• SG (unregistered)

    Oh, that's nothing. There's a similar comment in the codebase I work on, dating to ~2000... the guy who wrote it actually returned to the company a few years back, and was horrified to find it still there.

  • (nodebb)

    I need to start doing this. Problem is, I probably wouldn't find anyone at my company who's willing to take the bet.

  • WTFGuy (unregistered)

    Perhaps we should all leave more comments more like this: // This steaming and dangerous technical debt incurred on [date] by order of PHB [Y].

    Once the codebase is about 25% such comments and the next major failure occurs, stage a mass uprising to the great great grandboss, and show them the fruits of all that shortsightedness. And yes, begin looking for work because they'll still blame you, not the PHB. And because the company, or at least your department or product, is doomed.

    But at least it'll be a great example to showcase to your friends here at TDWTF. ;)

  • (nodebb) in reply to WTFGuy

    The problem is that it won't be you showcasing on TDWTF, but your successors.

  • Brian (unregistered)

    Reminds me of one of my teams, back in the days before build server integrations and gated check-ins. The code was so unstable that we eventually instituted a rule: anyone who committed a broken build to source control had to bring in donuts (or a suitable substitute) the next day. It worked for a while; the build did get more stable, but we had to end the policy after everyone started gaining weight.

  • (nodebb)

    Any decent software engineer knows that you leave the good stuff for relaxation, and actual coding is done with Jim Beam.

  • Anon E. Mouse (unregistered) in reply to Brian

    We used a large stuffed animal with a hook on the cube partition... that way all the cubicle dwellers could see where it was when they prairie dogged.

  • (nodebb)

    "anyone who committed a broken build " -- 20 odd years ago.... If you broke the over night build, starting the next morning you had to come in 2 hours early (full salary, no overtime pay, could not leave early) to remediate any issue if the build broke again. You were stuck on this duty until someone ELSE broke the build....

  • Dave (unregistered) in reply to Mr. TA

    Gin, dear. Out of a chipped white mug.

  • (nodebb) in reply to Mr. TA

    Look at Mister Fancy Pants with the Jim Beam!

    Clearly, the right swill for self-loathing coders is Night Train.

  • YIkes (unregistered)

    Everyone getting excited about the alcohol part and no one wading into the philosophical quagmires of what "this function" means...

  • (nodebb) in reply to YIkes

    Alcohol : the source of, and the solution to, all of life's problems

  • MaxiTB (unregistered)

    That is brilliant - by now I would have filled a swimming pool with Whisky if I had followed Chris example during my career.

  • Prime Mover (unregistered) in reply to PotatoEngineer

    woss rong wiv Funderbird?

  • SyntaxError (unregistered)

    The WTF, xkcd reference, and easy reader version made me laugh out loud for the first time in a long time regarding these articles. Well done, Remy and submitter.

  • (nodebb)

    This stuff doesn't just happen in code. I remember my school having "temporary" buildings that were 50 years old...

  • nasch (unregistered)
    Comment held for moderation.
  • It's ok (unregistered)
    Comment held for moderation.
  • Uo4crack (unregistered)
    Comment held for moderation.

Leave a comment on “The Wager”

Log In or post as a guest

Replying to comment #:

Log Out

« Return to Article