• (cs) in reply to Peter71

    What kind of crappy data storage system is the Java app using that there isn't a pipe from Access/SQL Server/COM to it?  I mean you have ODBC that lets you hook to SQL Server or Oracle or DB2 or whatever, you can call web services, you can modify XML, you can do just about anything.  The vendors must have some good sales guys, and there has to be some really dumb management in there somewhere.

  • (cs) in reply to Mung Kee
    Mung Kee:
    christoofar:
    Well, economy is a system where limited resources can be distributed to others.

    How that system works, well...  is a WTF.


    Yeah, a socialist economy.


    Actually, that's the definition of every economy. 

    economy

    n 1: the system of production and distribution and consumption [syn: economic system]

  • (cs) in reply to Jehos
    Jehos:
    What kind of crappy data storage system is the Java app using that there isn't a pipe from Access/SQL Server/COM to it?  I mean you have ODBC that lets you hook to SQL Server or Oracle or DB2 or whatever, you can call web services, you can modify XML, you can do just about anything.  The vendors must have some good sales guys, and there has to be some really dumb management in there somewhere.


    Not to drone on the obvious, but that's the whole point of this particular WTF (WHY did everyone drop the ball, or refuse to even look at it?).
  • (cs) in reply to dubwai
    dubwai:

    What value would collecting dollars provide to these 100 people otherwise?

    <FONT face="Courier New" size=2>they have absolutely nothing to gain, and everything to lose.  it's like "soylent green".  the entire system is designed to prevent a poor person from whacking one of them over the head with a crowbar.</FONT>

    <FONT face="Courier New" size=2>maybe i've just watched "they live" too many times.</FONT>

  • (cs) in reply to anonymous

    Actually, I was replying to emptyset's statement.

    And the analogy is that if X asks for a building, then Y doesn't smelt the iron himself, he gets some f***ing steel girders and builds a building out of that

  • _bandWagoner (unregistered)

    This could have all been solved using RSS and Flash.

  • _bandWagoner (unregistered)

    I can think of two major flaws only:  they didn't use RSS, and where's the Flash layer?

  • _bandWagoner (unregistered)

    oops, I have a habit of repeating myself when I have an epiphany.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>

  • (cs) in reply to emptyset
    emptyset:
    dubwai:

    What value would collecting dollars provide to these 100 people otherwise?

    <FONT face="Courier New" size=2>they have absolutely nothing to gain, and everything to lose.  it's like "soylent green".  the entire system is designed to prevent a poor person from whacking one of them over the head with a crowbar.</FONT>

    Actually, I think that they have guards and gates for that.

    If the goods and services aren't worth anything, then the money used to pay for them isn't and therefore, it doesn't make a lot of sense to care that 10 cents on the dollar goes to the Illuminati or the Masons or the Dwarves living at the center of the earth or whomever.

    At an overly basic level money is a way of storing and moving human effort.  If something didn't take any effort to get, no one would pay for it (ignoring stupidity.)  The easier something is to get, the less people are willing to pay for it.

  • (cs) in reply to Volmarias

    Volmarias:
    Actually, I was replying to emptyset's statement. And the analogy is that if X asks for a building, then Y doesn't smelt the iron himself, he gets some f***ing steel girders and builds a building out of that

    In this case, the building is a chiuaua's doghouse and they used steel girders, concrete, and glass to build a 1000 sq. ft. foundation for it.

  • (cs) in reply to Volmarias

    Volmarias:
    Actually, I was replying to emptyset's statement.

    Well, it was in a reply quoting me, so it was a little confusing.

  • (cs) in reply to Volmarias

    Volmarias:
    Actually, I was replying to emptyset's statement. And the analogy is that if X asks for a building, then Y doesn't smelt the iron himself, he gets some f***ing steel girders and builds a building out of that

    <FONT face="Courier New" size=2>but see, this is the underlying problem in today's WTF.  Y gets the girders from Z, who just pulled them out of big boxes.  software is a lot like this.  lots of things appear to be happening, but the reality is that several people are being paid to just turn around and consume things.</FONT>

    <FONT face="Courier New" size=2>i'm not entirely convinced any 'new' software has been produced since 1998.  but a ton of people have definitely been paid, eaten lots of pocky, bought one of those retarded singing bass you stick on the wall, and are listening to $1 mp3s on an iPod.</FONT>

  • (cs) in reply to dubwai

    dubwai:
    Actually, I think that they have guards and gates for that.

    <FONT face="Courier New" size=2>obviously, you haven't seen "soylent green".  the poor want their steak!  they want diamonds!</FONT>

    dubwai:

    At an overly basic level money is a way of storing and moving human effort.  If something didn't take any effort to get, no one would pay for it (ignoring stupidity.)  The easier something is to get, the less people are willing to pay for it.

    <FONT face="Courier New" size=2>and that's precisely how this relates to the WTF.  we can't ignore that some great (expensive) intellectual effort was undertaken to produce two big applications that do nothing more than shift data around.  an agreement was made to pay more people more money to develop this system than if they had taken a more direct route.  and this is a system that almost worked.  now, imagine this happening in various stages all over the industry, and imagine all the systems that get abandoned or replaced.  nothing is being done on a grand scale!  it's awesome!</FONT>

    <FONT face="Courier New" size=2>my claim is that this doesn't really matter.  the important thing is that those people got paid and then used that money to consume. </FONT>

  • pizza (unregistered)

    Intertrode and Initech are the tech firms from Office Space. I call shenanigans.

    http://images.google.com/images?q=initech


  • Spigot (unregistered) in reply to pizza

    Alex anonymizes the data for the safety of the company, so the relevant consultants don't get stabbed with pitchforks.

  • tim (unregistered)

    It's even more complex than some of MY programs. Except there's no mention of "web services". Or "print out" -> "OCR into..."

  • (cs) in reply to Mike R
    Mike R:
    The mind boggles!

    Wow, and I mean wow! Who would have thought that all you needed was a few simple ingredients to add records to a management system (Java management system, no less) :

    A cup of SQL server sprinkled with a dash of access, mix thoroughly with VB6 with a touch of MS Word, top with C# and pour into an XML document and bake in an ATL interface with a COM workflow component until crisp and golden brown. Serve hot with a cup of Java.


    Wow, if they would have thrown in Excel and Publisher they could have used the *entire MS Office Suite.*
  • (cs) in reply to chb

    "Do I read that right?

    There is application logic in a Word file? (uses VBA to call)..."

    OK, I submitted this one, and this is an area I have some (though not complete) understanding of. The Word macro is used to call a large number of stored procedures in SQL Server to retrieve the data required for the next step of the integration. Why Word? Because the Access application already opens Word documents as part of its 'event' handling.

    The Word documents are given a filename corresponding with the event id of the event that has occurred in the application. This is how they know where to get their data. So in actuality, the integration is even more complex, and yes there is business logic in Word that is interacting directly with the data store of Application A.

  • (cs) in reply to dubwai

    "I also don't really get why you need two vendors to get this done either. "

    You're right, there is more to the story (of course.)

    Application #1 is owned by Initech (hence their involvement) and Application #2 is maintained by Intertrode in this country. The ATL and the Java are both large portions of the one system, that have been brought together in the past.

  • (cs)

    OK.  Access / SQL Server I can handle (not bad as a quick, basic frontend).

    VB6 COM I can handle (legacy business logic that no-one wants to pay to rebuild).

    C# / XML I can handle, although why they didn't just rewrite the stuff from the previous step I don't understand.

    But a flipping WORD DOCUMENT?  That just exceeds the bounds of good taste.

    I can't stop shaking, seriously.  This is scary...

  • (cs)

    This feels like in the comics falling through a tree... "ouch! oof! aww! that hurt!"

    and what is it with Word documents being used as data storage / transfer? a place i used to work at used a Word document to store about 10k+ records (each record multiple lines) of coordinates... it's not nice when the unix application responsible for parsing that Word document complains about line 5432 and you find out that Word inserted a curly quotes instead of regular quotes...

  • (cs) in reply to pizza
    Anonymous:
    Intertrode and Initech are the tech firms from Office Space. I call shenanigans.

    http://images.google.com/images?q=initech




    You are the winner! Congrats on being completely reactionary and not even doing the slightest bit of background reading to realize that those names are used to protect the guilty at this site.

    I do hope you're just as reactionary in your daily life. React first, think never, right?

    Some of your other work,
        "Hey, that's an ugly baby."
        "I discovered this force of attraction between masses. It's sort of the reason we don't all just float away from Earth. I'm still working on naming it."
  • (cs) in reply to Richard Nixon
    USPresident.current - 6:
    I do hope you're just as reactionary in your daily life. React first, think never, right?

    Some of your other work,
        "Hey, that's an ugly baby."
        "I discovered this force of attraction between masses. It's sort of the reason we don't all just float away from Earth. I'm still working on naming it."

    hmmm...
    something that makes you stick, non-floating

    like gravy.

    let's call it, hmmm..

    gravy -ty :-)
  • (cs)

    There's something missing.

    WHERE'S THE JAVASCRIPT?

    (nobody said it yet...)

  • (cs) in reply to Otto
    Anonymous:

    While that is pretty bad, one of the systems we use is way more complex than that and it works, mostly. Easiest way to describe it would be:

    Sales info->Custom Databases->Flatfiles->Network->DB2 Database->Flatfiles->Network->Server->Parsing Process->Informix Database->Perl Scripts->Flatfiles->Automated Email to Customer->Parsing Process->Database->Customer's custom requests system->Customer.


    Wow, that's a mouthful.   All I can say in response is:

    Why is it that nobody remembers the name of Johann Gambolputty de von
    Ausfern-schplenden-schlitter-crasscrenbon-fried-digger-dingle-dangle-
    dongle-dungle-burstein-von-knacker-thrasher-apple-banger-horowitz-
    ticolensic-grander-knotty-spelltinkle-grandlich-grumblemeyer-
    spelterwasser-kurstlich-himbleeisen-bahnwagen-gutenabend-bitte-ein-
    nurnburger-bratwustle-gernspurten-mitz-weimache-luber-hundsfut-
    gumberaber-shonedanker-kalbsfleisch-mittler-aucher von Hautkopft of Ulm?


  • Anon (unregistered)

    come on, u can do better - where's ASP/ASP.net, J#, Excel, Powerpoint? You have to complete the happy MS family picture! ;)

  • vDave420 (unregistered) in reply to res2
    res2:
    Anonymous:

    <font face="Verdana">What we call "A bridge to far" software.</font>

    <font face="Verdana">Does anyone remember the end of that one?</font>

    I've always wondered where "far" was...



    I wonder how many people actually got that...

    +1, on behalf of all the grammar nazis out there.

        -dave-
  • (cs) in reply to christoofar
    christoofar:

    Actually, that's the definition of every economy. 

    economy

    n 1: the system of production and distribution and consumption [syn: economic system]



    In my haste, I took it to mean REdistribution.  My apologies.

  • (cs) in reply to emptyset
    emptyset:

    Volmarias:
    Actually, I was replying to emptyset's statement. And the analogy is that if X asks for a building, then Y doesn't smelt the iron himself, he gets some f***ing steel girders and builds a building out of that

    <font face="Courier New" size="2">but see, this is the underlying problem in today's WTF.  Y gets the girders from Z, who just pulled them out of big boxes.  software is a lot like this.  lots of things appear to be happening, but the reality is that several people are being paid to just turn around and consume things.</font>

    <font face="Courier New" size="2">i'm not entirely convinced any 'new' software has been produced since 1998.  but a ton of people have definitely been paid, eaten lots of pocky, bought one of those retarded singing bass you stick on the wall, and are listening to $1 mp3s on an iPod.</font>



    Good god man!  Have you been taking your thorazine?  HAHA
  • (cs) in reply to Hawk777
    Hawk777:
    There's something missing.

    WHERE'S THE JAVASCRIPT?

    (nobody said it yet...)


    This HAS already been posted (by rogthefrog).  Try to seach tool.
  • yay (unregistered) in reply to Mung Kee

    i would like to know, does it use javascript? and where can i download for free k thanks

  • vhawk (unregistered)

    ...  did this come from some TIM game ?

  • Spigot (unregistered) in reply to vhawk

    Couldnt've, there's no monkeys on bicycles. Unless they're connected to the generator powering these servers, and the electrical diagram was sadly omitted.

  • (cs)

    This looks like some elaborate death factory plan for Batman and Robin. How can they ever escape?

  • azaris (unregistered) in reply to emptyset
    emptyset:

    <font face="Courier New" size="2">but see, this is the underlying problem in today's WTF.  Y gets the girders from Z, who just pulled them out of big boxes.  software is a lot like this.  lots of things appear to be happening, but the reality is that several people are being paid to just turn around and consume things.</font>



    This is not news. Probably 80% of workers nowadays don't produce anything of physical value, just abstract services. There's just so much efficiency that there's no reason for everybody to concentrate on converting basic materials into consumable goods. A few people take care of the basic stuff and the rest can earn their pay by doing useless stuff like being sports therapists, dog psychiatrists or PHP programmers.
  • (cs) in reply to Stan Rogers
    Stan Rogers:
    dubwai:

    Ken Nipper:
    The only thing missing is the sneakernet to transport the data from one location to another[;)]

    We had a client that would mail floppy disks from office to office.  This was only a couple years ago.



    Feels like Futurama to me. I recently left a place (I'd better not mention that it was a rather large IT consultancy) that would have output the data to Word in one location and faxed it to another if it couldn't wait for the corporate interoffice mail. (Word is a transportation format, after all.) If it came through okay and the addressee was aware of OCR, there was a small chance that no-one would have to manually enter the data in the "foreign" system (which was, of course, on the same corporate WAN as the originating system). Of course, with their new Sharepoint system up and running next year, or maybe the year after, they can skip the fax step altogether....

    Alright, now I'm half scared to death (twice), gah !

  • (cs) in reply to anonymous
    Anonymous:

    Brilant! 

    This never gets old [:D]

  • (cs)

    The most "Brilliant! (TM)" and WTF thing is that magically opened MS Word document uses VBA to call methods on other system. Someone had to smoke serious kambojan grass during analysis this flow.

  • A Nonny Mouse (unregistered) in reply to anonymous
    Anonymous:

    mile  = mild   [:#]

    Brilant! 

     

    WTF. Everybody knows Brillant is spelt with a double l.

  • The coldest panda of them all (unregistered) in reply to A Nonny Mouse

    Haha, I love how the graphic implies that the application explodes once it hits the "management system"

    Fleh, sez I! Error propagation in this app must be AWESOME!

  • (cs) in reply to anonymous

    OMFG, IT BURNS ... IT REALLY BURNS.

    Seriously, just looking at this, couldn't they see the problem w/ it?

  • (cs) in reply to anonymous

    we've just been asked to each individually use the enterprise leave system on our intranet to pritn out our leave records so that our administraor can update our leave cards.  ???

  • (cs) in reply to res2
    res2:
    Anonymous:

    <font face="Verdana">What we call "A bridge to far" software.</font>

    <font face="Verdana">Does anyone remember the end of that one?</font>

    I've always wondered where "far" was...



    Isn't "far" in the eye of the beholder?

    ...or something :)

        dZ.

  • vhawk (unregistered) in reply to Spigot
    Anonymous:
    Couldnt've, there's no monkeys on bicycles. Unless they're connected to the generator powering these servers, and the electrical diagram was sadly omitted.


    The monkey was on the chair playing systems architech - you just didnt see him
  • (cs) in reply to DZ-Jay
    DZ-Jay:
    res2:
    Anonymous:

    <FONT face=Verdana>What we call "A bridge to far" software.</FONT>

    <FONT face=Verdana>Does anyone remember the end of that one?</FONT>

    I've always wondered where "far" was...



    Isn't "far" in the eye of the beholder?

    ...or something :)

        dZ.

    You mean "in the eye of the beer holder" [:)]

  • (cs) in reply to Ken Nipper
    Ken Nipper:
    The only thing missing is the sneakernet to transport the data from one location to another[;)]


    Silly, that's what the XML and Word pieces replace!  You see, its an, hum, improvement, yeah!

        dZ.

  • q (unregistered) in reply to vhawk

    Looks like the Goldberg architectural design pattern.

  • bilboH (unregistered) in reply to Lazy Lurker
    You realize it's called "TheDailyWTF," not "TheDailyRepresentativeModernWindowsCodeSample," right?
    The difference being?
  • Vanders (unregistered) in reply to Not Registered
    Not Registered:

    Where is the Excel Documents piece?



    It's embedded in the Word document.
  • (cs) in reply to _bandWagoner
    Anonymous:

    This could have all been solved using RSS and Flash.



    With a sprinkle of JavaScript.  And perhaps a bit of XM-- oh wait!

        dZ.

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