• General Lee Displeased (unregistered)
    Alex:
    Between Penguicon, SODEC, and an unusually hectic week at work prepping for a new release of BuildMaster, I didn't get a chance to do a new article today.
    Oh, well, I guess you don't see this website as a source of revenue for you. I've gone ahead and blocked the sidebar adds accordingly.
  • Dot Morpheus (unregistered)

    No one can explain to you what the dot matrix is...you have to see it for yourself.

  • socknet (unregistered) in reply to General Lee Displeased
    General Lee Displeased:
    Alex:
    Between Penguicon, SODEC, and an unusually hectic week at work prepping for a new release of BuildMaster, I didn't get a chance to do a new article today.
    Oh, well, I guess you don't see this website as a source of revenue for you. I've gone ahead and blocked the sidebar adds accordingly.

    it isn't free to run you know...

  • Someone (unregistered)
  • (cs) in reply to General Lee Displeased
    General Lee Displeased:
    Alex:
    Between Penguicon, SODEC, and an unusually hectic week at work prepping for a new release of BuildMaster, I didn't get a chance to do a new article today.
    Oh, well, I guess you don't see this website as a source of revenue for you. I've gone ahead and blocked the sidebar adds accordingly.
    Mad?
  • (cs)

    Whenever Alex posts a Classic WTF, I go check out the original comments to see what the hivemind of yesteryear concluded. That being said, this comment sums it all up nicely.

  • b0b g0atse (unregistered)

    USE LineTests

    SELECT DateRun, AreaTested, WasSuccess FROM LineTests INTO CURSOR curReport WHERE PerformedByID = nOperatorID

    SELECT curReport LIST TO PRINTER

    fixed

  • grits (unregistered) in reply to Power Troll
    Power Troll:
    General Lee Displeased:
    Alex:
    Between Penguicon, SODEC, and an unusually hectic week at work prepping for a new release of BuildMaster, I didn't get a chance to do a new article today.
    Oh, well, I guess you don't see this website as a source of revenue for you. I've gone ahead and blocked the sidebar adds accordingly.
    Mad?
    No, apparently he's just generally displease.
  • Master of Anatomy (unregistered) in reply to frits
    frits:
    Whenever Alex posts a Classic WTF, I go check out the original comments to see what the hivemind of yesteryear concluded. That being said, this comment sums it all up nicely.

    I thought the one right below it was an even better summary.

  • Cian (unregistered)

    Ahh, dot matrix printers. That brings me back to... this morning :(

    I still have to install maybe 80-100 brand new dot matrix printers a year, they're horribly pricey now but absolutely needed for printing on multi-part security stationary.

  • (cs)

    Ah, Young-Alex's excessive word hyphenation-phase.

  • Nagesh (unregistered) in reply to Master of Anatomy
    Master of Anatomy:
    frits:
    Whenever Alex posts a Classic WTF, I go check out the original comments to see what the hivemind of yesteryear concluded. That being said, this comment sums it all up nicely.

    I thought the one right below it was an even better summary.

    DO NOT CLICK. This is not funny [b]madarchowder[b]!!!!!
  • AckJassery (unregistered)
    Alex:
    I didn't get a chance to do a new article today. But, I do have a fun classic: The Intermittent Hum was originally published way back when I gave a darnn.
    FTFY
  • (cs) in reply to Nagesh
    Nagesh(fake):
    Master of Anatomy:
    frits:
    Whenever Alex posts a Classic WTF, I go check out the original comments to see what the hivemind of yesteryear concluded. That being said, this comment sums it all up nicely.

    I thought the one right below it was an even better summary.

    DO NOT CLICK. This is not funny [b]madarchowder[b]!!!!!

    Troll not know to use BBCode tags. <win for me>

  • neveralull (unregistered)

    I'd hate to rewrite all my delivered software for free in my spare time every time I learned something new!

  • nick (unregistered) in reply to neveralull

    As in: you're still churning out new crap while fixing old crap?

  • C-Octothorpe (unregistered) in reply to nick
    nick:
    As in: you're still churning out new crap while fixing old crap?

    ...everyday...

  • neveralull (unregistered) in reply to C-Octothorpe
    C-Octothorpe:
    nick:
    As in: you're still churning out new crap while fixing old crap?

    ...everyday...

    This year's code looks ok, but next year it will look like crap (unless I learn nothing new all year). Hopefully each year is less crappy than the year before.

  • (cs) in reply to neveralull
    neveralull:
    I'd hate to rewrite all my delivered software for free in my spare time every time I learned something new!

    Our project manager say "don't fix bug. they bring future income."

  • (cs) in reply to Master of Anatomy
    Master of Anatomy:
    frits:
    Whenever Alex posts a Classic WTF, I go check out the original comments to see what the hivemind of yesteryear concluded. That being said, this comment sums it all up nicely.

    I thought the one right below it was an even better summary.

    I never thought I'd say this, but thank goodness for employer-enforced image blocking.

  • zero page (unregistered) in reply to b0b g0atse
    b0b g0atse:
    USE LineTests

    SELECT DateRun, AreaTested, WasSuccess FROM LineTests INTO CURSOR curReport WHERE PerformedByID = nOperatorID

    SELECT curReport LIST TO PRINTER

    fixed

    I don't think Clipper ever supported any sort of SQL, as FoxPro in its later versions does.

    Also, the default scope for LIST is the current record only, so that'd have to be: LIST ALL OFF TO PRINT

    I could be wrong on both these, though: my expertise is in FoxBase/FoxPro, not Clipper.

  • SeySayux (unregistered) in reply to Someone
    Someone:
    String tdwtfCaptchaEncode(String text) {
    StringBuffer sb;
    for(idx_t i = 0; i < text.length(); ++i) {
        sb << byte(text.at(i)) ^ 0x2C << ',';
    }

    return "http://thedailywtf.com/CaptchaImage.aspx?w=500&h=250&" + urlEncode(base64Encode(sb));
}

String tdwtfCaptchaDecode(String text) {
    text = text.replace("http://thedailywtf.com/CaptchaImage.aspx?w=500&h=250&","");
    text = base64Decode(urlDecode(text));
    text = text.replaceAll(",","");
    
    StringBuffer sb;
    for(idx_t i = 0; i < text.length(); ++i) {
        sb << byte(text.at(i)) ^ 0x2C;
    }
 
    return sb;

}
  • ÃÆâ€â„ (unregistered)

    TRWTF was not charging for it, even if he was just fixing his own oversight.

  • (cs) in reply to ÃÆâ€â„
    ÃÆâ€â„:
    TRWTF was not charging for it, even if he was just fixing his own oversight.

    Correct Commnet You are finaly showing inteligent signs.

  • Justin (unregistered) in reply to Dot Morpheus
    Dot Morpheus:
    No one can explain to you what the dot matrix is...you have to see it for yourself.

    This actually made me LOL...

  • Mike Jacobs (unregistered) in reply to b0b g0atse

    sorry, no SQL in Clipper... had to wait for FoxPro 2.5 for that

  • (cs) in reply to ÃÆâ€â„
    ÃÆâ€â„:
    TRWTF was not charging for it, even if he was just fixing his own oversight.
    Exactly. He could say something like: "I've recently learned some cool techniques to optimize Clipper data access. I really think I could improve the performance of the application I wrote for you. Are you willing to hire me for a short contract?"
  • ctw (unregistered)

    This is actually much better than failure. :)

  • Meep (unregistered) in reply to frits
    frits:
    ÃÆâ€â„:
    TRWTF was not charging for it, even if he was just fixing his own oversight.
    Exactly. He could say something like: "I've recently learned some cool techniques to optimize Clipper data access. I really think I could improve the performance of the application I wrote for you. Are you willing to hire me for a short contract?"

    Yeah, seriously, you worked your ass off to meet their requirements, and they pay you per hour to do that work. Why in God's name is it not worth more money for you to improve on it?

    Last time I checked, my landlord won't give me a bigger apartment for free.

  • (cs) in reply to SeySayux

    It appears that each captcha image is regenerated on demand. If we all start writing in captchas, what do you think the bandwidth hit would be?

  • Someone (unregistered) in reply to frits
    frits:
    It appears that each captcha image is regenerated on demand. If we all start writing in captchas, what do you think the bandwidth hit would be?
    [image]
  • Chris (unregistered) in reply to Nagesh
    Nagesh:
    Correct Commnet You are finaly showing inteligent signs.
    COMNet - Skynet for Windows 2000? :-)
  • Stark (unregistered)

    TRWTF was taking on the risk of updating a reporting application which appears to have been functioning correctly.

  • Rik (unregistered)

    Classic and non-new as it may be, it still warms the cockles of my heart someone had the time, the resources and the pride to fix some follies of his youth.

  • Director of Output (unregistered)

    Direct output to the printer (so that it has to wait for your calculations) is TRWTF. Didn't we fix that, oh, back about 1960 or so?

    Much better to spool a file containing nothing but linefeeds. Set it to print at about 3AM on the high speed printer in the computer room. You can probably throw an entire box of paper in the air before the night shift operator wakes up.

  • David C. (unregistered)

    Wow. I remember Clipper, back when I was an intern in 1988. A good language, although definitely strange by modern standards.

    I remember seeing the description of SET FILTER, along with its warning and very quickly learned to avoid it. By using indices and SEEK and other related mechanisms, I gained a nearly 100:1 speedup. Even though my databases only had a few hundred records, that was still a huge deal for code running on an 8MHz 286.

  • PFY (unregistered) in reply to Director of Output
    Director of Output:
    Direct output to the printer (so that it has to wait for your calculations) is TRWTF. Didn't we fix that, oh, back about 1960 or so?

    Much better to spool a file containing nothing but linefeeds. Set it to print at about 3AM on the high speed printer in the computer room. You can probably throw an entire box of paper in the air before the night shift operator wakes up.

    I bend the knee at the glory of your brillance.

    pfy

  • BentFranklin (unregistered)

    I wonder if a dot matrix printer could be made to play music?

  • Spike (unregistered) in reply to BentFranklin
    BentFranklin:
    I wonder if a dot matrix printer could be made to play music?

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcmP6fzj2KM#t=50s

    from there you can see many more videos of printers, hard drives, floppy drives, stepper motors, etc. playing music.

  • Gunslinger (unregistered)

    The real WTF is a programmer that actually learned something.

  • (cs) in reply to BentFranklin
    BentFranklin:
    I wonder if a dot matrix printer could be made to play music?

    Probably. One place where I worked, we had a text file that made the IBM 1403 line printer play "Anchors Aweigh" when printed out.

  • haero (unregistered) in reply to Director of Output
    Director of Output:
    Direct output to the printer (so that it has to wait for your calculations) is TRWTF. Didn't we fix that, oh, back about 1960 or so?

    Much better to spool a file containing nothing but linefeeds. Set it to print at about 3AM on the high speed printer in the computer room. You can probably throw an entire box of paper in the air before the night shift operator wakes up.

    Not with a dot matrix printer...

  • Jon H (unregistered) in reply to Meep
    Meep:
    frits:
    ÃÆâ€â„:
    TRWTF was not charging for it, even if he was just fixing his own oversight.
    Exactly. He could say something like: "I've recently learned some cool techniques to optimize Clipper data access. I really think I could improve the performance of the application I wrote for you. Are you willing to hire me for a short contract?"

    Yeah, seriously, you worked your ass off to meet their requirements, and they pay you per hour to do that work. Why in God's name is it not worth more money for you to improve on it?

    Last time I checked, my landlord won't give me a bigger apartment for free.

    TRWTF is so many people cannot understand the idea to be nice to each other without requiring payment.

  • (cs) in reply to Someone
    Someone:
    frits:
    It appears that each captcha image is regenerated on demand. If we all start writing in captchas, what do you think the bandwidth hit would be?

    [image]

    No, you are copying a joke that I beat you to by a year and a half.

    (The captchas used to say something different but I guess you've obliged Alex to go and change the generator script. Nice job breaking it, hero.)

  • Bob (unregistered)

    "SET FILTER"

    So that's what the Django and Ruby on Rails people were working from...

  • Nagesh (unregistered) in reply to Jon H
    Jon H:
    Meep:
    frits:
    ÃÆâ€â„:
    TRWTF was not charging for it, even if he was just fixing his own oversight.
    Exactly. He could say something like: "I've recently learned some cool techniques to optimize Clipper data access. I really think I could improve the performance of the application I wrote for you. Are you willing to hire me for a short contract?"

    Yeah, seriously, you worked your ass off to meet their requirements, and they pay you per hour to do that work. Why in God's name is it not worth more money for you to improve on it?

    Last time I checked, my landlord won't give me a bigger apartment for free.

    TRWTF is so many people cannot understand the idea to be nice to each other without requiring payment.

    Ghandi say: "Eye for eye make whole world blind."

  • (cs) in reply to Jon H
    Jon H:
    Meep:
    frits:
    ÃÆâ€â„:
    TRWTF was not charging for it, even if he was just fixing his own oversight.
    Exactly. He could say something like: "I've recently learned some cool techniques to optimize Clipper data access. I really think I could improve the performance of the application I wrote for you. Are you willing to hire me for a short contract?"

    Yeah, seriously, you worked your ass off to meet their requirements, and they pay you per hour to do that work. Why in God's name is it not worth more money for you to improve on it?

    Last time I checked, my landlord won't give me a bigger apartment for free.

    TRWTF is so many people cannot understand the idea to be nice to each other without requiring payment.

    The only reason we are nice to others is that we expect reciprocation. Whether it's in the form of quid pro quo, karma, or reward in the afterlife, the root of all altruism is expectation of payback; in other words, selfishness.

  • Design Pattern (unregistered) in reply to frits
    frits:
    Jon H:
    TRWTF is so many people cannot understand the idea to be nice to each other without requiring payment.
    The only reason we are nice to others is that we expect reciprocation. Whether it's in the form of quid pro quo, karma, or reward in the afterlife, the root of all altruism is expectation of payback; in other words, selfishness.
    You are begging the question! (Textbook example)
  • (cs)

    They let him re-write "working" code? (In that it meets the functional criteria...)

    What if he broke something?

    Do they want to support that, however small the risk may seem?

    Best wait for the client to request the modification.

  • (cs) in reply to Design Pattern
    Design Pattern:
    frits:
    Jon H:
    TRWTF is so many people cannot understand the idea to be nice to each other without requiring payment.
    The only reason we are nice to others is that we expect reciprocation. Whether it's in the form of quid pro quo, karma, or reward in the afterlife, the root of all altruism is expectation of payback; in other words, selfishness.
    You are begging the question! (Textbook example)

    Actually, I'm stating my opinion.

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