This is how religion happens:
Customer relentlessly files tickets claiming subsystem is malfunctioning. Offers vague anecdotal evidence for failure state.
So, I go in and add copious logging; I am now able to see the entire state of the application. And of course, I test my debugging by poking random buttons; failure should occur (per customer) and in either case, I should see logged thingees.
You can guess what happens next: it works fine no matter how hard I give it the million-monkeys treatment.
I then sit and wait to see if any other random passers-by decide to use app. After a reasonable wait, I see no one has, so I declare it fixulated and close the ticket, noting the above (”cannot create failure state, marking fixed and closed.”)
OH NO NO NO, screams customer. We know it does not work. OK, I ask: what’s your proof?
Well, we have not gotten any notifications anyone has used it! We normally have lots! Ergo it doesn’t work.
I attempt to retort that all evidence shows 1)it does work and 2)you haven’t gotten any notifications from the application because no one’s using it presently. As soon as someone uses it (eg, me) it works. Quod erat demonstrandum.
That no one is using it is proof that it doesn’t work, I am told, at which point I feel like I am allowed to have a drinking problem and a bad attitude towards our users.




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