• CRConrad (unregistered) in reply to Evan
    Evan:
    Guestimate:
    XXXXXX:
    The best part about vague requirements is they are usually already met before I start coding.

    when I get requirements for new job XL34G that read like:

    1. Verify data in database
    2. Run job XL34G
    3. Write results to database

    There is no way to implement that incorrectly.

    I think you mean implemented correct.

    As its written there it would call itself, eventually causing a memory overflow/out-of-resources situation and bomb.

    But hey, at least the database has than been thouroughly checked! :-)

    Who said that the spec has to be implemented with a recursive function?
    Because: ...get requirements for new job XL34G that read like: 1) Verify data in database 2) Run job XL34G 3) Write results to database

    If the job includes running itself, then it is recursive. That's what the definition of "recursive" means.

  • anonymous (unregistered) in reply to CRConrad
    CRConrad:
    Evan:
    Guestimate:
    XXXXXX:
    The best part about vague requirements is they are usually already met before I start coding.

    when I get requirements for new job XL34G that read like:

    1. Verify data in database
    2. Run job XL34G
    3. Write results to database

    There is no way to implement that incorrectly.

    I think you mean implemented correct.

    As its written there it would call itself, eventually causing a memory overflow/out-of-resources situation and bomb.

    But hey, at least the database has than been thouroughly checked! :-)

    Who said that the spec has to be implemented with a recursive function?
    Because: ...get requirements for new job XL34G that read like: 1) Verify data in database 2) Run job XL34G 3) Write results to database

    If the job includes running itself, then it is recursive. That's what the definition of "recursive" means.

    As long as the "verify" and "write" processes work properly and you can write-lock the database so it can't be modified by others, it can be optimized so that it will complete successfully:

    Job XL34G:

    1. If database has not been verified since last modification, verify data in database now.
    2. Run job XL34G.
    3. If database has not been modified since last verification, write results to database now.
  • anonymous (unregistered) in reply to anonymous
    anonymous:
    As long as the "verify" and "write" processes work properly and you can write-lock the database so it can't be modified by others, it can be optimized so that it will complete successfully
    Although, I guess at some point "Run job XL34G" would need to actually do the nitty gritty of whatever job XL34G was supposed to do; which I suppose is probably what the original poster meant by that, not "recursively run job XL34G".
  • Jeff Grigg (unregistered)

    I want to hire the people working for Michael. They're amazing!!!

  • Neil (unregistered) in reply to wernsey
    wernsey:
    Not too long ago, I received a task "Unknown error in application".

    It turned out the application displayed the word "Unknown" in a field where it should've been blank instead.

    I couldn't resist writing "Unknown solution implemented" when I finished the task.

    I've had to fix an undefined error before. This was JavaScript, so I assume you can guess the (CAPTCHA) causa.

  • derp (unregistered)

    While not as bad as this, our "CTO" (he has no official title but this is what his position is), sometimes emails us very short emails similar to this. For example last month he sent me an email with a snippet of a form and the subject "Error". Of course just from the screenshot it was impossible for me to see any kind of error, but I did my best until I replied back asking for more info.

    I find it a WTF that the guy in this story did not simply send an EMAIL asking for more info like I have to...

  • derp (unregistered)

    While not as bad as this, our "CTO" (he has no official title but this is what his position is, sometimes emails us very short emails similar to this. For example last month he sent me an email with a snippet of a form and the subject "Error". Of course just from the screenshot it was impossible for me to see any kind of error, but I did my best until I replied back asking for more info.

    I find it a WTF that the guy in this story did not simply send an EMAIL asking for me info like I have to...

  • derp (unregistered) in reply to derp

    how'd that get in there twice...oops

  • anonymous (unregistered) in reply to derp
    derp:
    how'd that get in there twice...oops
    I wouldn't expect anything different from a poster with the handle "derp".
  • eric bloedow (unregistered)

    yeah, why didn't it EVER occur to ONE person in the department to go to Michael's boss and ask him to help get SANE or MEANINGFUL information out of Michael?

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