[RANTISH] Programming Stupidity

From: Geoff Roberts <geoffrob_at_stmarks.pp.catholic.edu.au>
Date: Fri Apr 9 08:22:36 1999

> From: Daniel A. Seagraves <DSEAGRAV_at_toad.xkl.com>
> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
<classiccmp_at_u.washington.edu>
> Subject: [RANTISH] Programming Stupidity
> Date: Friday, April 09, 1999 10:15
>
>
> [Large progressive rant here, nevermind me...]

First of several <snips> in this msg...

>You guys think BASIC is bad? How about BASIC that automagically
> writes bad Windows code for you!

Sounds about right. Never tried VB myself, (well the beer, yes, that's ok)

I have an assistant who is somewhat interested in using VB for righting
apps.
I had occasion to write a little PLC emulation for a dos box to replace a
failing (and not Y2K compliant to boot) PLC that rings the bells at the
school to announce change of class, lunch etc. It also controls the
sprinkler system. Anyway, a couple days hacking around in Turbo Pascal 6
produced a simple little program that controls a few external devices on a
time schedule via a $2 interface connected to the printer port.
Runs on XT's and up, around 23k for the .exe file. Works fine. Just a
text file with the schedule info in it. Too easy.
My assistant thought that was ok, so he thought he'd try it in VB just as
an exercise.
At last count, it was something like a 650k exe file, needed at least 4 mb
of ram, and he still hadn't found a way to get control over the bits in the
printer port to let it actually do something useful!! He's still nibbling
away at it, he's perssistant, so he'll probably make it go. Eventually.
Been 6 weeks now though.....

> This thing couldn't make optimized code
> if Billy-boy's monopoly depended on it.

Pity it doesn't depend on it.

> On top of that, the bad code that it DOES generate doesn't even work.
> We build the .EXE on a Win98 machine - Now it refusues to run on 95.

Micro$oft producing non backward compatible software? Nah, couldn't believe
that.... yeah, right.

> Microsoft's wizard for making install programs for your software sucks
worse.
> It replaced some DLLs it wasn't supposed to have on our (one and only,
thank
> Goddess!) NT server, and NT crashed like you wouldn't believe.

Oh yes I would. I just drop kicked the last of our NT servers. 2 years of
tinkering and updateing and god knows what else and it STILL kept screwing
up a database.
It's now my workstation. Running 98. The family resemblance is still a
pain at times, but at least it only gives ME trouble, not half the darn
school..
 
> I'm gonna have a hell of a time putting THAT back together..

Doesn't sound like a fun weekend project. Best of luck. You'll need it.

. On top of this, the
> installer doesn't run under 95, either. It starts just fine, makes a
pathetic
> attempt at copying files, then blows up horrbibly with Error 0x16E.
Wasn't
> Billy saying they were supposed to make our error messages make SENSE?

To Micro$oft Tech staff when you ring them at $25 a problem maybe. But I
wouldn't even count on that.

> an error message like that, a dialog box reading "YOU LOSE!" would be
better.

You've already lost if you have to run Windoze whatever. I'd switch to
something more stable in a minute, but the sad part is that Windoze is
everywhere, so we have to teach our students to use it and the apps that
run on it, because that's what they will likely find in the real world..

> Another quote from my boss:
> "In programming, it doesn't matter how well it runs or does it's job.
The
> bottom line is, 'can we sell it to someone?'"

What planet is this guy from? Originally? Marketdroidia? He sounds like
one of those funny creatures.

> Is it just me, or is that just plain wrong? Please say it's not only
me...

It isn't only you. I think you have a couple of million mates globally.
Minimum. Trust me on this.

> I hate being alone, 'cause that means I'm right and everyone else is
wrong.

You are in absolutely no danger of that. Micro$loth bashing may become the
all time greatest user participation sport of the 21st century.
 
> Sorry for that, I just needed to vent. Do with it what you will...

Just confirms much I already believed.....

Cheers

Geoff Roberts
VK5KDR
Computer Systems Manager
Saint Marks College
Port Pirie, South Australia
geoffrob_at_stmarks.pp.catholic.edu.au
Received on Fri Apr 09 1999 - 08:22:36 BST