The Daily WTF: Curious Perversions in Information Technology

Best of 2016: Tern Around…

by Remy Porter in Best of… on 2016-12-30

While looking at our most popular CodeSODs this year, I noticed we had two popular ones that both involved the ternary operator. So, what the heck, this one's a twofer. Originally, "As the World Ternaries" and, "Returnary". -- Remy

As the World Ternaries

Ah, the ternary operator. At their worst they’re a way to obfuscate your code. At their best, they’re a lovely short-hand.

For example, you might use the ternary operator to validate the inputs of a function or handle a flag.

30 comments - Last comment @ 2017-01-13

Best of 2016: Dude, Where's My Hard Drive

by Maciej Stachowski in Best of… on 2016-12-29

Instead of our standard workplace fare, this story is a bit different, because TRWTF is the Windows Registry. --Remy

What, again? Michael stared at the Explorer window in disbelief. The free disk space bar was glowing red, and the text underneath reported that his half-terabyte system partition had a measly few gigs left before filling up.

12 comments - Last comment @ 2016-12-30

Best of 2016: The Website Hacker

by Ellis Morning in Best of… on 2016-12-28

This week, we're reviewing the best WTFs of the year. In this installment, overreactions from management are their own WTF. --Remy

An investment bank had just completed development on a new digital retailing platform. Daniel was assigned to a cross-functional automated test team, gearing up to test the platform's web application—or at least trying to. Charlie, a veteran manual tester from QA, had been vocal in his opposition.

21 comments - Last comment @ 2022-10-18

Best of 2016: The Inner JSON Effect

by TJ Mott in Best of… on 2016-12-27

As we review this year's greatest hits, let's revisit the latest incarnation of the dreaded "Inner Platform Effect". --Remy

Jake eagerly stepped into his new job, grateful for more experience and new challenges, craving to learn new software stacks and see what his new company had to teach him about the world of software.

They told him he’d be working on some websites, dealing with JavaScript, Node.js, JSON, and the like. It sounded pretty reasonable for web development, except for the non-technical interviewer’s comment that it was all “built on top of Subversion” which he assumed was a simple misunderstanding.

21 comments - Last comment @ 2017-01-04

Best of 2016: Overpowered

by Remy Porter in Best of… on 2016-12-26

Merry Holidays, and as we coast into the new year, it's time for us to reflect on some of the best/worst moments of the past one. Today, we start things off with a BANG, and a reminder that electricity is a complicated beast. --Remy

Mike had a different perspective on wiring and cable management- because he worked at a factory which made wires and cables. It was the early–90s, and he was in charge of babysitting a couple of VAXes and their massive, 85lb hard drives. It was an easy job: the users knew the system and needed very little support, the VAXes were practically unstoppable, and the backup battery system could keep the entire thing running for over an hour.

The computers supported HR and accounting, which meant as the year ticked towards its end, Mike had to prep the system for its heaviest period of use- the year end closing processes. Through the last weeks of December, his users would be rushing to get their reports done and filed so they could take off early and enjoy the holidays.

22 comments - Last comment @ 2017-08-29

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