2_300_000 Euro, two years too late, still not capable to serve the contracted workload and more then ten severe errors in the bug-tracker.

http://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/87499/from/rss09

Who can show, that choosing D as implementation language would have avoided such a desaster?

-manfred

Manfred Nowak wrote:
> http://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/87499/from/rss09

For those who don't speak German, and in line with the recent discussion about automatic translation, the Google translation is somewhat readable: http://www.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.heise.de%2Fnewsticker%2Fmeldung%2F87499%2Ffrom%2Frss09&langpair=de%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF8
(definitely not perfect though)

Manfred Nowak wrote:
> 2_300_000 Euro, two years too late, still not capable to serve the contracted workload and more then ten severe errors in the bug-tracker.
> 
> http://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/87499/from/rss09
> 
> Who can show, that choosing D as implementation language would have avoided such a desaster?
> 
> -manfred

I wonder what languages they used. Only Oracle back-end and a Web-based interface were revealed.

Andrei

Andrei Alexandrescu (See Website For Email) wrote:
> I wonder what languages they used. Only Oracle back-end and a Web-based interface were revealed.

A web front-end, Oracle back-end, few millions, few years... I'll be surprised if it wasn't Java.

-- 
serg.

Manfred Nowak wrote:
> 2_300_000 Euro, two years too late, still not capable to serve the contracted workload and more then ten severe errors in the bug-tracker.
> 
> http://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/87499/from/rss09
> 
> Who can show, that choosing D as implementation language would have avoided such a desaster?
> 
> -manfred

Only having read the referred article, I do suspect that it's all about administrative failures at the contractor.

I've been involved in several SW disasters, both as client, independent contractor, employee of contractor, and outside (more or less) post mortem consultant. When you dig deep enough, IMHO, it very seldom is a question of inadequate choice of language or platform. (Although the language and the platform are the ones that usually end up as scapegoats. That way nobody accuses each other, thus avoiding throwing the first stone in a glass house where everyone is guilty and/or a wimp.)

Lack of information exchange between the actual programmer(s) and end users, sloppiness of middle management, private agendas, and a general disinterest by the formally responsible parties (COOs, Political Leaders, or top management in general), are the overwhelmingly most prevalent causes of software project disaster -- in my own experience. And in that order.

The chosen language would not seem to be the case here.

OTOH, in a number of several minor projects (less than 1 man-year), the choice of language actually has made a difference, in my past experience. In those cases, the chosen programming language (or, more to the point, the libraries or the framework) have drawn enough resources to actually suck manpower from management and administration of the project.

Middle management's default reaction upon discovering slippage of timetables (i.e. smoothing out, covering up, wishful thinking, and downrigh lying), usually only exacerbates the brewing disaster.

Frits van Bommel wrote:
> Manfred Nowak wrote:
>> http://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/87499/from/rss09
> 
> For those who don't speak German, and in line with the recent discussion about automatic translation, the Google translation is somewhat readable: http://www.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.heise.de%2Fnewsticker%2Fmeldung%2F87499%2Ffrom%2Frss09&langpair=de%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF8 
> 
> (definitely not perfect though)

Hmm. When I translated it, it came back:

"Das maschinen ist nicht for gefingerpoken und mittengrabben. Sitz back und vatch das spitzensparken."

I know a little swedish, so tried that translation:

"Zee plunned noo cumpooter prugrem fur zee Befereeun puleece-a beceme-a  geeunt feeeloore-a. Effter tests und meelliun-infestments fur muny yeers zee meenistry ooff zee Intereeur vunts tu step oooot ooff zee oorder fur zee defelupment ooff a sufftvere-a fur zee ruster oorguneezeshun (DeePleZ). Thet unnuoonced puleece-a furce-a preseedent Veldemer Keendler tudey eccurdeeng tu Germun Press Egency in zee intereeur cummeettee-a ooff zee federel stete-a perleeement. It vunted tu
inffurm zee esseegned sufftvere-a cumpuny immedeeetely effter zee meeteeng. Zee prugrem is sooeeteble-a becoose-a ooff irrurs und zee nut reeched user lued fur a soorffece-a cufereeng impluyment in zee Free-a Stete-a, seeed Keendler. Zee tupeec stunds tudey reeght et zee tup oon zee egenda ooff zee cummeettee-a fur lucel qooesshuns und internel secooreety.
Bork Bork Bork!"

Walter Bright wrote:
> Frits van Bommel wrote:
>> Manfred Nowak wrote:
>>> http://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/87499/from/rss09
>>
>> For those who don't speak German, and in line with the recent discussion about automatic translation, the Google translation is somewhat readable: http://www.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.heise.de%2Fnewsticker%2Fmeldung%2F87499%2Ffrom%2Frss09&langpair=de%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF8 
>>
>> (definitely not perfect though)
> 
> Hmm. When I translated it, it came back:
> 
> "Das maschinen ist nicht for gefingerpoken und mittengrabben. Sitz back und vatch das spitzensparken."

LOL.  The BlinkenLights text was on the wall at a school I attended years ago.  I've never been able to forget it.


Sean

Sean Kelly wrote:
> Walter Bright wrote:
> 
>> Frits van Bommel wrote:
>>
>>> Manfred Nowak wrote:
>>>
>>>> http://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/87499/from/rss09
>>>
>>>
>>> For those who don't speak German, and in line with the recent discussion about automatic translation, the Google translation is somewhat readable: http://www.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.heise.de%2Fnewsticker%2Fmeldung%2F87499%2Ffrom%2Frss09&langpair=de%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF8 
>>>
>>> (definitely not perfect though)
>>
>>
>> Hmm. When I translated it, it came back:
>>
>> "Das maschinen ist nicht for gefingerpoken und mittengrabben. Sitz back und vatch das spitzensparken."
> 
> 
> LOL.  The BlinkenLights text was on the wall at a school I attended years ago.  I've never been able to forget it.

You too? It was stuck to the window of the computer-lab where I went to school :)

Sean Kelly wrote:
> Walter Bright wrote:
>> Frits van Bommel wrote:
>>> Manfred Nowak wrote:
>>>> http://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/87499/from/rss09
>>>
>>> For those who don't speak German, and in line with the recent
>>> discussion about automatic translation, the Google translation is
>>> somewhat readable:
>>> http://www.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.heise.de%2Fnewsticker%2Fmeldung%2F87499%2Ffrom%2Frss09&langpair=de%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF8
>>>
>>> (definitely not perfect though)
>>
>> Hmm. When I translated it, it came back:
>>
>> "Das maschinen ist nicht for gefingerpoken und mittengrabben. Sitz back und vatch das spitzensparken."
> 
> LOL.  The BlinkenLights text was on the wall at a school I attended years ago.  I've never been able to forget it.
> 
> 
> Sean

Aah, the wonders of the Intarwebs.  That I can have *no* idea what you're going on about, and have the full text inside of 15 seconds thanks to Google and Wikipedia is a miracle.  :)

	-- Daniel

-- 
int getRandomNumber()
{
    return 4; // chosen by fair dice roll.
              // guaranteed to be random.
}

http://xkcd.com/

v2sw5+8Yhw5ln4+5pr6OFPma8u6+7Lw4Tm6+7l6+7D i28a2Xs3MSr2e4/6+7t4TNSMb6HTOp5en5g6RAHCP  http://hackerkey.com/

Daniel Keep wrote:
> 
> Sean Kelly wrote:
>> Walter Bright wrote:
>>> Frits van Bommel wrote:
>>>> Manfred Nowak wrote:
>>>>> http://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/87499/from/rss09
>>>> For those who don't speak German, and in line with the recent
>>>> discussion about automatic translation, the Google translation is
>>>> somewhat readable:
>>>> http://www.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.heise.de%2Fnewsticker%2Fmeldung%2F87499%2Ffrom%2Frss09&langpair=de%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF8
>>>>
>>>> (definitely not perfect though)
>>> Hmm. When I translated it, it came back:
>>>
>>> "Das maschinen ist nicht for gefingerpoken und mittengrabben. Sitz
>>> back und vatch das spitzensparken."
>> LOL.  The BlinkenLights text was on the wall at a school I attended
>> years ago.  I've never been able to forget it.
>>
>>
>> Sean
> 
> Aah, the wonders of the Intarwebs.  That I can have *no* idea what
> you're going on about, and have the full text inside of 15 seconds
> thanks to Google and Wikipedia is a miracle.  :)
> 

Welcome to the shared experience that we used to only get from reading the same books, watching the same movies, listening to the same music and traveling to the same places.  Now every "in joke" from the last 30 years or so is archived for posterity.  The Internet is rapidly becoming one giant, shared hallucination, from which millions can reflect upon rapidly and easily.  And to think this type of activity (peering into a computer screen for hours) used to be labeled as 'anti social'.

</philosophical>

I was in the same boat.  I found it particularly interesting that the wikipedia article on "Blinkenlights" mentions that there's a faux-English equivalent that German-speaking folks use.

-- 
- EricAnderton at yahoo