• Nag-Geoff (unregistered)

    That silly frist comment!

  • DVD (unregistered)

    A nerdy rewrite of the script for 'Falling Down' might be appropriate. Might be.

  • (cs)

    Global variables? Terrible naming? Aargle!

  • (cs)

    TRWTF is the name Aargle Zymurgy

  • XXXXX (unregistered)

    int up, Up, UP, uP, _up, UP, uP, up, uP; int uup, uUp, uUP, uuP, _uup, uUP, uuP, uup, uuP; int down, Down, DOWN, doWN, _down, DOWN, doWN, down doWN; int ddown, dDown, dDOWN, ddoWN, _ddown, dDOWN, ddoWN, ddown ddoWN; int left, Left, LEFT, leFT, _left, LEFT, leFT, left leFT; int right, Right, RIGHT, riGHT, right, RIGHT, right, riGHT; int lleft, lLeft, lLEFT, lleFT, _lleft, lLEFT, lleFT, lleft lleFT; int rright, rRight, rRIGHT, rriGHT, rright, rRIGHT, rright, rriGHT; int bb, Bb, BB, bB, _bb, BB, bB, bb, bB; int aa, Aa, AA, aA, _aa, AA, aA, aa, aA;

  • faoileag (unregistered)

    This is so pre 1964! Where are strange, charm, bottom & top?

    captcha appellatio - the appellation of various flavours of "up"

  • Konami (unregistered)

    ↑ ↑ ↓ ↓ ← → ← → B A

  • AdamJS (unregistered)

    You know, I would assume that there would already exist a tool for dealing specifically with these situations.

  • Maurizio (unregistered)

    At least, C has static binding for global variable.

    I had the fun to study and rewrite a natural language parser written in 60s style LISP, no parameters, and all the passing using dynamically binded global variables (an horror that was not mainstream anymore in lisp long before common lisp).

    Difficult to understand, impossible to maintain ...

  • (cs)

    These "modestly complex" functions are, compared to some code I've had the misfortune to work with, models of simplicity. 10 to 40 lines? Mere nothings. I've seen functions with 2500 lines, in 1.6MB source files...

  • Uncle Remus (unregistered)

    Uppity is a racist term, I'm not saying its usage is racist here, but it is a racist term. Its etymology is traced directly back to slave states in the U.S. as a term for a Black person who dosen't know their place.

    http://www.theatlanticwire.com/politics/2011/11/yep-uppity-racist/45321/.

  • (cs) in reply to AdamJS
    AdamJS:
    You know, I would assume that there would already exist a tool for dealing specifically with these situations.
    That'd be Excel, then export it as CSV, followed by running it through one of the various CSV to XML convertors available, then parsing that XML in your code.
  • RN (unregistered) in reply to Uncle Remus

    Is it racist when no-one knows that it is?

    Does God exist anymore when no-one remembers him?

    All these questions...

  • faoileag (unregistered) in reply to Uncle Remus

    If you read the article again, you might stumble upon the clause: "A lot of people have no idea that the word "uppity," [i]when applied to black people[i], has racist connotations" (markup by me).

    So I wouldn't think it problematic in the sense of code discussions - unless applied to a coder of known african-american origin, of course.

  • NothingToSeeHere (unregistered) in reply to The poop of DOOM
    The poop of DOOM:
    AdamJS:
    You know, I would assume that there would already exist a tool for dealing specifically with these situations.
    That'd be Excel, then export it as CSV, followed by running it through one of the various CSV to XML convertors available, then parsing that XML in your code.
    I think the tool he was referring to is called "fire", as in "Kill it with fire."
  • (cs)

    ThaT's FuCked _Up

  • (cs) 
    int up, Up, UP, uP, _up, _UP, _uP, up_, uP_;
    Since then, I bet the contractor's rates have gone up, Up, UP!
  • qbolec (unregistered)

    FR_IsT_

  • (cs) in reply to Uncle Remus
    Uncle Remus:
    Uppity is a racist term, I'm not saying its usage is racist here, but it is a racist term. Its etymology is traced directly back to slave states in the U.S. as a term for a Black person who dosen't know their place.
    We should totally start boycotting TheDailyWTF.

    You first.

  • Turd (unregistered) in reply to Uncle Remus
    Uncle Remus:
    Uppity is a racist term, I'm not saying its usage is racist here, but it is a racist term. Its etymology is traced directly back to slave states in the U.S. as a term for a Black person who dosen't know their place.

    http://www.theatlanticwire.com/politics/2011/11/yep-uppity-racist/45321/.

    Cool story bro.

    CAPTCha: aliquam

  • TimT (unregistered) in reply to trtrwtf

    Sounds like someone ported the application from some ancient version of BASIC (as existed on the Commodore 64 or TRS-80). Or maybe that was the only language they knew when they started writing C.

  • Uncle Remus (unregistered) in reply to faoileag
    faoileag:
    If you read the article again, you might stumble upon the clause: "A lot of people have no idea that the word "uppity," [i]when applied to black people[i], has racist connotations" (markup by me).

    So I wouldn't think it problematic in the sense of code discussions - unless applied to a coder of known african-american origin, of course.

    OK I get it. It's like when white people call each other the N-bomb-- Totally not racist, just stupid.

  • (cs) in reply to boog
    boog:
    Uncle Remus:
    Uppity is a racist term, I'm not saying its usage is racist here, but it is a racist term. Its etymology is traced directly back to slave states in the U.S. as a term for a Black person who dosen't know their place.
    We should totally start boycotting TheDailyWTF.

    You first.

    Hm... if people going mad about grammar are grammar nazis, are people going mad about such stuff political correctness nazis?

    Wait, is nazi somehow a negative word? Hmm..

  • (cs) in reply to TheSHEEEP
    TheSHEEEP:
    boog:
    Uncle Remus:
    Uppity is a racist term, I'm not saying its usage is racist here, but it is a racist term. Its etymology is traced directly back to slave states in the U.S. as a term for a Black person who dosen't know their place.
    We should totally start boycotting TheDailyWTF.

    You first.

    Hm... if people going mad about grammar are grammar nazis, are people going mad about such stuff political correctness nazis?

    Who's going mad?

  • Mikerad (unregistered) in reply to TheSHEEEP
    TheSHEEEP:
    boog:
    Uncle Remus:
    Uppity is a racist term, I'm not saying its usage is racist here, but it is a racist term. Its etymology is traced directly back to slave states in the U.S. as a term for a Black person who dosen't know their place.
    We should totally start boycotting TheDailyWTF.

    You first.

    Hm... if people going mad about grammar are grammar nazis, are people going mad about such stuff political correctness nazis?

    Wait, is nazi somehow a negative word? Hmm..

    Only if you are talking about Germans.

  • Uncle Remus (unregistered) in reply to TheSHEEEP
    TheSHEEEP:
    boog:
    Uncle Remus:
    Uppity is a racist term, I'm not saying its usage is racist here, but it is a racist term. Its etymology is traced directly back to slave states in the U.S. as a term for a Black person who dosen't know their place.
    We should totally start boycotting TheDailyWTF.

    You first.

    Hm... if people going mad about grammar are grammar nazis, are people going mad about such stuff political correctness nazis?

    Wait, is nazi somehow a negative word? Hmm..

    Calling people Nazis does a disservice to the world by comparing the perpetrators of the horror of the holocaust to stuffy tight-asses on the internet. By the way, your ellipsis is missing a dot....

  • misha (unregistered) in reply to Mikerad
    Mikerad:
    Only if you are talking about Germans.

    I did say it, but I think I got away with it.

  • (cs)

    But if you are German (as I am, though I prefer European) and go mad about people going mad about ridiculous stuff (as I did), are you then a nazi nazi?

  • qwerty (unregistered)

    I call BS. Nobody would name their kid Aargle.

  • (cs) in reply to TheSHEEEP
    TheSHEEEP:
    But if you are German (as I am, though I prefer European) and go mad about people going mad about ridiculous stuff (as I did), are you then a nazi nazi?
    Not sure I like where this is going.....
  • abrasha (unregistered) in reply to snoofle

    Godwin's law...

  • (cs) in reply to abrasha
    abrasha:
    Godwin's law...

    Correct. Thought I might as well be the one ;)

  • hartmut (unregistered)

    This one very much looks like a classic from the "Computer Stupidities" files, "Programming" section:

    http://www.rinkworks.com/stupid/cs_programming.shtml (search for _up)

    I'm pretty sure it has been in that list for at least 10 years by now already ...

  • iToad (unregistered)

    Some people wouldn't know what refactoring was if it bit them on the ass.

  • Zapp Brannigan (unregistered)

    Every professional C programmer knows to prevent collisions, append an underline character ('_') to the front of each variable. It's the only way to be sure.

  • (cs) in reply to The poop of DOOM
    The poop of DOOM:
    TRWTF is the name Aargle Zymurgy
    Indeed. Google for him, and you'll find his "about" page, featuring such people as Beccaboo Aero and Hannibal Kennedy. Come on, what do they think they are pulling?
  • Recursive Reclusive (unregistered) in reply to Uncle Remus
    Uncle Remus:
    faoileag:
    If you read the article again, you might stumble upon the clause: "A lot of people have no idea that the word "uppity," [i]when applied to black people[i], has racist connotations" (markup by me).

    So I wouldn't think it problematic in the sense of code discussions - unless applied to a coder of known african-american origin, of course.

    OK I get it. It's like when white people call each other the N-bomb-- Totally not racist, just stupid.

    No, it's not like that at all. It has nothing to with race. It can, like all negative or derogatory words, be used in a racist context, but that doesn't make it a racist word.

    See: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/uppity

  • U. Ppity (unregistered) in reply to faoileag
    faoileag:
    If you read the article again, you might stumble upon the clause: "A lot of people have no idea that the word "uppity," [i]when applied to black people[i], has racist connotations" (markup by me).

    So I wouldn't think it problematic in the sense of code discussions - unless applied to a coder of known african-american origin, of course.

    Curiously, you chose to emphasis that part with boldly black letters. That looks more racist than titling this article Uppity...

  • OldCoder (unregistered) in reply to NothingToSeeHere
    NothingToSeeHere:
    The poop of DOOM:
    AdamJS:
    You know, I would assume that there would already exist a tool for dealing specifically with these situations.
    That'd be Excel, then export it as CSV, followed by running it through one of the various CSV to XML convertors available, then parsing that XML in your code.
    I think the tool he was referring to is called "fire", as in "Kill it with fire."
    Actually, the first tool which came into my head on reading this was "a shotgun".
  • geoff (unregistered) in reply to abrasha
    abrasha:
    Godwin's law...
    Stop it, you Godwin nazi.
  • foo (unregistered)

    If those functions "only differed from each other by which global variable they operated on", shouldn't they all be the same length which it should be possible to state a little more precisely than "between 10 and 40 lines"?

  • (cs) in reply to Recursive Reclusive
    Recursive Reclusive:
    Uncle Remus:
    faoileag:
    If you read the article again, you might stumble upon the clause: "A lot of people have no idea that the word "uppity," [i]when applied to black people[i], has racist connotations" (markup by me).

    So I wouldn't think it problematic in the sense of code discussions - unless applied to a coder of known african-american origin, of course.

    OK I get it. It's like when white people call each other the N-bomb-- Totally not racist, just stupid.

    No, it's not like that at all. It has nothing to with race. It can, like all negative or derogatory words, be used in a racist context, but that doesn't make it a racist word.

    See: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/uppity

    Actually, see something with some etymology to it. If I told you that the word originated around 1875-1880 in the USA and its first recorded use was in "Uncle Remus", would you then perhaps accept that it was a variant of the earlier English term "uppish" that was coined specifically to refer to blacks?

    See: http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=uppity&searchmode=none. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/uppity

    <sings> Fuck you Akismet, fuck you A-kis-met, fuck you fuck you very muu-uuu-uuu-ch! </sings>

  • (cs) in reply to foo
    foo:
    If those functions "only differed from each other by which global variable they operated on", shouldn't they all be the same length which it should be possible to state a little more precisely than "between 10 and 40 lines"?
    I think it's saying that there were several functions, of between 10 and 40 lines, each of which existed in multiple overloaded versions that were identical but for the global they operated on.
  • (cs) in reply to hartmut

    I immediately thought of that, too. Same submitter? Or stolen? Or, a lousy yet prolific programmer who keeps making the same mistakes?

    Computer Stupidities is another great site, by the way.

  • (cs)

    This one has the feel of being an urban legend. I remember reading something similar from a contractor who was offered the job of maintaining a codebase with exactly this problem and having taken one look he turned the job down - but not before he had an anecdote to tell. This may well be that anecdote, but it was a good decade or more ago that I read it.

    And I now notice someone else has made the same observation as me.

  • geoffrey (unregistered)

    The submitter fails to mention whether or not the code in question worked. If it does/did, then it should not matter how it is implemented.

    A WTF is product that does not work, not code that doesn't meet the personal aesthetics of a particular programmer.

  • UncleAldo (unregistered) in reply to RN
    RN:
    Does God exist anymore when no-one remembers him?

    If there are no more references to it, it should be garbage collected, I think.

  • (cs) in reply to geoffrey
    geoffrey:
    The submitter fails to mention whether or not the code in question worked. If it does/did, then it should not matter how it is implemented.

    A WTF is product that does not work, not code that doesn't meet the personal aesthetics of a particular programmer.

    Fail troll is fail.
  • Puppity (unregistered) in reply to geoffrey
    geoffrey:
    The submitter fails to mention whether or not the code in question worked. If it does/did, then it should not matter how it is implemented.

    A WTF is product that does not work, not code that doesn't meet the personal aesthetics of a particular programmer.

    No, that would be a normal failure. A Worse-Than-Failure would be (for example) code which does work, but nobody can figure out how the hell it does it.

  • (cs) in reply to UncleAldo
    UncleAldo:
    RN:
    Does God exist anymore when no-one remembers him?

    If there are no more references to it, it should be garbage collected, I think.

    Does God have an intrinsic reference counter? Or was all that biblical stuff about "separating the sheep from the goats" an early description of a primitive mark-sweep algorithm?

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