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aaargh

2007-06-26 16:30:15.502513+00 by Dan Lyke 6 comments

Note to developers: The simple format of your build should not wipe any associated databases and recreate them. That is, if I type ant in order to try to reconstruct some configuration information that you install into your software during the build phase you should not wipe out all running user info and recreate the databases with dummy data.

[ related topics: Software Engineering ]

comments in ascending chronological order (reverse):

#Comment Re: made: 2007-06-26 20:39:53.573326+00 by: meuon

at least, not without a "you are about to.. are you really sure" option. Oh, wait, I -am- guilty. But at least not in code meant for others.

#Comment Re: made: 2007-06-26 20:54:02.725368+00 by: Dan Lyke

Since the documentation states, several times, that to create the database you need to do an ant create-db, you'd think that a regular build wouldn't blow away all of your existing data, but noooooooo.

And, of course, that was the one part of my backup strategy that was silently failing since a server move, so we lost a month.

Scarab has done little to endear itself to me, and the whole set of attitudes and cultures behind Java[Wiki] web apps, in both Scarab and elsewhere, has made Java[Wiki] an instant check in the minus side of things when I'm evaluating software.

#Comment Re: made: 2007-06-27 01:29:34.624043+00 by: ebradway

meuon: you should know by now that "not code meant for others" for you tends to be be exactly what your customers implement. Maybe it's just the kind of customers you attract....

#Comment Re: made: 2007-06-27 01:38:07.985243+00 by: markd

A very wise cow-orker once said:

"Every well-designed architecture you create will be discarded without being exploited. Every quick & dirty hack you write will last for years."

#Comment Re: made: 2007-06-27 11:09:51.220215+00 by: meuon [edit history]

Eric.. (Laughing) Well, if they keep paying me... it would not be a problem, would it? (Evil Laugh).

I've gotten a lot better at writing code for others. Seriously. Even good commenting with real information. Much less: "Magic happens here" or "Here be dragons". Laughing..

But I don't drop a database/table anywhere without a 'you are about to...' message, that's just bad form.

#Comment Re: made: 2007-06-27 16:15:58.666879+00 by: Dan Lyke

Wait, it gets worse: It blows away the database, but leaves the attachments directory intact.