Vignette, Ahh Poor Vignette

Man. I really don't like configuring and implementing COTS software. Its usually sold to someone who thinks it'll solve problems A, B and C when in fact they're only real problem is X. And they spent half a million. Or more. A lot more.

Well, I had the privilege of vomiting for 6 months working with Vignette products (although, I'll admit it was work). Now, Vignette products aren't terrible. At one time they could have been called cutting edge. Too bad that time was circa 1993. And the coding concepts are good. The code isn't. God no. The code is the definition of spaghetti code. See, Vignette bought up a lot of little chunks of code and then tried to play God. The kind of God that made the Platypus. And they did.

So, what made me have these flashbacks? Two things. First, my co-worked pointed out to me a few weeks back that someone had actually purchased Vignette. Oh boy. If you own stock in OpenText...hmm. If their intention is to 'cherry-pick' through Vignettes code they might as well have purchased a JDK 1.0 for dummies book and gone through the code in the accompanying cd. Then they should have gone looking for code in a dumpster behind a Taco Bell. But eh, at least they didn't buy AOL.

But thats not what rubs me. What really did it is again today I got another spam mail from Vignettes Education Services. From which I've already tried to unsubscribe. Months ago. See, I got a similar email a while back which prompted me to hit the handy unsubscribe link at the bottom. That tried to send an email to unsubscribe_me@marketing.vignette.com, which of course is an invalid email address. So I sent an email to their general support saying essentially 'wtf mate'. The lady said she unsubscribed me. Which I believed. Until today. And yes, the unsubscribe link in the email is still set to unsubscribe_me@marketing.vignette.com.

Screw experts-exchange

If you post on experts-exchange you're a dick, plain and simple. Even the crappiest of programmers can attest to the fact that they've used the internets a million and one times to help them code. Anytime you're trying to do anything you search and read blogs and forums and and all that. If there is any example of how free information benefits real business it'd be computer programming.

So why does experts-exchange show up all the time on my searches? Well, I have a theory and it involves a fat nerd living in his moms basement, too much mountain dew and manga and not enough social interaction with those of the opposite sex. God that site pisses me off.

Regi's American Bistro

So it was my birfday earlier this week and Rani wanted to take me out to dinner. Fat kid won't object. Where to go? I was feeling kind of beat from work so I decided to keep it local, we'd hit up Thai Arroy which has arguable the best Thai food this side of the mississippi. Or something. Anyway, we walked there to find it closed. Damn Mondays and their closings. So we'll settle for some pretty decent Mexican food from Blue Agave. Also closed on Mondays.

So by this point I'm getting annoyed at our luck (or should I have taken a hint?). So I say "I've always wanted to try Regi's" to which I was told "I've been there and it was terrible". Well, being the smart one I is I decided "mneh, might as well try" and being my birthday, Rani didn't object. Unfortunately.

So, we got seated at their outside but enclosed by some plastic tent thingy and heated with heaters thing area. It was kinda cool actually. So we got the lobster mac & cheese and crab dip. I never did find any lobster in the mac and cheese but it had chunks of tomato in it and was pretty good (or maybe I was just starving). The crab dip was so-so. For the main course we got the turkey and brie sandwhich and a special that had arctic char in it. The turkey brie sandwhich was pretty lame, but the arctic char was alright. It had a cucumber and vinigar salad bed which was tastie taste.

And then came dessert. I don't know if I was more annoyed at the dessert or our waiter. We were there for maybe and hour and a half and saw him three or so times. MAN. I needs me some more water, but he's no where to be found. And we had to hunt him down after we paid to find our leftovers (not because they were that good but because they meant free lunch for the next day). And then there was the dessert. Red velvet cake. It had some cream cheese frosting. And tasted like a twinkie. Thats immediately what I thought when I took a bite. This tastes like a twinkie...except I remember liking twinkies as a kid...and I don't like this. After about four bites between us it was abandoned.

Regi's...I may be back. What? Yeah well, IF it were a nice day out and IF I wanted to sit outside and IF I wanted to have a few drinks while doing so and IF I maybe also wanted an assumable mediocre salad while I did it...then yeah, I might go back. So I guess I'll probably never be back because there are other places around that I could do that at that wouldn't suck.

8,600 reasons to not buy an HP Printer

I'll make this short and sweet.  I'm the 'computer guy' in the family and my sisters laptop is running slow.  So here I am doing my best Karen Carpenter impression (with the help of the o so slick Revo Unistaller) and I get to HP - Shop for Supplies.  Sometimes you find stuff such as TeaTime.exe (a process of Spybot) and you're like 'wtf mate' and bust out the Goog.  Well, being the astute nerd that I is I know that there is no reason that some hp related shopping thing needs to be installed.  So I kills it.  After the uninstall (byfar the best reason to use Revo) it tells me there are over 8600 leftover windows registry items.  Are you serious?!?  There is no reason for 1 to be on the machine let alone 8600.  Now there is sloppy programming.  And there is bad programming.  And then there is programming that I can only assume would be done to see how terrible you could make something.  I think this falls into the latter.

Take a step back.  Anyone who's seen an HP printer or any device for that matter has seen how bloated and bumtarded their software is.  Why do I need 17 different applications installed?  Why do they all need to search for updates?  But I've learned to make concessions in life.  But 8600 registry items for something that'll just say "OH SNAP YOUR OUTTA INK.  Go to hp.com and get more."  Jerks.