Windows asks a networking question on a Stratford billboard

Glue and paper wouldn't have cared about discoverability
Bork!Bork!Bork!

Today's entry in the pantheon of public whoopsies is not so much Windows falling over as someone sticking a network connection where it possibly doesn't belong.

We'd normally say that this was spotted by an eagle-eyed Register reader (which it was – thanks, Alastair), but this network notification has popped up on a giant billboard outside London's Stratford station, making it hard to miss.

Network error on a billboard - Click to enlarge
"Do you want to allow your PC to be discoverable… ?" is the question, and the answer is...

well, it's probably a little late for that.

Thanks to the pop-up covering a sizeable chunk of the billboard, the fact that a PC is lurking behind the scenes is most definitely public knowledge, even if the device itself might or might not make itself known on whatever "Network 3" might be.

Using Windows to run an electronic billboard feels excessive.

The legendary reliability of the operating system, coupled with its tendency to trip up even the most seasoned administrators with surprise pop-ups, can make it tricky to manage.

However, we'd contend that considering the cost of hardware these days, whatever software is running on top is the least of a user's problems.

Even though it's only showing adverts, it's good to see a recent version of Windows in use here.

The nearby Stratford station has its origins in the first half of the 19th century, though this section is bang up to date, with an escalator leading up to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and another descending toward the bus station and town center.

Ah yes, the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

Built for the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics, the complex reopened in 2013 with many of its facilities still intact.

Coincidentally, 2012 was also the year when Windows 8 became generally available, ushering in an era of chaos and catastrophe for users accustomed to Windows 7's way of doing things.

One change was around Network discovery, and it is delightful to see that, just as the legacy of the 2012 Olympic games has been preserved with the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, so too have the user interface changes introduced with Windows 8, thanks to a billboard-sized bork outside Stratford station.

Windows 8 might be gone, but it has yet to be forgotten.

It's what Her Majesty would have wanted.

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