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Lost a day's work
Bartlebus Baxton
Registered User
Join date: 27 Jul 2008
Posts: 72
08-06-2008 07:23
From: Barrington John
Version control in pre-alpha development? Roll-back strategies? Environment versions? You almost make it sound as if I get paid for it! What next? Including detailed comments in my code in case someone else takes over my projects? Keeping source in escrow in case I die suddenly? Paying insurance?

In actual fact, I *am* a hobbyist in the world of LSL, and quite happily so. The only reason I get into coding so much is that it reminds me of the carefree days of the 1970s when programming was exactly that or me - a hobby and no more - and when I truly loved the process of designing and coding. The intervening years, when I did this as a living, knocked almost all the joy and freedom out of the task, and like you, I ended up pretty much leaving it behind as my career progressed. I finally left the software industry altogether recently with a huge sigh of relief (and a concomitant massive drop in income).

SL is a way for me to live life the way I wish I could in RL, not the way I actually do. If I had to include the less pleasant aspects of life (such as detailed planning and control of software development instead of clicking on "New script" and letting it all flow), I'd simply not bother.

I must admit I'm a bit puzzled and disappointed that you feel the need to resort to oneupmanship on this - I'll not rise to that particular bait in RL, still less in SL. And no, I'm not interested in Dick-Waving 101. :-)


Well I'm not sure it was one-upmanship.. or dick-waving. I was just putting my opinion in context.

SL is what it is, but whatever you say about your reasons for coding here, the reasons for change control procedures in any development environment are pretty much the same..as your experience I think reinforces.

If your idea of fun coding is to circumvent some common sense precautions then feel free.. I'm not sure however that someone of your obvious experience should then be particularly distraught or "vent ridden" when you sometimes pay the price.

That's all..:)

PS.. I'm also sure your clients would be pleased to know that your quality control is curtailed because you believe you're only delivering to a "pre-alpha" environment.
Barrington John
Yorkshire guy
Join date: 17 Nov 2007
Posts: 119
08-06-2008 07:25
From: Zaphod Kotobide
On the other hand, what's that old addage? Don't get suckered by comments - they can be terribly misleading. Debug only code.
True, but don't forget the other adage - "I've never met a comment I didn't like". Not strictly true, but on the whole *any* comments are better than none, since at least they usually give you a clue what the coder's thinking. After all, you can choose to ignore them if you like.
Zaphod Kotobide
zOMGWTFPME!
Join date: 19 Oct 2006
Posts: 2,087
08-06-2008 07:31
Uh huh.

Anyway I'm really sorry to hear of your troubles John. I think we've all been there, and it's hugely frustrating. Certainly don't be suckered by Bartlebus's comments. I call that dick-waving myself, and this isn't the only thread he's done it in.

From: Barrington John
True, but don't forget the other adage - "I've never met a comment I didn't like". Not strictly true, but on the whole *any* comments are better than none, since at least they usually give you a clue what the coder's thinking. After all, you can choose to ignore them if you like.
_____________________
From: Albert Einstein
Problems cannot be solved at the same level of awareness that created them.
Bartlebus Baxton
Registered User
Join date: 27 Jul 2008
Posts: 72
08-06-2008 07:34
From: Zaphod Kotobide
Uh huh.

Anyway I'm really sorry to hear of your troubles John. I think we've all been there, and it's hugely frustrating. Certainly don't be suckered by Bartlebus's comments. I call that dick-waving myself, and this isn't the only thread he's done it in.


/me smiles.. it's called professionalism and knowing what your doing.. it may have the appearance of dick waving but only to those of a dick centric personality..:)
Barrington John
Yorkshire guy
Join date: 17 Nov 2007
Posts: 119
08-06-2008 07:45
From: Bartlebus Baxton
/me smiles.. it's called professionalism and knowing what your doing.. it may have the appearance of dick waving but only to those of a dick centric personality..:)
The irony's almost palpable ... :-)
Bartlebus Baxton
Registered User
Join date: 27 Jul 2008
Posts: 72
08-06-2008 07:59
From: Barrington John
The irony's almost palpable ... :-)


Lol.. well as with the "Tested to the Max" phrase I'm not really sure what that means.

Listen, if or whatever reason you choose to eschew standard, widely held, common sense approaches to change and quality control then I really don't care.

At the end of the day all you provided is a case study demonstrating why they exist in the first place.

All I'm saying, God forbid, is that as someone in the industry who actually enjoys it and believes in it as a difficult and worthwhile discipline.. it's slightly hard to hear poor practice being explicitly supported.

It sounds like we both started in the industry about the same time, albeit I obviously had a different experience.

The good old days weren't the good old days for anyone who actually had to buy, use or rely on the code written back then. It was good for software houses and consultants who then made a good living out of supporting and maintaining and fixing the resultant bag of proverbial spanners.

I admit this is well of the track of this thread so I'll shut up :) But you know.. is it so bad to think .. put the effort in up front rather than in picking up the pieces?
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