A fine way to start a Friday

A nice bracing argument with the department head, raised voices and all.

Mark came by to ask me a question. Dan arrived shortly after to ask a
different question, but decided to involve himself in our discussion. It
escalated rapidly. Whee fun!

I think we have a big problem with information distribution around here.
The people selling our product and answering customer questions do not
have an authoritative resource for the answers they need. There's a
word-of-mouth process where each person gets an answer from the person
next to them, possibly someone who knows but just as likely someone who
has as little clue as the first one. Occasionally they ask the
programmer (me, Mark, etc). But nowhere do the correct answers get
compiled. And if they did get compiled, the culture is such that they
might not be consulted.

But Dan insists that we have to protect the users from doing stupid
things because they don't know any better. Sure, we can put in all kinds
of rules about what you can and can't do with the programs. But in many
cases doing that emasculates the program for people who *do* know what
they're doing. Wouldn't it make more sense to teach people "any better"
so they know why things work the way they do?

For maximum irony, the whole precipitating issue turns out to be
irreproducible. It's been fixed. But the discussion did have at least
one positive result. I've rethought a certain aspect of the process and
found a potential improvement that will make for more sensible results
from this process in the future.

I really mean it about "bracing". I'm more awake and alert afterward. I
feel good. For all the raised voices, there wasn't any disrespect--in
fact, there were compliments in all that shouting. "[semperfiona] knows
more about the ...system than anyone else."

This morning, Wendy greeted me by saying her day had started with a
corruption problem in Idea. After
the row, I asked her quietly whether an Idea corruption problem or a
fight with Dan was a better start to one's Friday. She allowed that I
win that one.

(no subject)

The sweatshirt I am wearing today is old enough to vote.