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Week 31, 2000 ,Svenson

Sjon



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Kelshon Saga. The logs. (book37.7 p213)

31-07 to 06-08

 

 

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MM-ccxiii     Monday

 

2000-07-31

 


Hey, there is a mistake here! We only had a bit of mist and later today lots of sun. And no rain. This calls for a bug report, can't have a dry day now can we.

Some weeks ago we noticed a strange problem, a date that got zeroed out unexpectedly. It only happened when we were not actively debugging and monitoring for it so we suspected some cache or buffer interference. Now it turned out to be some left over test code. One of the user-exits (an API by another name) that we added on requested for the Americans had code in it to test its function. Normally we only build a stub so the local coders can hook their code into it. Such a hook is of course tested by ... hooking some code into it.
Removed the stupid stuff and all is well again.

Ronny is back from holiday so we talked up events a bit.

 

At home I finally get the new computer humming and booting (into DOS). Next is getting the box connected to my workplace via the switch box so I can start installing things. Of course I have to clear some space to stand it. It is wider than Harper so putting it on top is not a good idea. And I don't have enough maneuvering room to get it under Harper without moving the furniture around. Sigh....

And now I notice my yesterday's post went awry. Sorry.


User friendly _always_ means it has to be broken in some attractive way

 

 

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MM-ccxiv     Tuesady

 

2000-08-01

 


Wow, a second beautifully day. Starting off with a bright red ball rising and transforming the dark night clouds into liquid copper before setting them ablaze in silver. After burning off those clouds the temperature gets pegged up from some 12°C all the way to the lower thirties.
Summer at last. But not to last, the day ends in violent thunder and lightning.

Jan and Theo are working their way trough the PRS (problem report system) to find out what must and can be included in the next patch for TeleSales. This patch will be shipped before the end of the week. Wilbert goes on holiday next week and he does the packing and sending of the patch, so ... .
While they are checking the PRS for TeleSales reports I do some cleanup in the PRS for the old OMSI-3 module.

And I work some more on the trigger file problem. Not that I find the actual problem. Yet.

 

In the news :

Two versions of Linux (Corel v1.0 and Suse 6.4) are now available in Dutch.

The translated versions are not the latest release and the Suse version still contains some untranslated German stuff. But It does mark a big step forwards in the conquest of the desktop. For servers a translated version is not necessary, network kids typically know enough English, and for the Linux-savvy people a translation isn't necessary either. For untrained OS-ignorant users a translation is definitively a requirement.
Windows had an advantage here and while the translated versions aren't perfect yet the advantage is gone.

At home I prepare Caitlan, the new box, for relocation. That is just screwing everything down, while building a system I use the minimum number of screws so I can easily swap components. Now everything is fitted so I add all the missing screws. The cover will be placed on it after software installation.


 

 

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MM-ccxv     Wednesday

 

2000-08-02

 


The thunder and lightning passed a few kilometers off so we enjoyed all the sound and show from a safe and dry distance. Only a light rain left the roads wet and slippery. Halfway trough the morning the clouds were gone again and the temperature shot up again to about 30.

I spent the day tracking data on the Belgian system, trying to find a pattern in the surplus trigger file records. The only pattern I find is that they all are wrong. Wow. :-(

While I am busy doing that I get a call from the sysop from Belgium. He <censor> **** </censor> up an order and he wants to know how to get out of the sh.. biological waste.
The order had an invalid invoice address. This was only noticed when the invoice program threw up an error. He decided to use DFU to correct things (DFU is a programmers tool to manipulate data in a database, bypassing all normal program checks, intended for program testing) which is something dangerous. In stead of changing the invoice address he changed the order status, with the idea to adapt and handle the order using the normal programs afterwards. The result was of course that the same order was passed to logistics. So he called the warehouse to cancel the second order, which they did. But of course there was no second order to cancel, only the second instance of the first order, so canceling killed the whole order. So there was still no invoice. At that point he stopped fiddling and called for help.
With a little help I got him on track again.

 

At home I scanned and adapted a map for my father. And didn't touch the computer afterwards. (except for posting of course).


A bug is something annoying that causes a program to produce unwanted results, ...
...something like a user.....

 

 

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MM-ccxvi     Thurday

 

2000-08-03

 


The good weather is drifting away. It was overcast and raining in the morning (11°C), with enough gaps to enjoy that big red neon sign rising. Throughout the day it was dry except for one short but furious shower but overcast. Enough blue spots so it wasn't a grey day.

The latest patch for TeleSales is being finished. V9 ready and shipped today and V8 scheduled for shipping tomorrow. Of course this is the best moment for Jan to report a problem and demand a fix to be included in the shipments.

On an order the user has to enter an invoice address (and an order address and a delivery address). Not all addresses in the database are invoice addresses. Nothing was checked originally which of course was wrong and a PR was made. And solved by adding a test on a status field in the address file. Now Jan reports that it still doesn't work, Ronny tests it here and it does work. Claim and counter claim, it works, it doesn't work, it does, it doesn't etc. etc. Finally we find that the test works as it should but somewhere else an invoice address can be logically deleted and that is registered in one file but the main address file isn't updated.
So IT works and IT is not a bug as Jan claims but interference from a real bug in a different function (originally 'tested' and accepted by Jan) is causing the problem.
A clear example for
Aloha.Dan that not everything a user calls bug is an actual bug.

I leave the trigger problem for a moment and concentrate on a "bug" in America. According to Jan there is a problem with the processing of the Invoice Calculation Files. Records remain in the file long after they should be processed and removed.

Let us apply the Standard Procedure. :

Problem located.

The solution is that they change the calculation, pre flagging the records for cleanup so that immediately after invoicing they are removed. And to correctly remove the current records they should run the first step in the Posting interface.

Problem solved.


Where there is law there is a loophole > >

 

 

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MM-ccxvii     Friday

 

2000-08-04

 


A warm night with a free car wash in the morning. It stop raining at about 9h00 and remains dry ever after. Well today anyway. Even though it rained there was a red sun rising and it basically was a sunny day wit lots of high clouds.

I was busy but not really productive. Belgium needed some more assistance. PRS got cleaned out a bit and documentation got written. I definitively was not in the right mood for work.

And I didn't post. Well this got posted on Saturday.


< < . . . > >

 

 

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MM-ccxviii     Saturday

 

2000-08-05

 


A dry but rather misty morning. So misty in fact that we don't have a sunrise. The day is actually sunny and dry with temperatures rising from 11°C in the morning (6h00) to almost 25°C in the afternoon (15h00). Just the type of weather I like best, warm and dry but not too warm.

Shopping. I asked an old style Baby-AT board last week and I got an ATX board in stead. Entirely my fault, I checked it in the shop, plugging the memory in and all, without remembering to check the size and layout. So I asked about an new board this week. Masset knows me well enough by now so he actually ordered the board (not in stock but then who has old baby-at boards in stock these days?) without asking for an actual order. No board was available yet however. So I got home with the obligatory kitchen supplies but without computer stuff.

This is a day with nice weather so I spend most of the day out in the garden. So I don't move Caitlan. And probably the weather holds for tomorrow so I won't be doing computer stuff the either.

My father together with Suzan, is away on a trip till Monday again, he does that usually every forthright during the summer vacations. This means that I can make the food I like. A lot of things are not allowed for him due to his kidney dialysis and there are a lot of thing he doesn't like. So when he is off I eat just what he doesn't like is isn't allowed.
The original idea for today's dinner was stuffed aubergine because my brother had more of them from his garden than he could use I had expected an aubergine of about 20cm length. He brought back one of just over 40cm long and almost 15cm wide. No way that I get such a monster stuffed and eaten. I noticed that yesterday evening so I could sill change plan.
Today is very simple, slow baked duck with fresh potatoes and stir fried aubergine. The duck is delicious and the fresh potatoes are just right. I dug up potatoes today and there are always some small ones, between 1 and 2 cm diameter (0.5-1 inch). I took a big handful of those, just washed them and dropped them into boiling water for about ten minutes. Smack.
And the fried aubergine you ask? Nope, not what I expected. Stir fried it is not bad at all but the center is tasteless and spongy so I had to cut that out.


< < More laws means there are more loopholes > >

 

 

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MM-ccxix     Sunday

 

2000-08-06

 


Again dry and 11°C but less misty. Well the mist seems to be parked about a hundred meter up and it takes till 11 before the sun gets trough. In the afternoon the wind picks up and clouds drift in to veil the sun.

For running I took a different route making a full circle around the city center and I got back home in about half an hour. My normal route takes me about a full hour. So that means the Ring ("de Groene Boelevard") must be about 4Km long. Which is not enough really. Next week I will take the old route again

While it wasn't nice and bright it was good enough weather to keep me occupied in the garden. Things like lawn mowing (hey Tom) and weeding. So again no work on moving Caitlan in. I do get a description and history written down but then noticed that I don't have any pictures. That must will probably have to wait till next weekend.

For dinner I make stir fried duck that I serve with rice and sweet-sour sauce. Delicious. So now I am suffering from eating too much. Which is usual when I prepare food for myself.


< < In a dictatorship, the loopholes in the law are used for hanging > >
 
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