"Restricted" as synonym for "non-existent"

Question

From the site of The Guardian right now:"Important message for Guardian Unlimited usersWe are experiencing technical problems and are operating a restricted service."That's it. That message is the whole "restricted" service.Ah, and how can I be a "user" of something I can't use?**Ross Howard

Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:1]From the site of The Guardian right now: "Important message for Guardian Unlimited users We are experiencing technical problems and are operating a restricted service." That's it. That message is the whole "restricted" service.[/nq]
Not now. It now has (and the 'Tony Blair', 'Insurance Giant', and 'UK to Review' heads are active links):
Home > UK news > International news
Latest news 12:23 GMT
Important message for Guardian Unlimited users
We are experiencing technical problems and are operating a restricted service. Please return to this page regularly to read the latest UK and international news. We are working to restore normal service and apologise for any inconvenience caused.
UK
Tony Blair's press conference
Follow the prime minister's monthly appearance before the media

Insurance giant to cut 1,000 jobs
Royal & SunAlliance, Britain's second biggest insurer, is to cut another 1,000 jobs on top of the 1,200 posts axed last year as it intensifies efforts to reduce costs
International
UK to review troop levels in Iraq
The government today announced a review of British troop levels in Iraq, as the foreign secretary reportedly warned of "strategic failure" unless more soldiers are dispatched
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2003

Martin Ambuhl

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]From the site of The Guardian right now: "Important message for Guardian Unlimited users We are experiencing technical problems and ... That message is the whole "restricted" service. Ah, and how can I be a "user" of something I can't use?[/nq]
Tricky devil, Johnny Newspaper Website. Having had to do it for a living, I have some sympathy with the poor sods at GU (you might be surprised to know how few of them there are). You have to work very fast on a good day, and when the system they are pretty complicated, and never what you really wanted plays up you don't always know what's happening at a given moment. Sometimes you can get a limited service going, only for it to fall down immediately, or fail to propagate completely or quickly enough, or *** knows what else. So I learned not to send out expressions in an apology which might excite derision among the customers; but, as I say, you can't always be sure what's happening, so you can't always explain to the reader.

So blackish mark for saying "restricted service", but sincere fellow-feeling for having to cope.
Mike.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]From the site of The Guardian right now: "Important message for Guardian Unlimited users We are experiencing technical problems and are operating a restricted service." That's it. That message is the whole "restricted" service.[/nq]
That's all the service you're getting. I suspect that they mean "restricted to certain users", probably employees and perhaps a few others rather than "restricted activities", although the latter might be the case if you happened to know the correct entry point. It might also be "restricted to a certain number of simultaneous users" and you just never happened to get lucky, but my money would be on the first interpretation.

Evan Kirshenbaum + HP Laboratories >...as a mobile phone is analogous
1501 Page Mill Road, 1U, MS 1141 >to a Q-Tip yeah, it's somethingPalo Alto, CA 94304 >you stick in your ear, but there

http://www.kirshenbaum.net/

"Restricted" as synonym for "non-existent"

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