Thread View: alt.folklore.computers
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Started by lin... Peter van der Linden
Sat, 16 Dec 1989 20:52
Chief Programmer Madness
Author: lin... Peter van der Linden
Date: Sat, 16 Dec 1989 20:52
Date: Sat, 16 Dec 1989 20:52
32 lines
1939 bytes
1939 bytes
The scene: 5pm, Friday night, small payroll bureau The time: 12 years ago The action: The payroll printing program has just been amended and seems to pass all its tests, so they do the live run. After finishing the operator notices that some of the printing is wrong, and takes the useless output to the chief programmer. The chief programmer looks at the buggy output, glances at the program, finds the faulty code and quickly types a few lines to fix it, compiles and tells the operator to re-run the job. The operator comes back ten minutes later with a new pile of buggy output: everything is ok, except no names have printed on the payslips. The chief programmer grunts, and scans the code again, when the operator drops the bombshell: this job is urgently due, and there is no more of the special stationery left to print on. No problem at all. The chief programmer types a few more lines, compiles again, and tells the operator to run the job again, and feed the output from the previous job through the printer again... He had amended the program to remove all the printing except the names. And between the two incomplete passes through the printer, they got one good set of payslips. I think.... ---------------- Programmers of the world unite; you have nothing to use but your brains! Peter van der Linden lin...@SuN.cOm (415) 336-6206
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