Topic: Technology that frustrates the bejeezus out of you (Read 6000 times)

xolik · « **on:** October 06, 2006, 01:48:10 PM »

Microsoft Identity Integration Server gets my vote.

MIIS is a royal pain in the tuckus. "Transient objects" my ass! You'll fucking synch just fine in preview mode, but when you have to actually do it OH NO, we can't have that!

I'll just check the log file and see which accounts are messing things up. Oh, that's right, there is no log file. That's no biggie because certainly for such a complex project as this, we've paid for support for when things go kablooey, right? What's that? We didn't? We took the money for the support contract and used it to wallpaper the CIO's office with hundred dollar bills because he got tired of looking at fifties instead?

Software that gives vague error messages, no refrence links as to what the object that's causing the problem is, no error logs and limited support\training options can suck my....toe.

What software\technology just drives you batty when you have to use\troubleshoot it?

Chris · « **Reply #1 on:** October 06, 2006, 04:38:26 PM »

Windows XP Home Edition gets my vote. That might be one of the most annoying pieces of software that I have ever used. The fact that they cut out certain features is a pain in the ass.

Agent_Tachyon · « **Reply #2 on:** October 06, 2006, 04:43:27 PM »

My stupid steel coffeemaker that you can never get the streakmarks or fingerprints off and springs open whenever it starts making coffee so that I only get a cup of steaming water (or a burnt hand, depending on when it decides to do this).

pbsaurus · « **Reply #3 on:** October 06, 2006, 04:57:01 PM »

I hate software that isn't set up with keyboard short-cuts. Having to use the rodent pisses me off.

12AX7 · « **Reply #4 on:** October 07, 2006, 12:55:50 AM »

Quote from: pbsaurus on October 06, 2006, 04:57:01 PM

I hate software that isn't set up with keyboard short-cuts.

Ditto that.
Even worse, though, is having to switch back and forth between the two with the same hand in the same operation on the same application. We use Procomm Plus to dial PBXes. To do this, you first enter the customer ID #, and enter. This pulls the info and readies the modem. Now you use the mouce to click a button to dial (I don't know why, but once you pull the customer record, you can't type anything - such as ATDT, etc.. to dial. It simply gives you an error and tells you to try again.) When the modem connects, you use the mouce to click a login script for the customer's SEB; then the keyboard to enter "7" "Enter" "1" "Enter" , then back to the mouce to click the login button, then the keyboard to "Enter"; then the password button, then the keyboard to "Enter" again. Now you're logged into the PBX and it's all keyboard from then on; until you go to log out and disconnect.
Now, I know you can manually enter login/password for the script button and the two buttons for PBX login; however, we have well over 5000 different customers; some of which have 80 + different sites; and some of those we monitor more than one port or piece of equipment. And it doesn't pull up the info where you can see it; it just looks it up for itself to dial; no display. So there's no way to memorize each site's login info; they're almost all different and totally random. So you're stuck bouncing back and forth between mouce / keypad / mouce / keyboard / mouce / keyboard...

That's the worst sequence I can think of; but the worst program is our ticketing software, Astea Dispatch One. It operates both systemically and graphically like it was fielded circa 1976. ALL data-entry-type interface; NO mouce - so you tab through EVERYTHING. We have one particular page it takes three multiple-keyed keystrokes just to get to it; then you hit "TAB" 12 times, and enter "CL" ... that's it. How fucking efficient is that? To close a ticket, you must enter your times. Sounds reasonable (even though it TRACKS THE FUCKING TIME AND ANY ACCESSES TO THE TICKET) , until you realize you have to enter three different times (one minute apart) on two different pages; tabbing merrily away through the fields we don't use. And enter CL twice - once each on two different pages. Why? Just. . . why? Who would put their NAME on such a piece of work? I would be so ashamed to have written that and actually SOLD it to someone.
Back to the time entry; it usually doesn't take me but about ...maybe 45 seconds; sometimes longer depending on the issue, to dial into a switch, check it out, fix it, and bail. 45 seconds. Ok; let's be a bit liberal and give it an entire minute:

ticket A- 23:45- 23:46
ticket B- 23:46- 23:47
ticket 3- 23:47- 23:48
ticket D- 23:48- 23:49
ticket E- 23:49- 23:50

Five tickets; five minutes. Except when I enter my time into Dispatch One, it has to look like this:

ticket A- 23:45- 23:46- 23:47
ticket B- 23:48- 23:49- 23:50
ticket 3- 23:51- 23:52- 23:53
ticket D- 23:54- 23:55- 23:56
ticket E- 23:57- 23:58 - 23:59

Almost a TEN MINUTE DISCREPANCY in five tickets; ONE tech, ONE day, FIVE minutes. So figure 18 techs; 24/7. We troubleshoot up to/around 3,000 tickets a day. Would YOU buy this software for your business? I won't even go into how excruciatingly sssss llll ooooo wwwwww it is, nor how it needs to go out of service for three hours EVERY night for "maintenance". (That's right; there's NO DUALITY AT ALL and "backups" are dumped to the "backup" server once a month. So it really useless as it has no current tickets, no current Oncall list, etc, etc)

JEEEEEEEZeus. I gotta stfu now. I'm only getting riled the more I get into it.

... Astea Dispatch One. That's my Final Answer, yes.

12AX7 · « **Reply #5 on:** October 08, 2006, 03:28:44 AM »

Quote from: 12AX7 on October 07, 2006, 12:55:50 AM

(I don't know why, but once you pull the customer record, you can't type anything - such as ATDT, etc.. to dial. It simply gives you an error and tells you to try again.)

I believe the reason for this, BTW, is Python - the software between our local Procomm session and the IrisNGen server. The server has all the dial/login info. I don't know a lot about this Python software, except how to kill it, restart it, and what to call it.

pbsaurus · « **Reply #6 on:** October 09, 2006, 01:16:09 PM »

Hate procomm. We still have to use that for the AMEX batches. Freakin archaic. Fortunately I only have to do that when Felicia is on vacation.

Demosthenes · « **Reply #7 on:** October 09, 2006, 02:53:27 PM »

I used to use an old MS-DOS version of Procomm Plus back in the day. We used it to communicate with our autodialers in the call center for whom I worked. Later versions I've seen of Procomm are shite by comparison.

Socrates · « **Reply #8 on:** October 10, 2006, 07:23:12 AM »

I hate the way everything now runs in a frickin web browser. We bought a report writing tool that runs in a damn browser. You have to click constantly, almost no keyboard shortcuts allowed and copy pasting into and out of it is hit and miss. I'd rather install a 500 meg program on my 100+ gig HDD than run it in a web browser.

Runs in a browser is only a feature for the software company because you can completely lock down the amount of licenses running. It's not a feature to me, the guy who actually has to use it.

Demosthenes · « **Reply #9 on:** October 10, 2006, 12:39:13 PM »

Get used to it. Somebody thought that web applications were a neato idea, so that's the direction everything seems to be heading these days.

Never mind the fact that a lot of people hate that and don't want it.

Look for an ad-supported web-based version of MS Office coming down the pipe. You've been warned.

DiscipleOfChaos · « **Reply #10 on:** October 10, 2006, 12:40:20 PM »

Excuse me, I'm going to go out back and hide in a pile of peat moss until society destroys itself in a fiery inferno of stupidity.

Let me know when it's safe to come out again.

Socrates · « **Reply #11 on:** October 10, 2006, 01:49:16 PM »

Quote from: Demosthenes on October 10, 2006, 12:39:13 PM

Get used to it. Somebody thought that web applications were a neato idea, so that's the direction everything seems to be heading these days.

Never mind the fact that a lot of people hate that and don't want it.

Look for an ad-supported web-based version of MS Office coming down the pipe. You've been warned.

It does seem to have been coming for a while. I'd like to find that somebody who thought it was a good idea and have a "talk" with them.

pbsaurus · « **Reply #12 on:** October 10, 2006, 03:33:44 PM »

Yep we're going with Lawson and Compeat. Fortunately Compeat has a lot of keybr0ad shortcuts though. Lawson doesn't.

Cyber_Sniper · « **Reply #13 on:** October 14, 2006, 10:36:06 AM »

Quote from: Demosthenes on October 10, 2006, 12:39:13 PM

Get used to it. Somebody thought that web applications were a neato idea, so that's the direction everything seems to be heading these days.

Never mind the fact that a lot of people hate that and don't want it.

Look for an ad-supported web-based version of MS Office coming down the pipe. You've been warned.

Yeah tell me about it, its why I've been locked in a cube for the last 6 months hacking away at redudant code...

Becuase everything should be on the web..

Use the web for your customers and desktop based apps for everything else...

Oh hi BTW...

12AX7 · « **Reply #14 on:** October 14, 2006, 11:10:46 PM »

Hey man!! Good to see ya! Thought the st00bs had finally overrun your position. Welcome back!

hackess · « **Reply #15 on:** October 15, 2006, 11:55:56 AM »

Quote from: Cyber_Sniper on October 14, 2006, 10:36:06 AM

Yeah tell me about it, its why I've been locked in a cube for the last 6 months hacking away at redudant code...

Becuase everything should be on the web..

Use the web for your customers and desktop based apps for everything else...

Oh hi BTW...

CYBER!!! Missed you, love!

Cyber_Sniper · « **Reply #16 on:** October 15, 2006, 03:58:02 PM »

Hey baby, how you doin??

DiscipleOfChaos · « **Reply #17 on:** October 16, 2006, 07:53:11 AM »

Quote from: Cyber_Sniper on October 14, 2006, 10:36:06 AM

Yeah tell me about it, its why I've been locked in a cube for the last 6 months hacking away at redudant code...

Becuase everything should be on the web..

Use the web for your customers and desktop based apps for everything else...

Oh hi BTW...

HEY! I know you!

Welcome back!

TheJudge · « **Reply #18 on:** October 16, 2006, 09:35:53 AM »

Hello Cyber! Welcome!

Have some karma!

Cyber_Sniper · « **Reply #19 on:** October 16, 2006, 03:39:04 PM »

Quote from: TheJudge on October 16, 2006, 09:35:53 AM

Hello Cyber! Welcome!

Have some karma!

thanking you...

hackess · « **Reply #20 on:** October 16, 2006, 09:32:36 PM »

Quote from: Cyber_Sniper on October 15, 2006, 03:58:02 PM

Hey baby, how you doin??

Busy and frustrated at work, but with a magnificent home life. Yourself, m'dear?

Socrates · « **Reply #21 on:** October 17, 2006, 07:00:25 AM »

Quote from: Cyber_Sniper on October 14, 2006, 10:36:06 AM

Yeah tell me about it, its why I've been locked in a cube for the last 6 months hacking away at redudant code...

Becuase everything should be on the web..

Use the web for your customers and desktop based apps for everything else...

Oh hi BTW...

Don't make me have to fly across the pond to have a talk with you.... actually that doesn't sound like a bad idea. Welcome back

Demosthenes · « **Reply #22 on:** October 18, 2006, 12:49:56 PM »

Good to hear you're still hacking away, cyber. We're hanging about on a different IRC server today, btw. It's on The_FOO's b0xx0r (irc.hyperion.org:6667 #hn) in case you're interested.

Cyber_Sniper · « **Reply #23 on:** October 18, 2006, 02:03:39 PM »

Nice...

xolik · « **Reply #24 on:** October 18, 2006, 03:10:18 PM »

Server power cables come in two lengths: Too long and too short. And if you use the included power extention cable on the too short ones, they get upgraded to WAY too fucking long.

DAMN YOU, HP!

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Author Topic: Technology that frustrates the bejeezus out of you (Read 6000 times)

12AX7

12AX7

12AX7