Do Software Developers Take A Special Class To Be Stupid

[jyl]

I start up Windows to get something done that I need to finish tonight. Some process starts spewing error messages "Factset XYZ has the wrong permissions, contact Factset support with Error Code 123". It replicates this error code every 5 seconds. Which is making it really hard to fix whatever is wrong.

Why did the developer who wrote this think that his stupid process should keep trying to do whatever it is doing and spewing error messages every few seconds, forever? If I went away and took a nap, there would be thousands of error messages on the screen.

Finally killed Windows and am downloading a new ISO to reinstall (run in a VM).

[legion]

No, most of us were born stupid.

Actually it's usually tight development dates and vague requirements that usually lead to crap flying out the door...

[masraum]

It sounds like you've run into self healing software. It won't work, so it tries to restart so the user doesn't have to do anything.

Is there not a service that you could have stopped or an app that you could close?

Since it was a VM, I'm surprised that you didn't have a snapshot of a previously known good build that you could just boot up.

[stealthn]

You had me at the title...

[mrybczyn]

Computers have the speed to make 6 billion mistakes per second! You're getting the royal treatment here...

[jyl]

The Factset application was not open. I had tried to open Excel which probably triggered one of the Factset-Excel hooks. Killing Excel then didnt help. Opening Task Manager and killing all Factset processes didnt help, they kept reappearing as fast as I could X them. Tried to unistall Factset but it claimed Excel was running and refused to uninstall. Restarting Windows didnt help. Then Windows itself started becoming unresponsive. I decided to give up on the whole hot mess and reinstall. I didnt have a previous good VM, because my laptop only has 120 GB SS storage so I cant keep too many spare virtual machines laying around. But I think I will find room for one spare. This is a personal MacBook. I am going to resort to running Factset in Citrix rather than go through this again.

[red-beard]

Start in Safemode

[jyl]

I'll try that James - not actually sure how to start up Windows in safe mode in a Parallels VM.

Next Q - is there any alternative to downloading and reinstalling all my apps in the new VM? Is there a Parallels trick to transfer over all your apps and settings and preferences from one VM to another?

[jyl]

Up and running again. Only took 3 hours, sigh.

I've had to reinstall Windows 10 three times in the 1.6 years that I've been running it in Parallels. I've never had to reinstall Mac OS in many years of using Macs. I keep my VM Windows as clean as possible - only run Office and Factset, don't use the browser except to download updates or open local PDFs. Kind of frustrating.

[id10t]

The good ones from an AS degree are OK. It is the ones with CompSci degrees (masters or PhD) that only took one term of programming Java and the rest of their course work is theory based that you gotta watch out for.

[Brando]

Sounds like something is triggeri g it during startup and it's trying to fix itself. Try a tool like CCleaner and see what your startup schedule is like.

[john70t]

Planned Obsolescence.
It's not just for cars anymore.

Actually with computer OS these days...sometimes sabotage seems to be involved:
You have to worry about dealership agents breaking into your garage middle of the day in public and setting your car ablaze.
They travel alongside deputies.
These crimes are sanctioned and there is no legal recourse.
They can do that after the fact, legally, because you are actually only "renting" that vehicle parked in your driveway, which you previously bought.
Silly rabbit real ownership is for libertarians.

I got a Windows Update and it destroyed most functionality of my computer.
Several times in fact.
I spent most of a couple days on that alone.
I documented..and rolled back...which was a Windows option thankfully.

Besides time effort and potential business losses, the biggest loss is TRUST.

[id10t]

Originally Posted by john70t

Planned Obsolescence.
It's not just for cars anymore.

Actually with computer OS these days...sometimes sabotage seems to be involved:
You have to worry about dealership agents breaking into your garage middle of the day in public and setting your car ablaze.
They travel alongside deputies.
These crimes are sanctioned and there is no legal recourse.
They can do that after the fact, legally, because you are actually only "renting" that vehicle parked in your driveway, which you previously bought.
Silly rabbit real ownership is for libertarians.

I got a Windows Update and it destroyed most functionality of my computer.
Several times in fact.
I spent most of a couple days on that alone.
I documented..and rolled back...which was a Windows option thankfully.

Besides time effort and potential business losses, the biggest loss is TRUST.

One of the many reasons I use Free software

[Brando]

Windows Anniversary Update nuked my laptop. That was a fun 5 hours to get everything back.

[GH85Carrera]

One of the programs we use is a very complex and powerful mapping program. One of the very neat features it can do basically hidden in a command window under samples. You have to dig through several layers of tool boxes to find it. It is like hiding the 13 MM socket in a tool chest in the kitchen cabinet next to the wine glasses. Why that ever made sense to anyone is beyond me.

[bkreigsr]

Fortunately for me, the nearest BestBuy is only a 15 minute drive.
I've got frequent flier miles with Geek Squad; so far, no $$ charges for work on anything I purchased at the store.
Bill K

[jyl]

I'm sorry if I offended the developers here. All of you are the smart ones . . .

[John Rogers]

When I teach computer classes to adults, many of them come to class with MacBook computers and ALL of them have troubles with running Windows in a virtual box or VM setup on their computers. In all cases I first ask if they read the requirements and install manual and about 75% say no but their friend told them how to do it! Their issues usually result from one or more of several possible issues: RAM to small, not enough disk space allocated, trying to run a program that won't run in Windows normally anyways and IF they get the VM running and Microsoft Office running, they never record what they did and soon enough change something so everything goes bad again. The fact that in all cases the schools I teach at tell all the students that they will have to use certain software such as Excel or Access and if they have a MacBook or other product such as Linux based, ETC, to get the issues ironed out by the end of the introduction class. If they do not do that and end up not being able to run Oracle XE or Excel or other software when the time comes they fail!

Sooooo my suggestion is to but a cheap, used laptop to run Windows 7/8/10 with the software they need to use such as Microsoft Access or Excel and sell it after they get done with the school classes. The price of a dedicated Windows laptop is much cheaper than all the headaches they will end up going through starting out with a Mac laptop.

[jyl]

I dunno about that. I've been running Win 10 in Parallels on my MacBook for over a year. Windows does crap out sometimes - 3X in the last 1.6 years. Not sure it is more often than it would on a PC. Here at work my corporate Windows PC lasted 0.6 years before Windows got corrupted and had to be completely rebuilt. When it does happen, deleting the VM and starting a new VM, while irritating, is easier than reinstalling Windows on a PC, because all my data is unaffected. I'm starting to think that Windows is best run in a VM.

[flipper35]

We have Win 7 based machines at work and I would say there have been 2 or 3 we have had to rebuild the OS over the 7 years I have been here. That is out of 165 or so deployed units at any given time. Now if you want to talk about when they drop the laptops however.

By the way, some of us the stupid just come naturally. Though I don't do as much development now as I did previously.