Just a thought.

Since I am applying for a housing finance loan, I have to submit a proof of my income tax returns in the form of a certificate called Form 16. Now, the accounts division in our company is on the third floor and we do not have a lift. So I climed all the way up the stairs to the accounts 7 or 8 times in the last 2 days only to be told to come back later. If I didn't get the form on time, and I didn't get my loan approval, I would have missed the opporutnity because the seller would've called off the deal. And I was so upset, the accounts people didn't realize it. That day I cussed them inside me. And I realized, this is exactly how our users, for whom we make software, and deliver it, would hate us. They would hate us so much, just this way, when they sent us an email asking for some help with trouble-shooting or when something went wrong and we were tied up with other work. This is exactly how they'd hate us.

Sathyaish Chakravarthy
Sunday, May 16, 2004

very often thats exactly true, and Ive hot the hate mail to prove it.

on the whole though its more than balanced out by love mail...for every crank who hates you there tends to be at least one who loves you.


still a little disturbing though when I think about it....I personally am responsible for ulcers, stress and hatred in people Ive never met.
*shiver*

FullNameRequired
Sunday, May 16, 2004

Comparison of cold, inhuman buearacracy to
cold, inhuman, uncaring software is very apt.

Not all software is like that, but a LOT of programmers take that view.

"This is how things work, just learn to deal with it".

I worked very hard to learn principles of Desktop publishing, design, useability, etc. And I'm always trying to improve that.

I work with other programmers who have no clue. They don't care, they change text I give them from something clear to something obscure.

The problem is that many technical people THINK they can WRITE well.  They can write, but not clearly or well.


Sigh...

Mr. Analogy
Sunday, May 16, 2004

> The problem is that many technical people THINK they can WRITE well.  They can write, but not clearly or well.

This applies to lots of people besides "technical" people. Lawyers, senior academics and senior managers are all examples of groups convinced they're good writers, yet often appalling. Even some people who work as technical writers are poor.

The absolute worst group are "new media" academics. That's basically dot com goes to university. To prevent outsiders cottoning on to the fact the academics don't know anything, they use convoluted language.

PhD
Sunday, May 16, 2004

> I personally am responsible for ulcers, stress and hatred in people Ive never met

Look on the bright side, if you worked for Microsoft you would be responsible for even more misery.

If you're responsible for ClearCase I'll shoot you
Monday, May 17, 2004

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