Student-run WTF



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    This summer, I did some volunteer work on campus for this student organization whose purpose is to unite developers and designers to create cool applications. Like any good student organization, it also happens to be mostly student-run, and that's where the fun ends.

    Like most student run organizations, it can only be run one way: without any sort of coherence whatsoever. I'll give you a good example: we were developing an app for another student organization this summer and the guy in charge decided to go the three possible routes all at once. Some differences between me and the lead: I have professional development experience, he doesn’t; I am relatively buzzword averse, he’s not. This is important later in the story.

    I recently caught up with him this weekend and their "Phonegap-HTML5-local storage" buzzword bingo approach wasn't working out so hot. I've been more suprised when I don't win the lottery, and I'll tell you why. I pointed out when we were starting this that local storage in HTML5 wasn't meant for what they were trying to achieve. IIRC they may have used JSON hard-coded into the app to try to fix this. My approach would've been a backend REST service that pumped the data to the app, whether it be native or webapp, but I gave up after I realized that the project was headed the only possible way it could: straight to failure. Why was it destined for failure, you ask? I’ll tell you why:

    1.              It started at the beginning of August. It was due by the end.

    2.              The aforementioned issues.

    3.              No users were around to help out to test while development was occurring.

    He also mentioned about a crapton of projects coming up and the need to have some help on them. He also questioned my reliability and I responded with self-diagnosed ADD (read: I didn't want to help after the aforementioned fiasco and lack of respect for my opinions). I was the guy who would try to check in with him over MY lunch and after I got off work, I was lucky to catch up with him 50% of the time. Needless to say, I've got better things to do on the weekends instead of losing my sanity, like studying (read: getting drunk and watching football).



  • Let me guess: They tried to shove data into local storage which would've been better placed in a database of some kind?



  • So TRWTF is claiming ADD instead of telling him he's too hard to work with? I'm just kidding. I get it, it's awkward.



  • @Rhywden said:

    Let me guess: They tried to shove data into local storage which would've been better placed in a database of some kind?

    The same local storage that is not backed up and only available to that user, on that browser, on that PC? I think you were right to avoid working with this idiot.



  • @Rhywden said:

    Let me guess: They tried to shove data into local storage which would've been better placed in a database of some kind?

    Exactly. Their reasoning was "Since the users might not have a persistent connection to the internet, we should use local storage to ensure that they can access the next question." It was kind of a scavenger hunt app, so it was somewhat sensible until you realize one of the features the other student organization wanted were giveaways, which would have been a pain to implement with only local storage. I may have gone overboard with my REST web service, but he went really overboard worrying about the internet connection until trying out a demo and seeing how it functioned in real life. I could see local storage as temp storage (as it should have been) instead of being permanent storage (as the lead guy was aiming for). Also, him trying to bring up every cool new JS framework he found and tried to bring up made me want to punch him in the face.

     



  • @skotl said:

    @Rhywden said:

    Let me guess: They tried to shove data into local storage which would've been better placed in a database of some kind?

     

    The same local storage that is not backed up and only available to that user, on that browser, on that PC? I think you were right to avoid working with this idiot.

     

     

    Yeah, that. For a computer engineering major, he had no clue how to really do software development. Try something and if that don't work, try to get it to work again. If that doesn't work, try something else. He was more of the "That may have issues, so let's go this route." As discussed above, it really didn't work out so hot.

     



  • @Shoreline said:

    So TRWTF is claiming ADD instead of telling him he's too hard to work with? I'm just kidding. I get it, it's awkward.

    Yeah, it's very awkward. I won't have any problem telling him I don't have the time for his projects if he ever calls for help though.

     



  • @HuskerFan90 said:

    For a computer engineering major, he had no clue how to really do software development.

    Uh, you do realize that computer engineering is just a subset of EE right?  They generally need to take like 2 or 3 CS classes and that's it, so your expectation about software knowledge is misplaced.



  • @locallunatic said:

    @HuskerFan90 said:

    For a computer engineering major, he had no clue how to really do software development.

    Uh, you do realize that computer engineering is just a subset of EE right?  They generally need to take like 2 or 3 CS classes and that's it, so your expectation about software knowledge is misplaced.

    Yeah, I know that now. It's nice to know so I never have to deal with his ...amazing... skills again.



  •  @locallunatic said:

    @HuskerFan90 said:

    For a computer engineering major, he had no clue how to really do software development.

    Uh, you do realize that computer engineering is just a subset of EE right?  They generally need to take like 2 or 3 CS classes and that's it, so your expectation about software knowledge is misplaced.

    Yeah... we called those our "easy classes".

    That said, not every CE student belonged in the CE program.


  • Discourse touched me in a no-no place

    @anotherusername said:

    Yeah... we called those our "easy classes".
    Which side are you talking from the perspective of?

    The hard classes (stuff like the gory details of computer security) wouldn't normally be given to tourists from the department of panel bashing.



  • @dkf said:

    @anotherusername said:
    Yeah... we called those our "easy classes".
    Which side are you talking from the perspective of?

    I'm confused by this as well as CE when used in an engineering department is civil not comp (as the much more common and older set).



  • Where I live, most people study what we call "Informatics engineering", which covers from the lowest level (making a processor out of logic gates) to the UML + design patterns bullshit, including things like C (programming a PIC), C++, Java, SQL, algorithms, interface design, assembly, system calls, development methodologies, team work... Not really a lot of programming practice, despite what they want us to believe (I guess that takes too many hours), but we're still supposed to know the basics of software design, requirements, planning, etc.

     



  • @spamcourt said:

    Where I live, most people study what we call "Informatics engineering", which covers from the lowest level (making a processor out of logic gates) to the UML + design patterns bullshit, including things like C (programming a PIC), C++, Java, SQL, algorithms, interface design, assembly, system calls, development methodologies, team work... Not really a lot of programming practice, despite what they want us to believe (I guess that takes too many hours), but we're still supposed to know the basics of software design, requirements, planning, etc.

     

    A mile wide and an inch thin...

    Also: funniest thing in the world is when people who have studied how to "make a processor out of logic gates" get their first real job and their assignment is to test a shopping cart following a bunch of screenshots pasted in a Word document. It's like someone who just got a degree in hotel management and ends up working graveyard shirt in a disgusting motel where his People Skills are utilized handing out keys and towels to by-the-hour customers.



  • @spamcourt said:

    most people study what we call "Informatics engineering", which covers from the lowest level (making a processor out of logic gates) to the UML + design patterns bullshit, including things like C (programming a PIC)
    My mom had one of those put in for convenience when she was in the hospital getting a lot of shots and blood tests and even a couple of dialysis sessions.  Stands for "Peripheral Intravenous Catheter".  Don't think hers was programmable, but Mom was 70 at the time; younger folks probably get USB ports.


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