And Right Back At It

      So, I have spent a lot of the past three days trying to connect to a old device.  You have to get in via a specific network port, and it needs an outdated version of Java.

      Three different computers, each running different iterations of Windows, haven't been able to get in. The application crashes. I'm down to the last one, an elderly Asus Eee with Windows XP.  The battery was flat yesterday and it was a bit flaky, so I charged it and did a little housekeeping.  This is my last option with software and hardware readily available, things that I own.  (It's barely okay, since the widget I am connecting to is not yet on my employer's network and is a dedicated microcontroller not running a common operating system.)

      I know of workarounds for Flash but a top-up for my Java....  They're not common.  I have some leads.  I suspect we're going to have to buy something, and by "we," I mean not out of my pocket and not running on a computer I own.  Given that company machines are -- quite properly -- locked down six ways from Sunday, it's liable to take negotiating with Corporate IT as well.  Maybe I can finally beg an official laptop, though I'm more likely to find myself stringing temporary network cables across the floor.