Was installing a package on Linux and ran into huge problems.

First, the package — let’s call it ‘somecrap’ — contained a post-installation configuration. Linux has this terminal pseudo-GUI used sometimes for configuration of packages. You may have seen it, it looks like ASCII art. Unfortunately it’s so brittle that when you Ctrl-Z out of it there is no way to get it back. So I had to just Ctrl-C out of it. Turns out the process that runs it (‘whiptail’) is stuck using 100% of CPU. So that’s fine, it too can be killed, but how to get a configuration do-over? The package thinks it’s already configured — and indeed, wrote out a default configuration file. There is no way to get a redo short of removing and reinstalling the package. Right? And that’s where the real problem starts.
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This is driving me nuts. This package is still a few hops away! It is supposed to be “Guaranteed Three-Day Delivery”. However, Newegg, who decided to be cheap, sent it out on Ground because it decided it is within the UPS 3-day delivery radius of me.

But now you see that this is not at all the same thing as actual third-day delivery service offered by UPS called 3rd Day Select.

Holidays, weekends, snow… This is possibly the worst-case scenario for Ground.

Date/Time Activity Location Details
01/04/2009 15:56:00 UNLOAD SCAN[I] PORTLAND, OR, US
12/31/2008 11:12:00 ARRIVAL SCAN[I] PORTLAND, OR, US
12/29/2008 20:37:00 DEPARTURE SCAN[I] BALDWIN PARK, CA, US
12/28/2008 09:49:00 ORIGIN SCAN[I] BALDWIN PARK, CA, US
12/24/2008 15:06:11 BILLING INFORMATION RECEIVED[M]

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