It's the best thing since r*****y inserted sliced bread.
On 6/12/08 1:43 PM, "Roger Wright" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > IOW, you really like it, right?!? <grin> > > > > Roger Wright > Network Administrator > 727.572.7076 x388 > _____ > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Ben Scott [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Thursday, June 12, 2008 3:57 PM > To: NT System Admin Issues > Subject: Re: FedEx Ship Mangler > > On Thu, Jun 12, 2008 at 2:49 PM, Joseph L. Casale > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> Anyone use this? > > Unfortunately, we have to use FedEx Ship Manager (FSM) here. That > software is a giant pile of steaming canine excrement. It's hugely > bloated. We run it on Pentium 4 computers with 1 GB RAM, and it's > still very slow to start. (UPS WorldShip is nice and speedy on the > same PC.) FSM is fragile and falls apart spontaneously. The UI is > clunky and counter-intuitive. It's hard to find things. > > It keeps all its data in a database server they've licensed (Sybase > Adaptive SQL Anywhere), but the only approved way to back it up is > using the program UI. > > If you're using it with a thermal label printer, it sends printer > control codes directly. It apparently decides which control codes to > send by looking at the name of the Windows printer object (icon). So > if we rename the printer from "Eltron LP2844" to "FedEx label > printer", it formats the labels incorrectly. > > When you start the application, it actually starts several other > processes which run concurrently with it. That includes the database > server, which runs as a tray icon. If and when the main application > crashes, you have to run a special utility to close all the other > processes down before you can restart the main process properly. > > Their phone support varies from "well meaning but unable to help" to > "totally incompetent". Circa 2000, while on a tech call, I said I was > running Windows 98, and the phone tech asked, "Windows 98... is that > like Windows 95?". > > They expect you to run it as administrator, and they get confused > when you explain about things like "security" or "user accounts". It > expects to be able to write to the FedEx registry branch(es) under > HKLM. It also expects to be able to write to a few directories under > the program install directory. So far, I've found that granting > <Modify> permission to <Users> on the files and registry branches in > question will make it work okay. The objects are: > > HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\FEDEX > HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\FedEx Services > C:\Program Files\FedEx\ShipManager\Rate > C:\Program Files\FedEx\ShipManager\ROUTE > C:\Program Files\FedEx\ShipManager\Temp\ > >> For the client/server model, the software has to apparently be running > on >> the console as it doesn't run as a service? > > Correct. > > Welcome to hell. Here's your copy of FedEx Ship Manager. > > -- Ben > > ~ Upgrade to Next Generation Antispam/Antivirus with Ninja! ~ > ~ <http://www.sunbelt-software.com/SunbeltMessagingNinja.cfm> ~ > > ~ Upgrade to Next Generation Antispam/Antivirus with Ninja! ~ > ~ <http://www.sunbelt-software.com/SunbeltMessagingNinja.cfm> ~ ~ Upgrade to Next Generation Antispam/Antivirus with Ninja! ~ ~ <http://www.sunbelt-software.com/SunbeltMessagingNinja.cfm> ~
