Advice for Computer Science College Students

by Joel Spolsky

Hi,I'm just searching the net today for the key word Computer science graduates and there's so many results showed and as i move the cursur of the mouse i saw this article. this was the url of the site "http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/CollegeAdvice.html".

Hope it will help us. And all Computer science students.

Sunday, January 02, 2005

Despite the fact that it was only a year or two ago that I was blubbering about how rich Windows GUI clients were the wave of the future, college students nonetheless do occasionally email me asking for career advice, and since it's recruiting season, I thought I'd write up my standard advice which they can read, laugh at, and ignore.

Most college students, fortunately, are brash enough never to bother asking their elders for advice, which, in the field of computer science, is a good thing, because their elders are apt to say goofy, antediluvian things like "the demand for keypunch operators will exceed 100,000,000 by the year 2010" and "lisp careers are really very hot right now."

I, too, have no idea what I'm talking about when I give advice to college students. I'm so hopelessly out of date that I can't really figure out AIM and still use (horrors!) this quaint old thing called "email" which was popular in the days when music came on flat round plates called "CDs."

So you'd be better off ignoring what I'm saying here and instead building some kind of online software thing that lets other students find people to go out on dates with.

Nevertheless.

If you enjoy programming computers, count your blessings: you are in a very fortunate minority of people who can make a great living doing work they enjoy. Most people aren't so lucky. The very idea that you can "love your job" is a modern concept. Work is supposed to be something unpleasant you do to get money to do the things you actually like doing, when you're 65 and can finally retire, if you can afford it, and if you're not too old and infirm to do those things, and if those things don't require reliable knees, good eyes, and the ability to walk twenty feet without being out of breath, etc.

What was I talking about? Oh yeah. Advice.

Without further ado, then, here are Joel's Seven Pieces of Free Advice for Computer Science College Students (worth what you paid for them):

1. Learn how to write before graduating.
2. Learn C before graduating.
3. Learn microeconomics before graduating.
4. Don't blow off non-CS classes just because they're boring.
5. Take programming-intensive courses.
6. Stop worrying about all the jobs going to India.
7. No matter what you do, get a good summer internship.

Now for the explanations, unless you're gullible enough to do all that stuff just because I tell you to, in which case add: 8. Seek professional help for that self-esteem thing.

Learn how to write before graduating.

Would Linux have succeeded if Linus Torvalds hadn't evangelized it? As brilliant a hacker as he is, it was Linus's ability to convey his ideas in written English via email and mailing lists that made Linux attract a worldwide brigade of volunteers.

Have you heard of the latest fad, Extreme Programming? Well, without getting into what I think about XP, the reason you've heard of it is because it is being promoted by people who are very gifted writers and speakers.

Even on the small scale, when you look at any programming organization, the programmers with the most power and influence are the ones who can write and speak in English clearly, convincingly, and comfortably. Also it helps to be tall, but you can't do anything about that.

The difference between a tolerable programmer and a great programmer is not how many programming languages they know, and it's not whether they prefer Python or Java. It's whether they can communicate their ideas. By persuading other people, they get leverage. By writing clear comments and technical specs, they let other programmers understand their code, which means other programmers can use and work with their code instead of rewriting it. Absent this, their code is worthless. By writing clear technical documentation for end users, they allow people to figure out what their code is supposed to do, which is the only way those users can see the value in their code. There's a lot of wonderful, useful code buried on sourceforge somewhere that nobody uses because it was created by programmers who don't write very well (or don't write at all), and so nobody knows what they've done and their brilliant code languishes.

I won't hire a programmer unless they can write, and write well, in English. If you can write, wherever you get hired, you'll soon find that you're getting asked to write the specifications and that means you're already leveraging your influence and getting noticed by management.

Most colleges designate certain classes as "writing intensive," meaning, you have to write an awful lot to pass them. Look for those classes and take them! Seek out classes in any field that have weekly or daily written assignments.

Start a journal or weblog. The more you write, the easier it will be, and the easier it is to write, the more you'll write, in a virtuous circle.


Learn C before graduating

Part two: C. Notice I didn't say C++. Although C is becoming increasingly rare, it is still the lingua franca of working programmers. It is the language they use to communicate with one another, and, more importantly, it is much closer to the machine than "modern" languages that you'll be taught in college like ML, Java, Python, whatever trendy junk they teach these days. You need to spend at least a semester getting close to the machine or you'll never be able to create efficient code in higher level languages. You'll never be able to work on compilers and operating systems, which are some of the best programming jobs around. You'll never be trusted to create architectures for large scale projects. I don't care how much you know about continuations and closures and exception handling: if you can't explain why while (*s++ = *t++); copies a string, or if that isn't the most natural thing in the world to you, well, you're programming based on superstition, as far as I'm concerned: a medical doctor who doesn't know basic anatomy, passing out prescriptions based on what the pharma sales babe said would work.

Learn microeconomics before graduating

Super quick review if you haven't taken any economics courses: econ is one of those fields that starts off with a bang, with many useful theories and facts that make sense, can be proven in the field, etc., and then it's all downhill from there. The useful bang at the beginning is microeconomics, which is the foundation for literally every theory in business that matters. After that things start to deteriorate: you get into Macroeconomics (feel free to skip this if you want) with its interesting theories about things like the relationship of interest rates to unemployment which, er, seem to be disproven more often than they are proven, and after that it just gets worse and worse and a lot of econ majors switch out to Physics, which gets them better Wall Street jobs, anyway. But make sure you take Microeconomics, because you have to know about supply and demand, you have to know about competitive advantage, and you have to understand NPVs and discounting and marginal utility before you'll have any idea why business works the way it does.

Why should CS majors learn econ? Because a programmer who understands the fundamentals of business is going to be a more valuable programmer, to a business, than a programmer who doesn't. That's all there is to it. I can't tell you how many times I've been frustrated by programmers with crazy ideas that make sense in code but don't make sense in capitalism. If you understand this stuff, you're a more valuable programmer, and you'll get rewarded for it, for reasons which you'll also learn in micro.


Don't blow off non-CS classes just because they're boring.

Blowing off your non-CS courses is a great way to get a lower GPA.

Never underestimate how big a deal your GPA is. Lots and lots of recruiters and hiring managers, myself included, go straight to the GPA when they scan a resume, and we're not going to apologize for it. Why? Because the GPA, more than any other one number, reflects the sum of what dozens of professors over a long period of time in many different situations think about your work. SAT scores? Ha! That's one test over a few hours. The GPA reflects hundreds of papers and midterms and classroom participations over four years. Yeah, it's got its problems. There has been grade inflation over the years. Nothing about your GPA says whether you got that GPA taking easy classes in home economics at Podunk Community College or taking graduate level Quantum Mechanics at Caltech. Eventually, after I screen out all the 2.5 GPAs from Podunk Community, I'm going to ask for transcripts and recommendations. And then I'm going to look for consistently high grades, not just high grades in computer science.

Why should I, as an employer looking for software developers, care about what grade you got in European History? After all, history is boring. Oh, so, you're saying I should hire you because you don't work very hard when the work is boring? Well, there's boring stuff in programming, too. Every job has its boring moments. And I don't want to hire people that only want to do the fun stuff.

I took this course in college called Cultural Anthropology because I figured, what the heck, I need to learn something about anthropology, and this looked like an interesting survey course.

Interesting? Not even close! I had to read these incredibly monotonous books about Indians in the Brazilian rain forest and Trobriand Islanders, who, with all due respect, are not very interesting to me. At some point, the class was so incredibly wearisome that I longed for something more exciting, like watching grass grow. I had completely lost interest in the subject matter. Completely, and thoroughly. My eyes teared I was so tired of the endless discussions of piling up yams. I don't know why the Trobriand Islanders spend so much time piling up yams, I can't remember any more, it's incredibly boring, but It Was Going To Be On The Midterm, so I plowed through it. I eventually decided that Cultural Anthropology was going to be my Boredom Gauntlet: my personal obstacle course of tedium. If I could get an A in a class where the tests required me to learn all about potlatch blankets, I could handle anything, no matter how boring. The next time I accidentally get stuck in Lincoln Center sitting through all 18 hours of Wagner’s Ring Cycle, I could thank my studies of the Kwakiutl for making it seem pleasant by comparison.

I got an A. And if I could do it, you can do it.

Take programming-intensive courses.

I remember the exact moment I vowed never to go to graduate school.

It was in a course on Dynamic Logic, taught by the dynamic Lenore Zuck at Yale, one of the brightest of an array of very bright CS faculty.

Now, my murky recollections are not going to do proper credit to this field, but let me muddle through anyway. The idea of Formal Logic is that you prove things are true because other things are true. For example thanks to Formal Logic, "Everyone who gets good grades will get hired" plus "Johnny got good grades" allows you to discover the new true fact, "Johnny will get hired." It's all very quaint and it only takes ten seconds for a deconstructionist to totally tear apart everything useful in Formal Logic so you're left with something fun, but useless.

Now, dynamic logic is the same thing, with the addition of time. For example, "after you turn the light on, you can see your shoes" plus "The light went on in the past" implies "you can see your shoes."

Dynamic Logic is appealing to brilliant theoreticians like Professor Zuck because it holds up the hope that you might be able to formally prove things about computer programs, which could be very useful, if, for example, you could formally prove that the Mars Rover's flash card wouldn't overflow and cause itself to be rebooted again and again all day long when it's supposed to be driving around the red planet looking for Marvin the Martian.

So in the first day of that class, Dr. Zuck filled up two entire whiteboards and quite a lot of the wall next to the whiteboards proving that if you have a light switch, and the light was off, and you flip the switch, the light will then be on.

The proof was insanely complicated, and very error-prone. It was harder to prove that the proof was correct than to convince yourself of the fact that switching a light switch turns on the light. Indeed the multiple whiteboards of proof included many skipped steps, skipped because they were too tedious to go into formally. Many steps were reached using the long-cherished method of Proof by Induction, others by Proof by Reductio ad Absurdum, and still others using Proof by Graduate Student.

For our homework, we had to prove the converse: if the light was off, and it's on now, prove that you flipped it.

I tried, I really did.

I spent hours in the library trying.

After a couple of hours I found a mistake in Dr. Zuck's original proof which I was trying to emulate. Probably I copied it down wrong, but it made me realize something: if it takes three hours of filling up blackboards to prove something trivial, allowing hundreds of opportunities for mistakes to slip in, this mechanism would never be able to prove things that are interesting.

Not that that matters to dynamic logicians: they're not in it for useful, they're in it for tenure.

I dropped the class and vowed never to go to graduate school in Computer Science.

The moral of the story is that computer science is not the same as software development. If you're really really lucky, your school might have a decent software development curriculum, although, they might not, because elite schools think that teaching practical skills is better left to the technical-vocational institutes and the prison rehabilitation programs. You can learn mere programming anywhere. We are Yale University, and we Mold Future World Leaders. You think your $160,000 tuition entititles you to learn about while loops? What do you think this is, some fly-by-night Java seminar at the Airport Marriott? Pshaw.

The trouble is, we don't really have professional schools in software development, so if you want to be a programmer, you probably majored in Computer Science. Which is a fine subject to major in, but it's a different subject than software development.

If you're lucky, though, you can find lots of programming-intensive courses in the CS department, just like you can find lots of courses in the History department where you'll write enough to learn how to write. And those are the best classes to take. If you love programming, don't feel bad if you don't understand the point of those courses in lambda calculus or linear algebra where you never touch a computer. Look for the 400-level courses with Practicum in the name. This is an attempt to hide a useful (shudder) course from the Liberal Artsy Fartsy Administration by dolling it up with a Latin name.

Stop worrying about all the jobs going to India.

Well, OK, first of all, if you're already in India, you never really had to worry about this, so don't even start worrying about all the jobs going to India. They're wonderful jobs, enjoy them in good health.

But I keep hearing that enrollment in CS departments is dropping perilously, and one reason I hear for it is "students are afraid to go into a field where all the jobs are going to India." That's so wrong for so many reasons. First, trying to choose a career based on a current business fad is foolish. Second, programming is incredibly good training for all kinds of fabulously interesting jobs, such as business process engineering, even if every single programming job does go to India and China. Third, and trust me on this, there's still an incredible shortage of the really good programmers, here and in India. Yes, there are a bunch of out of work IT people making a lot of noise about how long they've been out of work, but you know what? At the risk of pissing them off, really good programmers do have jobs. Fourth, you got any better ideas? What are you going to do, major in History? Then you'll have no choice but to go to law school. And there's one thing I do know: 99% of working lawyers hate their jobs, hate every waking minute of it, and they're working 90 hour weeks, too. Like I said: if you love to program computers, count your blessings: you are in a very fortunate minority of people who can make a great living doing work they love.

Anyway, I don't think students really think about this. The drop in CS enrollment is merely a resumption of historically normal levels after a big bubble in enrollment caused by dotcom mania. That bubble consisted of people who didn't really like programming but thought the sexy high paid jobs and the chances to IPO at age 24 were to be found in the CS department. Those people, thankfully, are long gone.

No matter what you do, get a good summer internship.

Smart recruiters know that the people who love programming wrote a database for their dentist in 8th grade, and taught at computer camp for three summers before college, and built the content management system for the campus newspaper, and had summer internships at software companies. That's what they're looking for on your resume.

If you enjoy programming, the biggest mistake you can make is to take any kind of job--summer, part time, or otherwise--that is not a programming job. I know, every other 19-year-old wants to work in the mall folding shirts, but you have a skill that is incredibly valuable even when you're 19, and it's foolish to waste it folding shirts. By the time you graduate, you really should have a resume that lists a whole bunch of programming jobs. The A&F graduates are going to be working at Enterprise Rent-a-Car "helping people with their rental needs." (Except for Tom Welling. He plays Superman on TV.)

To make your life really easy, and to underscore just how completely self-serving this whole essay is, my company, Fog Creek Software, has summer internships in software development that look great on resumes. "You will most likely learn more about software coding, development, and business with Fog Creek Software than any other internship out there," says Ben, one of the interns from last summer, and not entirely because I sent a goon out to his dorm room to get him to say that. The application deadline is February 1st. Get on it.

If you follow my advice, you, too, may end up selling stock in Microsoft way too soon, turning down jobs at Google because you want your own office with a door, and other stupid life decisions, but they won't be my fault. I told you not to listen to me.


This was a simple thing about the one who wrote the article...

About the author.

I’m Joel Spolsky, founder of Fog Creek Software, a New York company that proves that you can treat programmers well and still be highly profitable. Programmers get private offices, free lunch, and work 40 hours a week. Customers only pay for software if they’re delighted. We make FogBugz, an enlightened project management system designed to help great teams develop brilliant software, and Fog Creek Copilot, which makes remote desktop access easy.

Unbelievable Story....

A teenage girl about 17 had gone to
visit some friends one evening and
time passed quickly as each shared
their various experiences of the
past year.

She ended up staying longer than
planned and had to walk home alone.
She wasn't afraid because it was a
small town and she lived only a few
blocks away.

As she walked along under the tall
elm trees, she asked God to keep
her safe from harm and danger.

When she reached the alley, which was
a short cut to their house, she
decided to take it.

However, halfway down the alley, she
noticed a man standing at the end
as though he was waiting for her.

She became uneasy and began to pray,
asking for God's protection.

Instantly, a comforting feeling of
quietness and security wrapped round
her, she felt as though someone was
walking with her.

When she reached the end of the
alley, she walked right past the man
and arrived home safely.

The following day, she read in the
newspaper that a young girl had been
raped in the same alley just twenty
minutes after she had been there.

Feeling overwhelmed by this tragedy
and the fact that it could have
been her, she began to weep.

Thanking the Lord for her safety and
to help this young woman, she
decided to go to the police station.

She felt she could recognize the man,
so she told them her story.

The police asked her if she would be
willing to look at a lineup to see
if she could identify him.

She agreed and immediately pointed
out the man she had seen in the
alley the night before.

When the man was told he had been
identified, he immediately broke down
and confessed.

The officer thanked her for her
bravery and asked if there was
anything they could do for her.

She asked if they would ask the man
one question.

She was curious as to why he had
not attacked her.

When the policeman asked him, he
answered, "Because she wasn't alone.
She had two tall men walking on
either side of her."

Amazingly, whether you believe or
not, you're never alone. Did you know
that 98% of teenagers will not stand
up for God?




PS: God is always there in your heart
and loves you no matter
what.....and if you stand up 4 him he
will stand up for you.

Windows Genuine Advantage Problems and Solutions

What is Windows Genuine Advantage?

Windows Genuine Advantage is Microsoft's not so subtle crackdown on illegal piracy of Windows XP and Microsoft Office products. Microsoft started with an ActiveX component to force owners of Windows XP to validate their version before downloading security updates. Unfortunately this particular scheme was rather easily foiled by groups on the net and workarounds appeared almost instantly including cracked files and javascript fixes.


Now Microsoft is becoming more advanced in their attack on pirated versions of Windows XP or Microsoft Office. They are including a Windows Genuine Advantage security patch in the updates of Windows XP. The newest patch, released the first week of June 2006, actually produces popups on the login screen and on the desktop explaining that this version of Windows XP is not genuine and the owner may be the victim of software counterfeiting.

If your version of Windows XP is not genuine and does not pass the validation schemes, you will not be able to download security patches from Windows Update, or install the latest version of Internet Explorer 7 and other software. For those users that do have a valid version of Windows XP, Microsoft offers some special promotions.

Important Microsoft Pages

Windows Validation Page

Windows Genuine Advantage FAQ

Microsoft Genuine Advantage – Diagnostic Site

Windows Genuine Advantage Diagnostic Tool

What Can I Do If My Version of Windows XP Does Not Validate?

Microsoft is offering a variety of options to customers who unknowingly purchased a counterfeit copy of Windows XP. Customers can submit a proof of purchase, the original counterfeit CD, and fill out a report with the details of the purchase and Microsoft will give the customer a complimentary copy of Windows XP. However only high-quality counterfeit Windows versions will qualify for this copy.

For customers who received a computer from a friend, off the Internet or another way and an illegal version was installed, the only option is to buy a fully licensed version. Microsoft is offering the Windows XP Home Edition license kit for $99.00 to customers, while the XP Pro Edition is $149.00. The Windows Genuine Advantage Kit for Windows XP will include a new 25-character Product Key and a Windows Product Key Update tool that will allow customers to convert their counterfeit copy to genuine Windows XP electronically.

The other option is of course to buy a legal version of Windows XP off the Internet or in a retail store. Generally the prices for these versions will be more than the price Microsoft is offering for their Windows Genuine Advantage Kit. Although there are some internet sites like Newegg.com, greatsoftwaredeals.com or edirectsoftware.com that have great prices.

Remember though, if you purchase an OEM or full edition of Windows XP, you'll have to format and reinstall your operating system. You can however purchase an Upgrade edition and change a pirated version to a fully licensed version. Just be sure you have a previous version of Windows (95,98,ME) in case you need to completely reinstall Windows XP someday. Also one other note, if you currently have XP Pro (pirated), you'll need to purchase the XP Pro Upgrade to upgrade your system. XP Home can only upgrade the Home Edition, where XP Pro can upgrade both the Home and Pro versions. Hopefully, that's clear enough to understand.

The other option of course is to go through Microsoft's site and purchase a software key. They will send you a program to upgrade the counterfeit version to a legit version.


I Have A Legal Copy of Windows XP,
but My Computer Still Fails Validation, What Now?


First of all, your computer may not be properly configured to allow the validation process to complete. For this reason, one of the first things you'll want to do is click on the link below to check your computer's configuration and fix any problems that may exist. After checking for problems, you can click on a link to validate Windows.

Microsoft Genuine Advantage – Diagnostic Site

If your computer checks out ok, you may be experiencing one of the following issues.


The Security Update for Windows Genuine Advantage (KB905474) fails to install.



There are two possible solutions here. One is caused by a permissions problem in the registry. To fix this issue, follow the steps below:

1. Click Start, and then click Run

2. In the Open box, type regedit, and then click OK

3. Expand HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT

4. Locate the subkey HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\LegitCheckControl.LegitCheck

5. Right-click the subkey and select Permissions….

6. Ensure that Administrators allowed Full Control permission

7. Repeat steps 3-6 for the subkey
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\LegitCheckControl.LegitCheck.1

If this does not fix the issue with KB905474 update not installing, download the update to your desktop and manually install it.

1. Click on the link below to download the KB905474 update manually

http://www.download.windowsupdate.com/msdownload/update/v3-19990518/cabpool/windowsxp
-kb905474-enu-x86_4bafa8793e8cdcaf4ba4ffc494df32d496154544.exe

2. On the File Download Window, click Save and choose to save the file to your desktop.

3. After the file downloads, go to your Windows desktop and double-click on the file named

windowsxp-kb905474-enu-x86_4bafa8793e8cdcaf4ba4ffc494df32d496154544.exe

4. Follow the instructions on the screen to install it

5. Reboot your computer and go to Windows Update to check if the update as installed successfully.

Another reason why the validation may fail occurs when the ActiveX control for the Windows Genuine Advantage Validation Tool has been disabled. Follow the steps below to make sure the ActiveX is enabled.

1. Open Internet Explorer

2. Click on Tools, Internet Options

3. Click on the Programs tab

4. Click on the Manage Add-ons button

5. Find the Windows Genuine Advantage Validation Tool and click on it

6. Verify the Add-on is enabled, if it is not. Click Enable and Ok twice to exit back to Internet Explorer.

7. Close Internet Explorer and reopen it. Now try to validate Windows again.

A third error deals with Cryptographic Errors. If you are receiving the following information when running the WGA diagnostic tool, the problem is generally with corruption in the digital signatures of some files and they will have to be reregistered.

Diagnostic Report (1.5.0545.0):
-----------------------------------------
WGA Data-->
Validation Status: Cryptographic Errors Detected

Follow the steps below to resolve these cryptographic errors.

1) Click on Start, click on Run
2) In the Open box, type CMD and then click OK.
3) At the command prompt type the following command and Press Enter

regsvr32 softpub.dll

4) You should receive a message that DllRegisterServer in Softpub.dll succeeded, click OK
5) Repeat Steps 3 and 4 to re-register the following files

* wintrust.dll
* initpki.dll
* dssenh.dll
* rsaenh.dll
* gpkcsp.dll
* sccbase.dll
* slbcsp.dll
* mssip32.dll
* cryptdlg.dll

6) After all the above files have been re-registered, type Exit at the command prompt to close it and return to Windows.
7) Restart Windows and try to authenticate Windows again.

A fourth error message you may receive when trying to validate Windows XP is

"Product Key Inaccessible" and "0x80080212" error

This error message occurs when you do not have appropriate permissions for the DATA folder for Windows Genuine Advantage. Follow the steps below to fix this issue or click on the link above for the Microsoft article concerning this problem.

Windows XP Professional or Windows XP Home
1. Click Start, click Run, type the following in the Run dialog box, and then click OK:
%systemdrive%\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Windows Genuine Advantage.

2. Right-click the Data folder, and then click Properties.

3. On the Security tab, click Users (username\Users) in the Group or user names section. If the Security
tab is absent, you'll need to follow these steps as well.

* Open My Computer
* Click on Tools
* Click on Folder Options
* Click on the View tab
* Uncheck the option for "Use Simple File Sharing"
* Click Ok and go back to Step 2 above and try again.

4. In the Permissions for Users section, make sure that each check box in the Allow column is selected for the following permissions:

• Read & Execute
• List Folder Contents
• Read

5. Click OK, and then restart the validation check process.

If the previous steps fail, start the computer in Safe Mode and try the procedure again.

How to Delete Undeletable Files in Windows

Many times when trying to remove an unwanted program, especially a piece of adware or spyware, you may run across a file that is undeletable by any normal method. When you try to remove it you'll receive the error message shown below telling you "access denied" and explaining the file may be in use. You may also receive one of the following messages.

Cannot delete file: Access is denied
There has been a sharing violation.
The source or destination file may be in use.
The file is in use by another program or user.
Make sure the disk is not full or write-protected and that the file is not currently in use.


So if the file is in use, how do you delete it?

I'll show you several ways of removing these types of files and even some freeware programs that help you remove these pesky undeletable files.



Windows 95/98/ME

If you are using Windows 95, 98, or Windows ME, the easiest way to remove an undeleteable file is to boot to a DOS prompt and manually delete the file. Before you do this, you'll want to make a note of the location of the file including the entire path to it. Follow the steps below to delete these types of files.
If you already know the path to the file, please skip to Step 7

1. Click on Start, Find, Files and Folders
2. Type the name of the undeletable file in the Named or Search For box
3. Make sure the Look In box shows the correct drive letter
4. Click on Find Now or Search Now and let the computer find the file
5. Once the file is located, right-click on it and choose properties, make a note of the file location. Usually this is something similar to

c:\windows\system32\undeleteablefilesname.exe
6. Close the search box
7. Locate a boot disk for your version of Windows, if you do not have a boot disk, follow the steps on the link below to create an emergency boot disk.

How to Create an Emergency Boot Disk for Windows

8. Shut down and restart your computer with the boot disk in your floppy drive.
9. The computer will boot to a DOS prompt that will look similar to

c:\

10. Type the following command and press Enter to delete the filer, substituting the phrase with the actual path and file name you discovered in Step 5 above.

del

Example:

del c:\windows\undeleteablefile.exe
11. Remove the boot disk in the floppy drive and restart your computer
12. The file should now be deleted.


Windows XP

In Windows XP, there are a couple ways to remove an undeleteable file, a manual way, and a couple automated ways using some freeware programs. First, I'll show you the manual way.

Manual Method

If you already know the path to the file, please skip to Step 7

1. Click on Start, Search, All Files and Folders
2. Type the name of the undeletable file in the box shown
3. Make sure the Look In box shows the correct drive letter
4. Click Search and let the computer find the file
5. Once the file is located, right-click on it and choose properties, make a note of the file location. Usually this is something similar to

c:\windows\system32\undeleteablefilesname.exe

6. Close the search box
7. Click on Start, Run, and type CMD and Press Enter to open a Command Prompt window
8. Leave the Command Prompt window open, but proceed to close all other open programs
9. Click on Start, Run and type TASKMGR.EXE and press Enter to start Task Manager
10. Click on the Processes tab, click on the process named Explorer.exe and click on End Process.
11. Minimize Task Manager but leave it open
12. Go back to the Command Prompt window and change to the directory where the file is located. To do this, use the CD command. You can follow the example below.

Example: to change to the Windows\System32 directory you would enter the following command and Press Enter

cd \windows\system32

13. Now use the DEL command to delete the offending file. Type DEL where is the file you wish to delete.

Example: del undeletable.exe
14. Use ALT-TAB to go back to Task Manager
15. In Task Manager, click File, New Task and enter EXPLORER.EXE to restart the Windows shell.
16. Close Task Manager

Programs to automatically delete a file

Remove on Reboot Shell Extension

This is a nice extension that loads into the right click menu. All you have to do is right-click on a file and choose "Remove on Next Reboot" and the file will be deleted the next time the computer restarts. Although it probably should only be used by more advanced computer users since it may be TOO easy to delete files using this program.

Pocket Killbox

A simple .exe file that you can use to delete undeleteable files, although the program will also delete temporary files, edit the HOSTS file, and more. A definite must have program when you are fighting an annoying spyware or adware program that won't remove.

Unlocker

Unlocker is another program that runs from the right click menu. Its simple and very effective. The website even has a side by side comparision of other programs that accomplish this task.

Using one of the three tools shown above, you should be able to remove those annoying undeleteable files once and for all.

NSTP Community Service

Eto ang malupit, haha... syempre, simula pa kasi ng mag NSTP kami eh hindi pa kami nakak labas ng skul, yun bang mga community service na ganun ganyan, tapos, ayun nga at sa mahabang panahon na pag hihintay eh sa wakas at nagkaroon na rin ng linaw na magkakaroon ng ganoong aktibidad. haha adventure na naman yun, haha.... syempre kelangan ng kamera para masaya at may maipagpahili naman kami, hehe.. eh di yun nga nagdala pala si lanie at si regine kasi yung ginagamit ni alvin eh hindi nya madadala. memory card lang yung dala ni alvin, eh di yun si lanie naman na kabute eh wala palang charge yung camera nya eh di yung kay regine yung ginamit namin, kami ang may dala n cam, si alvin shiena at mhay, haha kaya yung iba walang gaanong picture kami lang kasi grupo grupo yun eh. haha sa Mahabang parang nga pala ito naganap, hehe.. eto ang ilan sa aming mga kuhang larawan, hehehe...

Text Messaging Jokes And Quotations

Akala mo hindi ka niya mahal dahil mas pinili niyang maging magkaibigan na lang kayo pero ang hindi mo alam higit ka niyang mahal dahil pinili niya kung saan kayo mas magtatagal.


Never get tired of doing little things for others. Sometimes those little things occupy the biggest part of their hearts.


If you’ve been hurt before, never afraid to try once more. Just like what the movie Narnia told: “things never happen the same way twice”.


A girl was on the way to the dorm, she’s the only remaining passenger on the jeep. She had taken this route many times before, so she was surprised when the driver suddenly changed his route. Alarmed, she told the driver she’s going to the dorm, after a few minutes, they are turned to the original route and the driver dropped her at the dorm. But before letting her go, he give her a few words of advice: “ne, pag-uwi mo, hubarin mo agad yung damit mo at kung pwede sunugin mo, iniba ko ang ruta para makaiwas sa disgrasya. Kanina kasi pagtingin ko sa salamin, wala kang ulo”.


Bakit kaya ang tao, kapag natalsikan ng laway ng iba, diring diri sila? Pero kapag laway ng kahalikan nila, san ka pa! nilulunok pa talaga!!!


No matter how serious life gets, you will consequently need the company of people whom you can completely be stupid with.

I missed being loved. It’s not because I’m not loved right now. What I want is someone who loves me that I can call mine. Not someone who just love me part-time…


Habang nagmamahal, hindi mo maiiwasang masaktan, un din naman ang rason kung bakit masarap magmahal diba? Yun bang kaya mong manakit ng tao pero hindi mo magawa kasi mas masasaktan ka kapag nakita mong nasasaktan siya.


Kung may problema ka, andito lang ako. Huwag kang mahiyang kumatok sa bahay ko. Because I have thee doors to open for you. fundaDOOR, mataDOOR, and emperaDOOR. Katok ka lang!!!


May mga bagay na ayaw mong isipin pero hindi mo kayang kalimutan, bagay na ayaw mo nang ituloy, pero takot kang wakasan. Yun bang, ayaw mo nang umasa pero gusto mo paring maghintay.


Kung hindi mo kakayanin ngayon, hindi mo makakaya bukas. Hindi mo makakaya habangbuhay.

The things that you regret is the risk you didn’t take.


Sabi nila, mas ok kumalas kaysa maging panakip butas. Sabi naman ng iba, mas ok magpaka tanga kasi naipaglaban nila yung mahal nila pero alam mo para sa akin mas ok parin mag-isa kaysa magmahal ng walang kwenta.


Lola: iho, ako ay isinumpa, isa akong prinsesa, ngunit kung ako’y iyong gagahasain. Babalik ako sa maganda kong anyo at tuluyang mapuputol ang sumpa! ..makaraan ang ilang saglit… Lalaki: ayan, tapos na. bakit hindi ka pa nagpapalit ng anyo? Lola: ilang taon ka na iho? Lalaki: 30 na ho. Lola: iyang tanda mong iyan, naniniwala ka pa sa fairytale?


Alcohol solve no problems, neither does milk. Pero buti pa ang alak libre kung minsan! Eh ang milk? Meron na ba nag treat ng milk? At sabi tara tol dede tayo…


Nang ipinanganak ako meron sungay, maaalis lang daw yun kapag may friend akong mabait. Nang makilala kita hanep! Nagkaroon pa ako ng buntot! YOU’RE THE BEST!!!


Blue roses for LOVERS, white chocolates for CRUSHES, pink balloons for FRIENDSHIPS,, and most of all.. for loveless, RED… REDHORESE….


Nagtatanim si Juan ng mapansin ni Pedro na wala naming buto na tinatanim, PEDRO: Juan sira ka talaga! Wala ka naming itinatanim ah? JUAN: mas sira ka! Seedless ito! Seedless!


Isa sa pinakadakilang biyaya na natanggap ko ay ang maging bahagi ka ng buhay ko. Dahil sayo marami akong natutunan. Salamat kaibigan, dahil sayo pasaway na rin ako!


Panu kung tamad na akong tamarin? Eh di ang sipag ko na nun? Ayoko nun. Nakakatamad!!!


Kapag may nang away sayo at inapi ka eto sabihin mo. Gusto mo samplalin kita ng PERA? Tig- bebenchinko! Nakaplastic pa. masakit diba? Haha…


Makabagong Kasabihan:
“aanhin mo ang gwapo kung mas malandi pa sayo”
“walang matinong lalaki sa malanding Kumpare”
“wala nang hihigit pa sa malansang isda, kundi ang isang baklang balahura”
“Sa hinaba-haba ng prosisyon,, bading din pala ang iyong karelasyon”
“ang tumatakbo ng matulin may gwapong hahabulin”
“Matalino man ang bading, bakla parin”


Joke Time:
FaithHealer:“sup-sop po ang pamamaraan ng aking panggagamot”. Isang napaka-gandang babaeang pasyente. Ipinaliwanag ng FaithHealer ang pamamaraan ng panggagamot, pumayag ang napakagandang babae. FaithHealer: “Anu ba ang gagamutin natin?”. Tugon ng babae: “ALMORANAS PO”. Napabulalas ang FaithHealer at sinabi nya sa babae, “NAGTATAPAL din naman ako”…


“CUTE KA”
Oo
Ikaw…
Your smile,
Your voice,
Your eyes,
“GRABE!
Nakaka-In Love!
…Yan nag message nila sa AKIN everyday. Pnabasa ko lang sayo…


Guro: Juan, saan makikita ang Mt. Apo?
Juan: Aba, ewan ko sa inyo sir! Kung saan-saan nyo pinaglalalagay, tapos ako tatanungin nyo! Umayos nga kayo sir!

Sa Capitolio

Nagpunta kami dito kasi yun yung araw na wala kaming pasok, kasi kinabukasan eh yung finals sa filipino, yung sabayang pagbigkas, eh ayun at dun nga napagkasunduang magpraktis. Madaming nangyari tapos may mga hindi pagkakasunduan, tapos yung iba pagkatapos magpraktis eh sayaw naman yung isinunod para sa p.e. hay kakapagod yun, hapon na rin yung iba ng makauwi. kasi naman, kahirap ng step, haha.. tapos yung iba dami pa reklamo, haha... ganun tlga eh. hayzzz.... tapos ayun inabutan pa kami ng ulan nung hapong iyon, hay... buti tumila ng konti, at nakasakay kagad kami, hehehe....

Bs. Computer Science 121

Kung mapapansin nyo po eh yung background lang yung nagbago, hahaha... yun lang po nakayanan eh, ahha... hanggang sa muli po... heheheh

Task Manager Has Been Disabled By Your Administrator

Many times when working on a computer that has been infected with a virus, trojan, or piece of spyware I find myself with the Task Manager being disabled. Malware creators like to disable Task Manager so it makes solving the problem and removing the issue difficult.

If this happens you'll normally have to edit the Windows registry to fix the problem. A restriction has been placed on the user to not allow them to run Task Manager, this might be ok in an office environment where the IT department wants to control things, but in a home office this can cause major problems trying to fix a malware or virus issue.

Listed below you will find the many ways to reenable Task Manager along with an automatic method that works wonders.

To open the Task Manager, you normally would do one of the following:

* Press CTRL-ALT-DEL on the keyboard
* Press CTRL-SHIFT-ESC on the keyboard
* Right-click on a blank area on the start bar and choose Task Manager
* Click on Start, Run and type TASKMGR in the run box and press Enter

Sometimes instead of Task Manager opening you'll see the following screen. In these cases, you'll have to follow the methods below to re-enable access to the Task Manager.


Task Manager has been disabled by your administrator

First we'll begin with the various registry modification methods for correcting this problem.

Method 1 - Using the Group Policy Editor in Windows XP Professional

1. Click Start, Run, type gpedit.msc and click OK.
2. Under User Configuration, Click on the plus (+) next to Administrative Templates
3. Click on the plus (+) next tSystem, then click on Ctrl+Alt+Delete Options
4. Find Remove Task Manager in the right-hand pane and double click on it
5. Choose the option "Not Configured" and click Ok.
6. Close the Group Policy Window

Method 2: Change the Task Manager Option through the Run line

1. Click on Start, Run and type the following command exactly and press Enter

REG add HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System /v DisableTaskMgr /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

Method 3: Change Task Manager through a Registry REG file

1. Click on Start, Run, and type Notepad and press Enter
2. Copy and paste the information between the dotted lines into Notepad and save it to your desktop as taskmanager.reg

------------------------------------
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System]
"DisableTaskMgr"=dword:00000000
-------------------------------------

3. Double click on the taskmanager.reg file to enter the information into the Windows registry

Method 4: Delete the restriction in the registry manually

1. Click on Start, Run, and type REGEDIT and press Enter
2. Navigate to the following branch

HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Policies\ System

3. In the right pane, find and delete the value named DisableTaskMgr
4. Close the registry editor


Method 5: Download and Run FixTaskManager program

# Click on the following links and download the program FixTaskManager to your Desktop

Main Site

Backup Location
# Double-click on the file FixTaskManager on your desktop and run it



***Note:***
This Article is From This Site: http://www.pchell.com/support/taskmanagerdisabled.shtml

If you want to search more about this article just click this Link.. Thank you.....

Memorable Quotes by BOB ONG

"Kung dalawa ang mahal mo, piliin mo yung pangalawa. Kasi hindi ka naman magmamahal ng iba kung mahal mo talaga yung una."

"Hindi porke't madalas mong ka-chat, kausap sa telepono, kasama sa mga lakad o ka-text ng wantusawa eh may gusto sayo at magkakatuluyan kayo. Meron lang talagang mga taong sadyang friendly, sweet, flirt, malandi, pa-fall o paasa."

"Huwag magmadali sa babae o lalake. Tatlo, lima, sampung taon, mag-iiba ang pamantayan mo at maiisip mong hindi pala tamang pumili ng kapareha dahil lang maganda o nakakalibog ito. Totong mas mahalaga ang kalooban ng tao higit sa anuman. Sa paglipas ng panahon, maging ang mga crush ng bayan nagmumukha ding pandesal, maniwala ka."

"Minsan kahit ikaw and nakaschedule, kailangan mo pa rin maghintay, kasi hindi ikaw ang priority."

"Mahirap pumapel sa buhay ng tao. Lalo na kung hindi ikaw yung bida sa script na pinili nya."

"Alam mo ba kung gaano kalayo ang pagitan ng dalawang tao pag nagtalikuran na sila? Kailangan mong libutin ang buong mundo para lang makaharap ulit ang taong tinalikuran mo."

“Mas mabuting mabigo sa paggawa ng isang bagay kesa magtagumpay sa paggawa ng wala”

"Kung nagmahal ka ng taong di dapat at nasaktan ka, wag mong sisihin ang puso mo. Tumitibok lng yan para mag-supply ng dugo sa katawan mo. Ngayon, kung magaling ka sa anatomy at ang sisisihin mo naman ay ang hypothalamus mo na kumokontrol ng emotions mo, mali ka pa rin! Bakit? Utang na loob! Wag mong isisi sa body organs mo ang mga sama ng loob mo sa buhay! Tandaan mo: magiging masaya ka lang kung matututo kang tanggapin na hindi ang puso, utak, atay o bituka mo ang may kasalanan sa lahat ng nangyari sayo, kundi IKAW mismo!"

“Hindi lahat ng kaya mong intindihin ay katotohan, at hindi lahat ng hindi mo kayang intindihin ay kasinungalingan”

"Ang pag-ibig parang imburnal...nakakatakot mahulog...at kapag nahulog ka, it's either by accident or talagang tanga ka.."

"dalawang dekada ka lang mag-aaral. kung 'di mo pagtityagaan, limang dekada ng kahirapan ang kapalit.sobrang lugi. kung alam lang 'yan ng mga kabataan, sa pananaw ko ehh walang gugustuhing umiwas sa eskwela."

"mangarap ka at abutin mo ito. wag mo sisihin ang sira mong pamilya, palpak mong syota, pilay mong tuta o mga lumilipad na ipis... kung may pagkukulang sayo ang magulang mo, pwede kang manisi at magrebelde, tumigil ka sa pag-aaral, mag drugs ka, magpakulay ng buhok sa kili-kili... sa bandang huli, ikaw din ang biktima... rebeldeng walang napatunayan at bait sa sarili..."

-- Bob Ong

The Lady Or The Tiger?

In the very olden time there lived a semi-barbaric king, whose ideas, though somewhat polished and sharpened by the progressiveness of distant Latin neighbors, were still large, florid, and untrammeled, as became the half of him which was barbaric. He was a man of exuberant fancy, and, withal, of an authority so irresistible that, at his will, he turned his varied fancies into facts. He was greatly given to self-communing, and, when he and himself agreed upon anything, the thing was done. When every member of his domestic and political systems moved smoothly in its appointed course, his nature was bland and genial; but, whenever there was a little hitch, and some of his orbs got out of their orbits, he was blander and more genial still, for nothing pleased him so much as to make the crooked straight and crush down uneven places.
Among the borrowed notions by which his barbarism had become semified was that of the public arena, in which, by exhibitions of manly and beastly valor, the minds of his subjects were refined and cultured.
But even here the exuberant and barbaric fancy asserted itself. The arena of the king was built, not to give the people an opportunity of hearing the rhapsodies of dying gladiators, nor to enable them to view the inevitable conclusion of a conflict between religious opinions and hungry jaws, but for purposes far better adapted to widen and develop the mental energies of the people. This vast amphitheater, with its encircling galleries, its mysterious vaults, and its unseen passages, was an agent of poetic justice, in which crime was punished, or virtue rewarded, by the decrees of an impartial and incorruptible chance.



When a subject was accused of a crime of sufficient importance to interest the king, public notice was given that on an appointed day the fate of the accused person would be decided in the king's arena, a structure which well deserved its name, for, although its form and plan were borrowed from afar, its purpose emanated solely from the brain of this man, who, every barleycorn a king, knew no tradition to which he owed more allegiance than pleased his fancy, and who ingrafted on every adopted form of human thought and action the rich growth of his barbaric idealism.
When all the people had assembled in the galleries, and the king, surrounded by his court, sat high up on his throne of royal state on one side of the arena, he gave a signal, a door beneath him opened, and the accused subject stepped out into the amphitheater. Directly opposite him, on the other side of the enclosed space, were two doors, exactly alike and side by side. It was the duty and the privilege of the person on trial to walk directly to these doors and open one of them. He could open either door he pleased; he was subject to no guidance or influence but that of the aforementioned impartial and incorruptible chance. If he opened the one, there came out of it a hungry tiger, the fiercest and most cruel that could be procured, which immediately sprang upon him and tore him to pieces as a punishment for his guilt. The moment that the case of the criminal was thus decided, doleful iron bells were clanged, great wails went up from the hired mourners posted on the outer rim of the arena, and the vast audience, with bowed heads and downcast hearts, wended slowly their homeward way, mourning greatly that one so young and fair, or so old and respected, should have merited so dire a fate.

But, if the accused person opened the other door, there came forth from it a lady, the most suitable to his years and station that his majesty could select among his fair subjects, and to this lady he was immediately married, as a reward of his innocence. It mattered not that he might already possess a wife and family, or that his affections might be engaged upon an object of his own selection; the king allowed no such subordinate arrangements to interfere with his great scheme of retribution and reward. The exercises, as in the other instance, took place immediately, and in the arena. Another door opened beneath the king, and a priest, followed by a band of choristers, and dancing maidens blowing joyous airs on golden horns and treading an epithalamic measure, advanced to where the pair stood, side by side, and the wedding was promptly and cheerily solemnized. Then the gay brass bells rang forth their merry peals, the people shouted glad hurrahs, and the innocent man, preceded by children strewing flowers on his path, led his bride to his home.
This was the king's semi-barbaric method of administering justice. Its perfect fairness is obvious. The criminal could not know out of which door would come the lady; he opened either he pleased, without having the slightest idea whether, in the next instant, he was to be devoured or married. On some occasions the tiger came out of one door, and on some out of the other. The decisions of this tribunal were not only fair, they were positively determinate: the accused person was instantly punished if he found himself guilty, and, if innocent, he was rewarded on the spot, whether he liked it or not. There was no escape from the judgments of the king's arena.
The institution was a very popular one. When the people gathered together on one of the great trial days, they never knew whether they were to witness a bloody slaughter or a hilarious wedding. This element of uncertainty lent an interest to the occasion which it could not otherwise have attained. Thus, the masses were entertained and pleased, and the thinking part of the community could bring no charge of unfairness against this plan, for did not the accused person have the whole matter in his own hands?

This semi-barbaric king had a daughter as blooming as his most florid fancies, and with a soul as fervent and imperious as his own. As is usual in such cases, she was the apple of his eye, and was loved by him above all humanity. Among his courtiers was a young man of that fineness of blood and lowness of station common to the conventional heroes of romance who love royal maidens. This royal maiden was well satisfied with her lover, for he was handsome and brave to a degree unsurpassed in all this kingdom, and she loved him with an ardor that had enough of barbarism in it to make it exceedingly warm and strong. This love affair moved on happily for many months, until one day the king happened to discover its existence. He did not hesitate nor waver in regard to his duty in the premises. The youth was immediately cast into prison, and a day was appointed for his trial in the king's arena. This, of course, was an especially important occasion, and his majesty, as well as all the people, was greatly interested in the workings and development of this trial. Never before had such a case occurred; never before had a subject dared to love the daughter of the king. In after years such things became commonplace enough, but then they were in no slight degree novel and startling.
The tiger-cages of the kingdom were searched for the most savage and relentless beasts, from which the fiercest monster might be selected for the arena; and the ranks of maiden youth and beauty throughout the land were carefully surveyed by competent judges in order that the young man might have a fitting bride in case fate did not determine for him a different destiny. Of course, everybody knew that the deed with which the accused was charged had been done. He had loved the princess, and neither he, she, nor any one else, thought of denying the fact; but the king would not think of allowing any fact of this kind to interfere with the workings of the tribunal, in which he took such great delight and satisfaction. No matter how the affair turned out, the youth would be disposed of, and the king would take an aesthetic pleasure in watching the course of events, which would determine whether or not the young man had done wrong in allowing himself to love the princess.

<>
The appointed day arrived. From far and near the people gathered, and thronged the great galleries of the arena, and crowds, unable to gain admittance, massed themselves against its outside walls. The king and his court were in their places, opposite the twin doors, those fateful portals, so terrible in their similarity.
All was ready. The signal was given. A door beneath the royal party opened, and the lover of the princess walked into the arena. Tall, beautiful, fair, his appearance was greeted with a low hum of admiration and anxiety. Half the audience had not known so grand a youth had lived among them. No wonder the princess loved him! What a terrible thing for him to be there!
As the youth advanced into the arena he turned, as the custom was, to bow to the king, but he did not think at all of that royal personage. His eyes were fixed upon the princess, who sat to the right of her father. Had it not been for the moiety of barbarism in her nature it is probable that lady would not have been there, but her intense and fervid soul would not allow her to be absent on an occasion in which she was so terribly interested. From the moment that the decree had gone forth that her lover should decide his fate in the king's arena, she had thought of nothing, night or day, but this great event and the various subjects connected with it. Possessed of more power, influence, and force of character than any one who had ever before been interested in such a case, she had done what no other person had done - she had possessed herself of the secret of the doors. She knew in which of the two rooms, that lay behind those doors, stood the cage of the tiger, with its open front, and in which waited the lady. Through these thick doors, heavily curtained with skins on the inside, it was impossible that any noise or suggestion should come from within to the person who should approach to raise the latch of one of them. But gold, and the power of a woman's will, had brought the secret to the princess.
And not only did she know in which room stood the lady ready to emerge, all blushing and radiant, should her door be opened, but she knew who the lady was. It was one of the fairest and loveliest of the damsels of the court who had been selected as the reward of the accused youth, should he be proved innocent of the crime of aspiring to one so far above him; and the princess hated her. Often had she seen, or imagined that she had seen, this fair creature throwing glances of admiration upon the person of her lover, and sometimes she thought these glances were perceived, and even returned. Now and then she had seen them talking together; it was but for a moment or two, but much can be said in a brief space; it may have been on most unimportant topics, but how could she know that? The girl was lovely, but she had dared to raise her eyes to the loved one of the princess; and, with all the intensity of the savage blood transmitted to her through long lines of wholly barbaric ancestors, she hated the woman who blushed and trembled behind that silent door.

<>
When her lover turned and looked at her, and his eye met hers as she sat there, paler and whiter than any one in the vast ocean of anxious faces about her, he saw, by that power of quick perception which is given to those whose souls are one, that she knew behind which door crouched the tiger, and behind which stood the lady. He had expected her to know it. He understood her nature, and his soul was assured that she would never rest until she had made plain to herself this thing, hidden to all other lookers-on, even to the king. The only hope for the youth in which there was any element of certainty was based upon the success of the princess in discovering this mystery; and the moment he looked upon her, he saw she had succeeded, as in his soul he knew she would succeed.
Then it was that his quick and anxious glance asked the question: "Which?" It was as plain to her as if he shouted it from where he stood. There was not an instant to be lost. The question was asked in a flash; it must be answered in another.
Her right arm lay on the cushioned parapet before her. She raised her hand, and made a slight, quick movement toward the right. No one but her lover saw her. Every eye but his was fixed on the man in the arena.
He turned, and with a firm and rapid step he walked across the empty space. Every heart stopped beating, every breath was held, every eye was fixed immovably upon that man. Without the slightest hesitation, he went to the door on the right, and opened it.
Now, the point of the story is this: Did the tiger come out of that door, or did the lady ?
The more we reflect upon this question, the harder it is to answer. It involves a study of the human heart which leads us through devious mazes of passion, out of which it is difficult to find our way. Think of it, fair reader, not as if the decision of the question depended upon yourself, but upon that hot-blooded, semi-barbaric princess, her soul at a white heat beneath the combined fires of despair and jealousy. She had lost him, but who should have him?

<>
How often, in her waking hours and in her dreams, had she started in wild horror, and covered her face with her hands as she thought of her lover opening the door on the other side of which waited the cruel fangs of the tiger!
But how much oftener had she seen him at the other door! How in her grievous reveries had she gnashed her teeth, and torn her hair, when she saw his start of rapturous delight as he opened the door of the lady! How her soul had burned in agony when she had seen him rush to meet that woman, with her flushing cheek and sparkling eye of triumph; when she had seen him lead her forth, his whole frame kindled with the joy of recovered life; when she had heard the glad shouts from the multitude, and the wild ringing of the happy bells; when she had seen the priest, with his joyous followers, advance to the couple, and make them man and wife before her very eyes; and when she had seen them walk away together upon their path of flowers, followed by the tremendous shouts of the hilarious multitude, in which her one despairing shriek was lost and drowned!
Would it not be better for him to die at once, and go to wait for her in the blessed regions of semi-barbaric futurity?
And yet, that awful tiger, those shrieks, that blood!
Her decision had been indicated in an instant, but it had been made after days and nights of anguished deliberation. She had known she would be asked, she had decided what she would answer, and, without the slightest hesitation, she had moved her hand to the right.
The question of her decision is one not to be lightly considered, and it is not for me to presume to set myself up as the one person able to answer it. And so I leave it with all of you: Which came out of the opened door - the lady, or the tiger?