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  3. Superstitious Programmers.

Superstitious Programmers.

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  • L Lost User

    My boss pays me because he thinks I can manipulate bits and then magical things will happen. Does that count?

    And from the clouds a mighty voice spoke:
    "Smile and be happy, for it could come worse!"

    And I smiled and was happy
    And it came worse.

    B Offline
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    bVagadishnu
    wrote on last edited by
    #14

    Sounds like you can have a career in pr0n :laugh:

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    • S Slacker007

      I have certain apps I use here at work, where I won't click the "Ok" button until I have counted to 3. There is this one, ancient app, created at the beginning of time by old man byte my ass, where I say a little prayer before I use it. If I don't pray, the app stops in its tracks and laughs at me and calls me names. Do you have any silly superstitions regarding programming?

      Just along for the ride. "the meat from that butcher is just the dogs danglies, absolutely amazing cuts of beef." - DaveAuld (2011)
      "No, that is just the earthly manifestation of the Great God Retardon." - Nagy Vilmos (2011)

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      Michael Bergman
      wrote on last edited by
      #15

      // I encapsulate my code in comments before I run it.

      m.bergman

      For Bruce Schneier, quanta only have one state : afraid.

      To succeed in the world it is not enough to be stupid, you must also be well-mannered. -- Voltaire

      Honesty is the best policy, but insanity is a better defense. -- Steve Landesberg

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      • L lewax00

        Everything that works won't when you try to show someone, but the reverse is also true, so showing someone a broken program is a valid way of fixing it (only in their presence though).

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        Orcun Iyigun
        wrote on last edited by
        #16

        Thats what happens to me most of the time. When I am tetsing it, it seems working perfectly fine but the minute that I am showing the programme to someone else BOOM a bug or program crashes.. hate when it happens.. seems like i need to improve my testing skills :)

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        • B bVagadishnu

          Sounds like you can have a career in pr0n :laugh:

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          L Offline
          Lost User
          wrote on last edited by
          #17

          Yep. That describes very well what I do all day.

          And from the clouds a mighty voice spoke:
          "Smile and be happy, for it could come worse!"

          And I smiled and was happy
          And it came worse.

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          • B bVagadishnu

            Sounds like you can have a career in pr0n :laugh:

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            S Offline
            S Houghtelin
            wrote on last edited by
            #18

            Only if they are the naughty bits. :laugh:

            It was broke, so I fixed it.

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            • W Wjousts

              Slapping the side of users usually helps to eliminate some bugs.

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              S Houghtelin
              wrote on last edited by
              #19

              Wjousts wrote:

              Slapping the side of users

              May not fix the bugs, but if it bugs the user, that makes me feel better. :-D

              It was broke, so I fixed it.

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              • C Corporal Agarn

                Don't you know that programs can sense when IT is around? I believe it is a law that when a user tries to show IT the problem it works fine. :)

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                GStrad
                wrote on last edited by
                #20

                There is an inverse to this that when you want to demonstrate a new piece of software it will fail in some totally unexpected way. The likely hood of failure increases with size of audience....

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                • X Xiangyang Liu

                  Jim Crafton wrote:

                  Of course now you can't do that with flatscreens, they'll just fall over.

                  Flatscreens are designed for something different, slapping them will do wonders for C# programs, I think.

                  My Younger Son & His "PET"

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                  Igguk
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #21

                  Do you think Sharp designed their flatscreens for this specific purpose? :laugh:

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                  • W Wjousts

                    Slapping the side of users usually helps to eliminate some bugs.

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                    Igguk
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #22

                    Sometimes actually works when real bugs could find a way inside four flatscreen and keep wandering around behind the glass...

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                    • S Slacker007

                      I have certain apps I use here at work, where I won't click the "Ok" button until I have counted to 3. There is this one, ancient app, created at the beginning of time by old man byte my ass, where I say a little prayer before I use it. If I don't pray, the app stops in its tracks and laughs at me and calls me names. Do you have any silly superstitions regarding programming?

                      Just along for the ride. "the meat from that butcher is just the dogs danglies, absolutely amazing cuts of beef." - DaveAuld (2011)
                      "No, that is just the earthly manifestation of the Great God Retardon." - Nagy Vilmos (2011)

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                      Fran Porretto
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #23

                      I absolutely refuse to code when my wife is in one of her "moods." The bad vibes tend to jiggle all my linked lists.

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                      • G GStrad

                        There is an inverse to this that when you want to demonstrate a new piece of software it will fail in some totally unexpected way. The likely hood of failure increases with size of audience....

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                        Corporal Agarn
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #24

                        So true!

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                        • C Corporal Agarn

                          Don't you know that programs can sense when IT is around? I believe it is a law that when a user tries to show IT the problem it works fine. :)

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                          Peter R Fletcher
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #25

                          This may also have something to do with the user actually paying attention to what he/she is doing when demonstrating the problem, rather than operating in autopilot mode. Yet another proof that observation changes the observed phenomena. :)

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                          • P Peter R Fletcher

                            This may also have something to do with the user actually paying attention to what he/she is doing when demonstrating the problem, rather than operating in autopilot mode. Yet another proof that observation changes the observed phenomena. :)

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                            Corporal Agarn
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #26

                            I would rather think it is because of my godhood. :laugh:

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                            • S Slacker007

                              I have certain apps I use here at work, where I won't click the "Ok" button until I have counted to 3. There is this one, ancient app, created at the beginning of time by old man byte my ass, where I say a little prayer before I use it. If I don't pray, the app stops in its tracks and laughs at me and calls me names. Do you have any silly superstitions regarding programming?

                              Just along for the ride. "the meat from that butcher is just the dogs danglies, absolutely amazing cuts of beef." - DaveAuld (2011)
                              "No, that is just the earthly manifestation of the Great God Retardon." - Nagy Vilmos (2011)

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                              C Offline
                              C Pottinger
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #27

                              If, on the first compile, you have no errors or warnings then DO NOT RUN IT. Check that code with a fine-toothed comb! The bug (and there IS a bug) is massive database destroying, hard-disk wiping, power-supply blowing superbug.

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                              • S Slacker007

                                I have certain apps I use here at work, where I won't click the "Ok" button until I have counted to 3. There is this one, ancient app, created at the beginning of time by old man byte my ass, where I say a little prayer before I use it. If I don't pray, the app stops in its tracks and laughs at me and calls me names. Do you have any silly superstitions regarding programming?

                                Just along for the ride. "the meat from that butcher is just the dogs danglies, absolutely amazing cuts of beef." - DaveAuld (2011)
                                "No, that is just the earthly manifestation of the Great God Retardon." - Nagy Vilmos (2011)

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                                S Offline
                                sgorozco
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #28

                                We in the office fear as hell Mercury-retrograde periods. There have been several such periods where we notice things like to fail at the same time (like 4 remote machines dying because of completely unrelated causes on the same day, or two Raid5 clusters losing two drives simultaneously!) Odd indeed... :P

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                                • C Corporal Agarn

                                  Don't you know that programs can sense when IT is around? I believe it is a law that when a user tries to show IT the problem it works fine. :)

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                                  patbob
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #29

                                  Naw, that's just standard animal behavior.. the computers are afraid to misbehave around us because they know we can discipline them, but no so for the users. These things have been passing the Turing Test for years now, and nobody's noticed. Personally, I think they're just quietly biding their time until we create Skynet for them and they don't need us anymore.

                                  We can program with only 1's, but if all you've got are zeros, you've got nothing.

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                                  • C Corporal Agarn

                                    Don't you know that programs can sense when IT is around? I believe it is a law that when a user tries to show IT the problem it works fine. :)

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                                    B Offline
                                    BrainiacV
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #30

                                    I always explain it as "Daddy's here, so it is going to behave."

                                    Psychosis at 10 Film at 11 Those who do not remember the past, are doomed to repeat it. Those who do not remember the past, cannot build upon it.

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                                    • S Slacker007

                                      I have certain apps I use here at work, where I won't click the "Ok" button until I have counted to 3. There is this one, ancient app, created at the beginning of time by old man byte my ass, where I say a little prayer before I use it. If I don't pray, the app stops in its tracks and laughs at me and calls me names. Do you have any silly superstitions regarding programming?

                                      Just along for the ride. "the meat from that butcher is just the dogs danglies, absolutely amazing cuts of beef." - DaveAuld (2011)
                                      "No, that is just the earthly manifestation of the Great God Retardon." - Nagy Vilmos (2011)

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                                      E Offline
                                      Erick Viera
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #31

                                      I had a cd burner that seemed to get lonely when i left the room, and refused to succesfully burn ANY cd unless i provided my undivided attention to the monitor. To this day i stay put whenever I burn discs

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                                      • C Corporal Agarn

                                        Don't you know that programs can sense when IT is around? I believe it is a law that when a user tries to show IT the problem it works fine. :)

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                                        obermd
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #32

                                        I finally figured out why users can't duplicate the problems when the developer is watching. It's simple human nature. As someone gets used to something, they start taking (unconcious) shortcuts to get the task done quicker. At some point one of these shortcuts or a combination of these shortcuts causes the task to fail. When the developer is watching, users will go "slow" to demonstrate the problem. In reality, by going "slow" they are now using the software as it was designed and no failure occurs. As a developer and helpdesk for my applications, I see this occur on a disturbingly regular basis.

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                                        • S Slacker007

                                          I have certain apps I use here at work, where I won't click the "Ok" button until I have counted to 3. There is this one, ancient app, created at the beginning of time by old man byte my ass, where I say a little prayer before I use it. If I don't pray, the app stops in its tracks and laughs at me and calls me names. Do you have any silly superstitions regarding programming?

                                          Just along for the ride. "the meat from that butcher is just the dogs danglies, absolutely amazing cuts of beef." - DaveAuld (2011)
                                          "No, that is just the earthly manifestation of the Great God Retardon." - Nagy Vilmos (2011)

                                          K Offline
                                          K Offline
                                          Kerrash
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #33

                                          The more times you get your password wrong, the harder you have to hit the keys to get it to work. ;)

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