Rocky Pufflenuggets

We're in the midst of a big conversion from one reporting system to another, and this weekend is the big cut-over for all our stuff, so it's a bit stressful at work, but not too bad - if you've planned ahead. Well, I work with a guy, let's call him 'Joe', and Joe isn't happy that things aren't working out they way he wanted them to.

He's got to work out how to authenticate his stuff with the new system, and he's not having an easy time of it. Sure, it's not really all that hard, and it's not trivial, but if you stop and read what the reporting system group put out, it's easy enough - just a few details.

Well, Joe asked me what the password is for his app. I told him, and since he couldn't get it to work, he came back to my desk and asked me what the real password was. I told him it was what I had originally told him, and proceeded to plug that into my app and show him that it worked just fine.

He goes away and then later comes back and accuses me of doing something tricky.

Yeah, like thinking, you nimrod.

Anyway, he and another guy try to get his stuff working for about 3 hours, and then I finally overhear that they got it working and someone else asked him what it was.

"Uh... we had the wrong server for authentication."

Yeah... my fault. I felt like walking over and saying "I accept your apology" - even though they didn't offer one. It's the point that blaming someone for your mistakes is bad... and then not apologizing for it afterward is just plain bad manners.

But hey... that's the kind of guys I work with.

I've been dealing with a Vendor at work for the last several months and the more I deal with them the more I am amazed that they are in business. Not just in business - these dingleberries have managed to get a multi-million dollar contract for their incredibly lousy software. I mean we'd be better off without it. It's almost like a virus... no, a virus is successful... this is more like an albatross around our necks. It's crazy.

Anyway... the latest is that they are shipping this software component for linux and solaris and it's got basic start/stop scripts - pretty routine stuff. The problem is in the start and stop scripts. I suppose it's in their code as well, but I'll give them a pass on that because they wrote the start and stop scripts to keep the software out of a 'bad' state.

Here's what's happening: you start this component and for some reason it gets to thinking that it's stopped and so it tries to restart itself. The problem is that it hasn't really stopped. It's still running. Given that it's listening on a socket, when it 'restarts' it sees that it can't get the socket and not only fails on the restart, it takes the running instance with it as well.

This last little bit can be avoided easily enough by making the app see if anything is listening on the socket before trying to set up the listener, but that's something that not everyone would think to do, and it's a little more than I'd expect from most vendors. But the script thinking that the app died when it hasn't is a serious lame brain duh.

I went into the script, spent about 15 mins clearing out a bunch of the junk and putting in a simple restart sequence that I've used in a lot of linux services I've built and started that puppy up. Previously, I couldn't get the component to stay up for 8 hours, and now we're well past three times that.

Their basic components are decent - not worth the money, but they aren't horrible, either. But the scripts are crap. And let's not even get into the tech support that's half way around the globe. After three days and countless explanations of the problem from me to them, the best their tech support could say was You must have started two - stop them all and start just one and the problem will go away.

Now, if I was a junior dufus just completing the How to Program in 24 Minutes book, then I'd see that it might be good advice. But since my first email pointed out that I had done just that, this was not the most helpful of advice. Then, they had their guru that's in town have a look at it, and he took the changes I made to the script and said "Well... I don't really know the linux scripts, but the guys back in Greater Gufendorf will have a look."

Yeah right. I've got stability and as long as I'm forced to use this garbage, at least I can make it decent enough to use. Holy Cow! What a bunch of goobers.

So I heard today that Mike Lee is leaving Delicious Monster. I can certainly understand his position. He started working for Wil to learn how to code Mac OS X at the feet of a true master. Excellent story, worth reading. But I'm not talking about Mike's story... I'm looking at the fact that the title of Mike's weblog is a word that I wouldn't say in front of my mother, but he does, and has every right to do so.

Free Speech. That's one of those catchy phrases that we throw around a lot. We're all supposed to have it, and as long as you're not hurting anyone with your free speech, someone shouldn't tell you you can stop what you're saying. Take out the slander... take out the mean-spirited remarks... your personal experiences and beliefs are yours, and if you want to express yourself you should have that right.

I say should, because in many places - most notably Big Business, you don't have that right.

I was talking to my friend Tennessee the other day and he was telling me about this CNN reporter that was fired for having said "certain things" on his weblog. Fired. I read the guy's post about his firing. It's really rather amazing. I mean, I've gotten into this issue with my friend Dante several times. Dante owns a little company - nothing that'll change the world of finance, but it's his little web shop and it's something he takes a lot of pride in.

Anyway, Dante always says that he works in an At Will State - meaning that he can fire anyone for any reason - so long as it's not discrimination. So if this person is being a slug and doing nothing - Dante can (and has) fired them. He can hire and fire at will. And I can understand why - it's his company, his name on the door, and his reputation.

But where does that end?

If you look at the CNN producer, he's writing about the industry he's in. OK, I still think they went overboard, but maybe. But what if it was one of the train conductors that I see every day on the trains I ride? What if one of them wanted to write about computers and the jerks he meets on the job and at the Big Box store down the street? Should the train company be able to fire him for that?

Where does personal time and personal feelings interfere with the job? And does this effect his job at all? The CNN producer was fired for something that had nothing to do with his job. Nothing at all. Dante doesn't fire people for what they do on the weekend, he's only fired people for what they do during the workday. And that should be the litmus test.

If the writing is materially effecting the job, then it becomes a work issue. If not, then it's personal.

I'm not silly enough to think that's the way it really works, but I do think that it should work that way. Big Business has the money and the lawyers on their side. People should have the right to say what they think and feel as long as it doesn't hurt someone else. And so long as the company isn't hurt, then employees should have the right to say what they think.

After all... Free Speech isn't the same as "Free Speech that offends no one"... we do not have the right to be free of offense. I don't have to like what you say, but that doesn't give me the right to make you stop.

This is going to change someday. Wait and see.