The Official Status Thread
-
Watching the building site next door all day makes me really really want to play minecraft. Also makes me really really appreciate the ability to store 1700 cubic metres of spoil in a box a little under one cubic metre.
I came back to minecraft this week after a long haitus and learned that our private server had had a security breach and my patch had been singled out for the attention of griefers who, apart from a whole bunch of other sh*t that I still haven't finished fixing, emptied my zoo. Stevie G, Slim Jim, Pete, and Virginia all killed or missing, and do you have any idea how hard it was to get a creeper into a cage without anything blowing up?
-
Late November, I ordered a book from the book depository. Intended as a new years present for a friend.
Halfway through December, I complain that the book has yet to arrive. They tell me they ordered a replacement.
Today, two packages arrive in mail. Two copies of the same book. One with a visibly faded envelope, from its 2 and a half month long trip.
I just came home, and what do I see next to my mailbox?
Strange, I don't remember ordering anything from Book Depository recently.
I open up the envelope and, of course. Another copy of the same fucking book from November.
WTF book depository? What the hell do I do with 3 copies of "Knitting With Dog Hair"?
-
WTF book depository? What the hell do I do with 3 copies of "Knitting With Dog Hair"?
I wanted to buy it but there isn't a kindle edition.STATUS
Managed not to break anything today including unit tests!
-
Status: Wondering why no-one's yet decided that
.row.banner { position: relative; } #banner { background-image: url('Banner.jpg'); background-position: center; background-position-y: 60%; background-size: 100%; filter: grayscale(40%); opacity: 0.4; position:absolute; top: 0px; left: 0px; bottom: 0px; right: 0px; }could be the much simpler and easy to understand
.row.banner { background-image: url('Banner.jpg'); background-position: center; background-position-y: 60%; background-size: 100%; background-filter: grayscale(40%); background-opacity: 0.4; }
-
That's the problem with CSS. Once something is deployed, you can never ever go back and change it.
If you do, things will break. And the only way you'll know is when customers complain (less likely), or during the big presentation for the new clients (almost guaranteed).
Just leave those styles alone. Walk away.
-
-
So now PHP version is relevant as well as whether certain extensions are loaded. For example,
suexecand Suhosin. Suhosin really gets shitty with 777 as well as letting you do
dangerous things, of which sockets may or may not be on the list.
-
@Lorne_Kates said:
Windows 7 still works, yo.
You realize win10 is now a recommended update (no longer optional)? If you're not careful that will soon be a w10 machine!
-
That's the problem with CSS. Once something is deployed, you can never ever go back and change it.
If you do, things will break. And the only way you'll know is when customers complain (less likely), or during the big presentation for the new clients (almost guaranteed).
Just leave those styles alone. Walk away.
That's the problem with CSS. Once something is deployed, you can never ever go back and change it.
One of the first things I had to do when I joined this company was write a demo for the CEO. (He sits behind me and has bought a pair of cat phone headphones for his 12 year old daughter) The first time I tried the safari version of the demo I had a shitfit but fixed it. Oh no! A slight centering problem in chrome but I fixed that too however I never got around to testing it on safari again. It was fine on the testing phone but on his phone it was completely fucked. Even the slightly older version. I almost cried.If you do, things will break. And the only way you'll know is when customers complain (less likely), or during the big presentation for the new clients (almost guaranteed).
Just leave those styles alone. Walk away.
Moral of the story. Crying and running from the building never to return might of been the better option.
-
Status: I've been given a new project. Delivery date: two weeks from now. Codename
Oh well, at least it's a kind of basic web app with full freedom of decision on what to use. So, it's going to be a learning experience using the most modern tools: Node, React, ES2016, Babel and maybe modernizr since IE9 is a target (ugh!)
Any recommendation on a simple CSS framework like Bootstrap but without so much Bootstrap? I kind of only want the responsive layout stuff... and yes, I know you can "customize" Bootstrap but I'm bored of Bootstrap.
-
So, it's going to be a learning experience using the most modern tools:
nooooooooo! stahp!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
that's how discourse got started!
Shinies are for play, not for work that you need to maintain!!!!!!
-
Maybe you're right... OK, I'm convienced... J2EE it is. And JSP's, I love JSP's.
-
J2EE it is. And JSP's, I love JSP's.
...... maybe strike a balance between shiny but unmaintainable and the cesspit?
-
-
-
Oh well, at least it's a kind of basic web app with full freedom of decision on what to use. So, it's going to be a learning experience using the most modern tools: Node, React, ES2016, Babel and maybe modernizr since IE9 is a target (ugh!)
You going to learn brand new tools for a 2 WEEK project?
Are you sure you know what you're doing?
2 weeks isn't even enough time to QA a project, much less learn new technologies.
-
At least it isn't IE8.
-
Any recommendation on a simple CSS framework like Bootstrap but without so much Bootstrap? I kind of only want the responsive layout stuff... and yes, I know you can "customize" Bootstrap but I'm bored of Bootstrap.
I shopped around a few months ago, and really, nothing beats bootstrap.
You can give the new major version a try (currently in alpha).Or you could take off the training wheels with something more lightweight. Like, just the CSS reset and a grid and a few basic styles. I'm using Base in one project, it's OK.
-
...... maybe strike a balance between shiny but unmaintainable and the cesspit?
He isn't using PHP...
-
Two weeks QA? What's that?
In my place, two days QA is exceptional, two hours is rare and two minutes is "if you're lucky".
Then again my place is
.
-
I'm currently rewriting an existing data export tool, working from a complete spec (the existing tool works, more or less, it's just inefficient and can't be multithreaded due to bad design), and I quoted a month and a half. (And since I've lost about 3 days to dealing with production issues, it might end up being a lot longer.)
A two week project had better be a pretty goddamned simple project.
-
You going to learn brand new tools for a 2 WEEK project?
Are you sure you know what you're doing?
2 weeks isn't even enough time to QA a project, much less learn new technologies.
QA? Hahahahahaha!
If you were in charge, every project would be a multi-million dollar beast, involving 20 different people in 7 departments. Sometimes, you can just sit and make a thing. Then other people take the thing and use it. It doesn't have to be perfect, as long as it can get the job done.
-
Sometimes, you can just sit and make a thing.
You can't sit and make a good thing.
If I'm not making a good thing, I don't think there's a point to making the thing at all. The world already has enough shit in it.
-
My current project is refitting the UI in a non trivial way for our flagship feature. It is literally the difference between us losing half our customers and keeping them.
It was a three week project and has had one man-day of QA. It ships tomorrow morning. Without all the bugs being signed off as actually fixed.
-
You can't sit and make a good thing.
If I'm not making a good thing, I don't think there's a point to making the thing at all. The world already has enough shit in it.
The thing I made a few months ago using the same stack as @Eldelshell turned out pretty good. Primary user was happy, partners were happy, I was happy. The boss is about to actually sell it as a real product (I might even get some time to polish it a bit).
If I spent half my time writing up spec, unit tests, documentation and QA, would it turn better? I don't think so.
-
My current project is refitting the UI in a non trivial way for our flagship feature. It is literally the difference between us losing half our customers and keeping them.
It was a three week project
Including or not including the UX work? Or, let me guess: you just didn't do any. Because who needs usability.
The thing I made a few months ago using the same stack as @Eldelshell turned out pretty good. Primary user was happy, partners were happy, I was happy.
Well shock and surprise: as it turns out, I am not you.
Making crappy software doesn't make me happy. Neither does delivering it to someone who paid me money. Or does using it myself. It makes me miserable.
-
Well shock and surprise: as it turns out, I am not you.
Well, nobody's that perfect. Doesn't mean you should just stop trying and give up.
-
Oh, that was everything, the UI work, the API gluing, my own testing because I'm not a total retard. I just happen to work for a small company where proper UX isn't a thing. 16 people company, 6 of whom are devs. There is a lounge thread where the true level of
is explored.I am, for the record, happy to admit I'm not a UX guy, and the UI/UX gets bike shedded anyway so... I just try to make it not a wreck in the interim.
-
You only need 2 people do to a hallway usability test. That's a weak excuse.
BTW:
and the UI/UX gets bike shedded anyway so...
Think about if you did proper UX work and could back up your UI decisions with actual data. You could make all that bikeshedding go away instantly.
I suppose I should add that the project I'm working on now feeds data directly into a billing system, so if we get something wrong it has a LOT of potential to ruin some guy's day. So I'm especially motivated to get it right the first time.
-
We have people who think it's acceptable to just disable the submit button if the CAPTCHA isn't entered (we use that "I'm not a robot" reCAPTCHA) without telling the user.
I may not be a UX guy but I try not to be that retarded and to be fair, most people in the office including the non technical people, seem to be OK using my stuff.
-
-
The world is what you make of it.
-
Status: Apparently TFS's Source Control Explorer does not have natural sort.... Wait, and dash-characters are not considered in the sort at all...
-
I'm not sure anyone here actually wants to make a decision.
"Hey I have an idea, let's ..."
"Ok, we'll A/B test that."
--- 5 options and 23 different tests later ---
--- 3 years later ---
"Why is so-and-so not seeing ...?"
"They're in the control group."
"We're still A/B testing that?"
-
I did website A/B and multi-variate testing for years. The key is to come up with your acceptable level of confidence (we usually used 95%) on day one, with the understanding that you end the test when you hit that level of confidence.
We did have one or two clients who were always like, "wait, just a few hundred more visitors in the sample..." and we were like, "no. We said 95%. You're currently at 99%. The error bars are so small they don't even render in the chart. You're done."
-
What the hell do I do with 3 copies of "Knitting With Dog Hair"?
Odd as it sounds, I may have read that book. On a family vacation some years ago, my then-wife and kids wandered into a yarn shop in the town we were staying in, and decided to take a knitting lesson. Not being interested in the lesson, I killed time by wandering around browsing. I picked up and at least skimmed that book, or one on the same subject. The one thing I remember about the subject is that most pet hair must be blended with wool or some other fiber, as the hairs are generally too short to be spun into yarn of usable quality.
-
Are you sure you know what you're doing?
After 15 years, kind of. I've got two days for planning while the UX is getting done.
At least it isn't IE8.
At least... did I mention this thing has to work on smartphones also?
I'm using Base in one project, it's OK.
Looks promising although I still don't see the point of the whole gulp workflow.
A two week project had better be a pretty goddamned simple project.
Yes it's. That's why we have 3 days for UI, 2 weeks of development and 2 days of QA although we'll be doing a (as in one) intermediate release so it can be QA.
The thing I made a few months ago using the same stack
Was it a SPA or did you use React to render server side?
-
PHP version is relevant
Whichever was the latest on apt-get early last April. I don't recall which that was.as well as whether certain extensions are loaded
None, unless there we some enabled by default.
-
At least... did I mention this thing has to work on smartphones also?
e z p z
sqe zThat's why we have 3 days for UI
RIP
-
Looks promising although I still don't see the point of the whole gulp workflow.
The project I'm using that in is server-side Python, so gulp fits better.
For react, at this point, webpack is the standard.
Was it a SPA or did you use React to render server side?
SPA. I considered isomorphic, but
- the tooling and best practices for that are way too experimental at this point, too much even for me
- I already had my plate full figuring out redux and other crap that was involved.
-
Status: Just spent the last hour disassembling a Motorola Droid RAZR HD to fix and replace the battery for what ended up being no reason.
The long story, the phone was my boss's, who broke it trying to get the back off to pull the battery because the phone froze, but this is one of the models where it's like an iPhone (you can't normally take the back off). In the effort to get it off and the battery out, he broke a connector for the battery, so he ordered a new battery to fix it, got impatient, and just got a new phone and shoved the broken one in his desk, and the battery as well when it arrived.
So, today, needing a device that can do NFC (for our mobile app development, we're working on integrating a tap to pay product), he remembered he had that phone (which does have NFC), but the above was never resolved. So, since I needed it, that was the fun I had to deal with. Wasn't terrible to get it apart (I'm not a hardware person, I don't like doing this stuff that much, but there was a guide I followed half way), got the battery replaced, phone re-assembled (mostly), and the phone turns on. Neat. Enable NFC on it, enable NFC on my phone, and test by doing the "touch backs and tap something to beam".
Nothing.
Try on my boss's current phone, to rule out
, and the NFC works there.Come to find out when I disassemble the phone again, there's another ribbon he ended up breaking. It attaches to the back plate of the phone (which he ripped off), which appears to connect to a big round-ish ribbon that is covered, which, I believe, is the NFC antenna.
Status: Project that I currently don't feel much oomph to do right this moment is now on hold until we get a spare working phone to act as a tap point.
-
Okay I dug out the VM and it's version 5.4.39-0+deb7u2
Also, it's a VirtualBox VM with the network set to Bridged Adapter.
-
Status: Wall renderer is now mostly not dumb. It handles arbitrary wall heights and bases, no longer renders walls that are behind the camera, and doesn't have the fisheye lens thing anymore.
There's some odd pixelation on the green walls, and those like to sometimes not render for some reason. Also there's no sorting so distant walls will sometimes render on top of closer walls.
I guarantee it's also horribly CPU inefficient but I don't have enough world data to reveal that yet.
-
Status: A new version of Dwarf Fortress just came out. Guess what you can do in it:
-
Guess what you can do in it:
I'm sorry, but I can't guess on the basis of the evidence you provided…
-
I did website A/B and multi-variate testing for years.
Would you mind doing a video sometime of you explaining how it was done, and more importantly interpreted and acted on, in the real world?
Your game videos are great so I think a how-to would be pretty good as well. It's definitely the kind of thing I would kick a few beers too if you had a Patreon or PayPal link.
Testing wasn't covered at all on my Uni degree and all the stuff you can find on Google is pretty nebulous. How you can actually use it effectively in the real world would be very useful to hear.
Edit: I mean I've tried to do it myself with internal projects and just ended up with an unholy mess of multiple directors wanting different things. This is a very different case than just does the thing even work.
-
You can design your own images. I made a figurine of a horse being mutilated by a large serrated disc. The disc is also melting.
-
You can design your own images
Oh. I was thinking something more along the lines of "They added
"
-
Nah, Dwarf Fortress already uses up the entire address space. There's no way to fit Discourse AND Dwarf Fortress in a single process.
-
Have you looked at what oil costs these days? You're probably not going to save enough money to ever pay back the cost of the ramps, unless you decide to replace your transmission yourself or something.
None of these items are on sale, so this is a high guess.
A 4.73L is ~$45
That would seem to cover the entire oil change (5 quarts)Ramps are $75.
An oil change for that same oil is ~$55. So after 7 changes? A few years, call it-- since I'd be doing both my car and my wife's car. Sooner if I get the ramps on sale for $35 like they sometimes are, or keep an eye out for cheaper or bulk oil.
Also, I don't have to go to a mechanic.
To dream the impossible dream...
