Classic Pat

From: Ed
To: Pat
Subject: Labels folder

Hey Pat,

Is there a reason you moved the instructions files from the "instructions" folder to a folder called "labels"? Just curious. Thanks!

-Ed

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From: Pat
To: Ed; Coworker1, Coworker2
Cc: ProjectLeader
Subject: RE: Labels folder

I moved them into their own folder because they seemed like files that:

1. Didn't need to be in the same folder as the other files

2. wouldn't need to be changed much

3. we didn't need to look at them everyday in the file list.

---

From: Ed
To: Pat; Coworker1; Coworker2
Cc: Project Leader
Subject: RE: Labels folder

My only question is why was it called labels; the idea is definitely good, which is why I put the instructions in a folder called "instructions".

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From: Pat
To: Ed; Coworker1, Coworker2
Cc: ProjectLeader
Subject: RE: Labels folder

I couldn't think of a better name and they seemed like they were 'labels' at the top of all our forms...

You'll Receive These Wonderful Parting Gifts!

Pat* gave me a going-away gift. He tried to deploy the latest version of our project via his deployment tool, but none of my changes were included. The conversation went something like this:

me: did you do a getlatest on the utils project before making 0.8.9? Because the code is throwing errors saying it's missing a method I added yesterday.
Pat: I got the latest for the entire solution
me: well the build doesn't work... it's missing at least 2 methods I checked in last night
Pat: what file is broken?
me: clsFile.vb and PSA.vb
Pat: the Files are identical, how can i replicate the error
me: maybe source control didn't actually get the latest for you
me: just load the application and you get the first one.

At this point I decided to get backup. I used the Reflector to confirm that my code was not present in the build he released. Yup, it's not there, and yup, it's in source control. Pat is having none of it.

Pat: That method is not there
Pat: and it's not in source control
Pat: the GetlastyearsAssessment
Pat: the method doesn't exist
Pat: why does VS even let that compile? that's weird too
me: it compiles because it's in the build! you just don't have the latest

Fighting just because. He finally realized the problem:

Pat: ok found it.
Pat: come over here

Sure enough, it was his problem; the deployment software he wrote had about 6 manual steps, and he messed up one of them.

But the moral of the story is Don't blame other people for things you don't understand.

A Glimpse

I've mentioned Pat* before. Feast your eyes on this:

Pat: don't use byref. please for the love of god
Pat: haha
Pat: :)
me: what do you mean about byref?
me: it's appropriate in some cases.
Pat: i think it's confusing and rarely appropraite
Pat: it's too subtle
Pat: i don't want to debate software right now.

*Name changed, blah blah...

Sorry But I Can't Hold It In Any Longer

OK, I promised myself I would wait at least a month after leaving my current job before posting any bad stories about it, but I just can't hold this one in. My project has a custom filetype associated with it. I wrote code to parse the command-line arguments and open the file, like so:

myexe.exe -f "c:\filename"

So I was surprised when I came in to work this morning and my file association/command line code didn't work. I check the history in version control and find that my esteemed coworker, Pat*, had changed it. I decided to be diplomatic (since I didn't want to piss off people to whom I would not have a chance to reverse any more impressions) and sent out an email to the team:

Did someone change the code for using command line arguments for file associations? All of a sudden this morning I can't double-click and run a file. It looks like someone modified the command line stuff...

I get this response from Pat:

I fixed it, as it was broken. Come over and I'll explain.

(Note: this is one of Pat's annoying tendencies. When he has to explain something he did that invariably is a bad idea or mistake, he always wants to explain in person.) So I trot my butt over there to listen to his story. Turns out when he was setting up our project to work with our deployment software, he entered in the file association code the same as his last project. That is to say, without the space between the "-f" and the filename. So obviously the association wouldn't work.

Instead of adding the space to his code, or even bothering to look and discover what was wrong, he edited the source code of the project to work his way, which of course broke the rest of our builds once he checked in the code. Then he had the gall to suggest that this problem was my fault!

Thank God I'm outta there.

* All names have been changed to protect the incompetent.