMs NOT use Windows? Every ATM I think I've seen uses it.

Also, since when are ATMs connected to the Internet?

Nothing to see here, folks... move along.

[russed]

Since when do ATMs NOT use Windows? Every ATM I think I've seen uses it.

Also, since when are ATMs connected to the Internet?

Nothing to see here, folks... move along.

read the article. most atm's ran/run on os/2. and they will have to be connected to the internet or some network of some kind so that they can contact the bank to say you are getting money out. havent you ever wondered when you do a balance check it magically knows how much money you have?

[asif786]

I know, it's so silly. I've seen these Cash Machines running Win NT 4 (Natwest, UK).

I was tempted to stop using them, because quite frankly, i dont trust them. but here, generally, the banks are so full that it takes too long to get money out at the counter.

Ah well, it's a hard life. :(

[Apple Hobo]

I hope they all BSOD and start spitting out cash rapid-fire style. :cool:

[Mechcozmo]

I hope they all BSOD and start spitting out cash rapid-fire style. :cool:

So long as I am nearby, I wish so too. :D

[DavidLeblond]

read the article. most atm's ran/run on os/2. and they will have to be connected to the internet or some network of some kind so that they can contact the bank to say you are getting money out. havent you ever wondered when you do a balance check it magically knows how much money you have?

I thought ATMs either dialed into the bank (well I KNOW some of them do, you can hear it dialing) or were on a private network.

Private network != internet

[Archaeopteryx]

WARNING, UNPOPULAR POINT OF VIEW AHEAD

US laws that demand disabled people get equal access to information will also force banks to make their cash machines more versatile and able to present information in different ways.

You know, the whole windows thing aside, what ticks me off is crippled people wanting everything "accessible" to them. I mean I know it sucks to have a disability but just because you are disabled doesn’t mean you deserve stuff. I am mostly ranting about people who sue stores and companies for “not providing handicapped facilities”.

I saw the other day on TV some Florida man who was crippled, he went to a titty bar and sued them because they didn’t have a ramp to take him to the upstairs “private rooms”, The club did offer down stairs titty rooms but he wanted to go upstairs.. ugh :-/

A million empty parking spaces right by the door to any store while hundreds of cars drive around for hours looking for an empty space!

[Sun Baked]

No matter what OS you're running on the ATM network, if the bank codes your account wrong you'll have nothing but trouble.

If you were as lucky as I was, the account will work fine until somebody sees that your account was recoded -- then they'll change it back to the problematic settings. :(

Every time I tried transferring money between accounts on the card, I'd get my card back and a message to see the bank due to an "problem" :rolleyes:

Can't really blame anybody but the bank for that.

[saabmp3]

read the article. most atm's ran/run on os/2. and they will have to be connected to the internet or some network of some kind so that they can contact the bank to say you are getting money out. havent you ever wondered when you do a balance check it magically knows how much money you have?

Yes, yes I have wondered. ATMs are NOT on the internet. Hell, probably about 60% of the computers out there in the world are not connected to the internet. Most of them are connected to private corperate networks (the big business of renting out T1 lines, so that companies with multiple sites can connect without going public), not to any public internet. On top of that, there are MULTIPLE internets out there, not just one. Don't tell people to RTFA when you don't have your facts correct.

BEN

[iMeowbot]

I thought ATMs either dialed into the bank (well I KNOW some of them do, you can hear it dialing) or were on a private network.
Privately owned ones use dial connections fairly often. Machines located in or near banks are more likely to use deedicated connections.
Private network != internet
The problem is that sometimes other machines on the same network will end up with Internet connections. It's poor practice, but it happens. When the SQL Server worm hit a year or two ago, quite a few ATMs did manage to become infected.

[atif.muhammad]

WARNING, UNPOPULAR POINT OF VIEW AHEAD



You know, the whole windows thing aside, what ticks me off is crippled people wanting everything "accessible" to them. I mean I know it sucks to have a disability but just because you are disabled doesn’t mean you deserve stuff. I am mostly ranting about people who sue stores and companies for “not providing handicapped facilities”.

I saw the other day on TV some Florida man who was crippled, he went to a titty bar and sued them because they didn’t have a ramp to take him to the upstairs “private rooms”, The club did offer down stairs titty rooms but he wanted to go upstairs.. ugh :-/

A million empty parking spaces right by the door to any store while hundreds of cars drive around for hours looking for an empty space!

you have made a fantastic point. im a 15yr old student in the UK. I had my Prefect badge taken off me coz i called this stupid guy deaf. the only reason i called him deaf was because he was rascist to me. the argument the teachers put forward was, "hes got a disability". how unfair was that? i dont have anything against disabled people but i hate it when they take advantage of their situation like that guy you mentioned who sued the store.

there's this other guy at my dad's company whos got a disability. he falls down all of a sudden, something wrong with his legs. his company are scared he might sue them so they get him to write a letter to them every time he falls that "i was walking along and suddenly fell. it has nothing to do with the company, they are doing all they can for me". now the company is nearly bankrupt. most of the people have been made redundant. that disabled guy is waiting to be sacked so he can sue the company for money on the basis that he was sacked because of his disability.

what a stupid world we live in?! come on, we need to teach some of these disabled people a lesson.

[atif.muhammad]

i won't be able to stand a Windows-based ATM.

we might have all those data miners in our system.

its bad enough with hidden cameras around the ATMs. now we got people watching our every screen and every input.

what do these banks think they're doing? there has to be a Mac or Linux-using manager in the bank?

get some sense! we live in a idiotic world.......

[Mechcozmo]

you have made a fantastic point. im a 15yr old student in the UK. I had my Prefect badge taken off me coz i called this stupid guy deaf. the only reason i called him deaf was because he was rascist to me. the argument the teachers put forward was, "hes got a disability". how unfair was that? i dont have anything against disabled people but i hate it when they take advantage of their situation like that guy you mentioned who sued the store.

there's this other guy at my dad's company whos got a disability. he falls down all of a sudden, something wrong with his legs. his company are scared he might sue them so they get him to write a letter to them every time he falls that "i was walking along and suddenly fell. it has nothing to do with the company, they are doing all they can for me". now the company is nearly bankrupt. most of the people have been made redundant. that disabled guy is waiting to be sacked so he can sue the company for money on the basis that he was sacked because of his disability.

what a stupid world we live in?! come on, we need to teach some of these disabled people a lesson.


Apply that concept to malpractice lawsuits. "Yeah, I had surgery a few days ago and I still hurt some although I just underwent major surgery...oh, hell, I'm gonna sue."

There is a Non Sequitor (Comic strip) where this guy stands on the scale and says "Honey, I've gained 4 more pounds... who should I sue now?"