from the eventually,-it's-always-the-consumers dept.
Modern programmers live in a very special period of time, when the software is penetrating into literally all spheres of human life and is installed on a numerous amount of devices that are a part of our every day life. Nobody is surprised by software in the fridges, watches and coffee-machines. However, the dependence of people on the smart technology is also growing. The inevitable consequence: the reliability of the software becomes priority number 1. It’s hard to scare someone with a freaked out coffee-maker, although it can bring a lot of harm (liters of boiling coffee flowing on your white marble countertop…). But the thought of growing requirements for the quality of software is really important, that’s why let’s talk about errors in the code that led to significant waste of time and money.
The aim of these stories is to fight against the idea that defects in programs can be treated as lightly as they were before. Errors in programs now aren’t just incorrectly drawn units in a game, the code is now responsible for people’s health and safety of property. In this article I would like to cover several new examples of the necessity to treat code really thoughtfully.
[It appears that the submitter of this story is also the author of the linked story. We generally try to avoid such items as it could very well lead to a submission queue stuffed with self-promoted articles. As it is the weekend, I thought I would try this story out as an experiment. Feel free to opine in the comments. --martyb]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 02 2017, @12:33AM (1 child)
Put it in your contracts, people.
Why don't you get this yet?
PUT IT IN YOUR GODDAMN CONTRACTS.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 02 2017, @12:56AM
That's what is going to happen for orgs where the engineers still have authority, say car and plane manufacturers.
Elsewhere, like for voting machines, you'll get a bodge job.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 02 2017, @12:51AM (3 children)
I need precise divergence value for this bizarre version of the world.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 02 2017, @03:41AM
Can't be done, not even once they finish upgrading the big doughnut in 2047. You're talking about surviving a journey with a divergence over 80%! I doubt there'd even be a solar system there much less an Earth!
(Score: 1) by khallow on Sunday July 02 2017, @09:22AM
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 03 2017, @01:36AM
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Nerdfest on Sunday July 02 2017, @12:55AM (1 child)
Personally, I don't care if the submitter is the author, as long as the article is of sufficient interest and quality. This one doesn't offer a lot of insight, but it is reasonably interesting if you weren't aware of these incidents before.
(Score: 1) by Ethanol-fueled on Sunday July 02 2017, @01:26AM
I thought it was okay. The examples section was kind of a thinking man's "Daily WTF."
(Score: 5, Informative) by Thexalon on Sunday July 02 2017, @01:16AM (1 child)
The goal when something goes wrong is to locate and punish an Official Scapegoat. The ideal scapegoat is somebody who is no longer associated with the company, such as a subcontractor (who did not get the gig because they were a friend of an executive) or some developer who left for greener pastures. Next best is a junior-level developer or QA analyst with no political clout who can be safely fired. Whether or not the Scapegoat had anything to do with the problem is irrelevant, of course.
The customers, of course, pay by having non-working or breached software.
The company that made the software almost never pays, pointing to the EULA that says that their users can't sue them, ever, and besides they located the problem and fired the person responsible (the Official Scapegoat). And the project manager who rushed the development cycle to make their on-time release bonus doesn't pay. Nor does the senior software architect who designed things in such a confusing way that a mistake was inevitable. And of course the top brass who hired the project manager because they played golf together doesn't pay.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 2) by Unixnut on Sunday July 02 2017, @09:59AM
Indeed, in my previous employment they were known as the "sacrificial lamb", and it worked pretty much as you say it does.
Best thing (for the company) is the wronged employee would be wise to not sue for constrictive dismissal, even if they had a case. If it comes out that you sued your former employer (and as lawsuits are public record, easily to find online) you will never get another job. The moment a new employer sees you sued your previous one, they will think "High risk, might sue us, not worth it", and move to the next candidate.
So you basically have to suck it up, unless you got a) an ironclad case, with evidence, and b) money to get some really really good lawyers, in which case you sue for enough money to keep you all set without ever having to work for the rest of your life, if you win that is.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Sunday July 02 2017, @01:28AM (2 children)
No, it's really not. All it has to do is not make my coffee in the morning and scary shit shall get spread around gratuitously.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 1) by Ethanol-fueled on Sunday July 02 2017, @01:49AM (1 child)
A connected coffee-maker crosses the line from amusing novelty to disgusting sloth -- but then again I'm one of those stubborn motherfuckers who prefers to use Thomas Guides and road atlases rather than smartphone shit for big road-trips.
That being said, a Turkish coffee pot is a good backup to your garden-variety electric coffee pot. Doubly so if you can get Turkish coffee -- You'll be leaving sweaty ass-prints everywhere you plant your cheeks.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Sunday July 02 2017, @03:22AM
I do that already. It's summer in TN which means 90-ish in both temperature and humidity. Swamp-ass is a region-wide concern.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.