Outrageous error messages
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I develop software to control scientific instruments. This is a different world to databases or financial software. The first rule is to insist on the electronic and mechanical designers proving that the hardware is working properly before you will consider that the software has a bug. (The first rule of the mechanical and electronic designers is, of course, "the software is faulty"). The second rule is that just when you've got it all working properly they will change the hardware. I once worked on software to control a mass spectrometer. This detects a particle beam travelling down a vacuum tube. There were two types of detectors, the instrument could either be fitted with "high detectors" or "low detectors". I was looking through the source one day when I came across this user error message (without the stars of course). "Both high and low detectors fitted. B******S, THEY PROMISED ME THIS WOULD NEVER HAPPEN."
Regards - Roger
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I develop software to control scientific instruments. This is a different world to databases or financial software. The first rule is to insist on the electronic and mechanical designers proving that the hardware is working properly before you will consider that the software has a bug. (The first rule of the mechanical and electronic designers is, of course, "the software is faulty"). The second rule is that just when you've got it all working properly they will change the hardware. I once worked on software to control a mass spectrometer. This detects a particle beam travelling down a vacuum tube. There were two types of detectors, the instrument could either be fitted with "high detectors" or "low detectors". I was looking through the source one day when I came across this user error message (without the stars of course). "Both high and low detectors fitted. B******S, THEY PROMISED ME THIS WOULD NEVER HAPPEN."
Regards - Roger
That was hilarious. Thanks for sharing.
A friend is, as it were, a second self. - Marcus Tullius Cicero
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That was hilarious. Thanks for sharing.
A friend is, as it were, a second self. - Marcus Tullius Cicero
NOT SO FAST !!!! Okay you think this is just horrible, and 99% of the time I would agree with you. However, let me explain my experience with this exact situation. I worked at a company where we had the usual daily meeting. The guy sitting next to be asks our manager about a request he's working on. The question went something like: "This process compares records in out database to the client file and performs calculation "A" which is saved to our database. So, what do you want me to do if a client record cannot be matched up to an record in our database?" To which the manager said, that will never happen. Being the logical programmer my buddy replies, "but what if it does happen?" To which Mr. Stubborn manager replies, "I just told you that it will NEVER happen. Hence, the origin of the error message. Given the circumstances, wouldn't you cut this guy some slack?
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NOT SO FAST !!!! Okay you think this is just horrible, and 99% of the time I would agree with you. However, let me explain my experience with this exact situation. I worked at a company where we had the usual daily meeting. The guy sitting next to be asks our manager about a request he's working on. The question went something like: "This process compares records in out database to the client file and performs calculation "A" which is saved to our database. So, what do you want me to do if a client record cannot be matched up to an record in our database?" To which the manager said, that will never happen. Being the logical programmer my buddy replies, "but what if it does happen?" To which Mr. Stubborn manager replies, "I just told you that it will NEVER happen. Hence, the origin of the error message. Given the circumstances, wouldn't you cut this guy some slack?
It wasn't flagging the situation that I thought was the problem, but calling his colleagues b******s in a message that would be displayed to the users. By all means write it to an internal log file or something, but don't swear at the users, it's not very professional.
Regards - Roger
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It wasn't flagging the situation that I thought was the problem, but calling his colleagues b******s in a message that would be displayed to the users. By all means write it to an internal log file or something, but don't swear at the users, it's not very professional.
Regards - Roger
Color me stupid, I thought the b*****s was the person's name. Note, my initials are B.S. In my case, the manager's name was put into the message replacing the b******s. Now that i understand your true meaning... I have a client who is paying top price for a website face lift. I was doing an A/B compare on the test release of the site in FireFox and IE. I must admit they did a good job with absolutely no difference between the two browsers. Curious as a cat, I decided to view the source code in hopes of getting the link to their Java Script file and any style sheets for future reference. Paging down in the source i found a hidden DIV where a developer left a large does of his explicitive filled comments regarding the client. HOLY-COW! I couldn't believe what i was reading, and can't repeat any of it here. Regardless, it's all pretty funny stuff.
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I develop software to control scientific instruments. This is a different world to databases or financial software. The first rule is to insist on the electronic and mechanical designers proving that the hardware is working properly before you will consider that the software has a bug. (The first rule of the mechanical and electronic designers is, of course, "the software is faulty"). The second rule is that just when you've got it all working properly they will change the hardware. I once worked on software to control a mass spectrometer. This detects a particle beam travelling down a vacuum tube. There were two types of detectors, the instrument could either be fitted with "high detectors" or "low detectors". I was looking through the source one day when I came across this user error message (without the stars of course). "Both high and low detectors fitted. B******S, THEY PROMISED ME THIS WOULD NEVER HAPPEN."
Regards - Roger
...so read an error message I found in a customer's code a while back. :doh: Needless to say it didn't last long once I found it!
Anna :rose: Linting the day away :cool: Anna's Place | Tears and Laughter "If mushy peas are the food of the devil, the stotty cake is the frisbee of God"
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...so read an error message I found in a customer's code a while back. :doh: Needless to say it didn't last long once I found it!
Anna :rose: Linting the day away :cool: Anna's Place | Tears and Laughter "If mushy peas are the food of the devil, the stotty cake is the frisbee of God"
I found a TODO: handle string thingie in some code the other day..until today I STILL don't know what the author ment to say :sigh: To reassure you, I long promoted that function to the recycle bin.