Topic: How Would You Handle a $1,000,000 Coding Error?

theodp writes "The Chicago Tribune's efforts to upgrade its computer system over the weekend turned into a fiasco when the system crashed, halting all printing operations and leaving about half of the Trib's subscribers without papers. The software contained 'a coding error,' according to a spokesman who estimated the cost to resolve the problem at 'under $1 million.' Any advice for the poor schmuck who's going to get the blame?"

http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/07/20/0041230

ohhhhh shite... I wouldn't want to be that person! But it shows there can't have been enough testing before they did the upgrade.

Computer people need to get it in their heads they need to test test test test.

I was reading an article in the computer world magazine yesterday talking about all the testing they are doing for the hi-tech systems for the Athens Olympics, becuase everything *has* to go right for it. They are have several "technical" dress rehersals, simulating all types of situations that might come up, from server problems, down to someone getting stuck in traffic.

Not only did they need to do more testing but a good back out plan is a must as well. Any time I push apps live I always make sure I can back it out quickly.

At my work we do extensive tests before anything goes live. We have an entire test environment to do all the testing required before going live. Sometimes things can't be tested and we have to see what happens when it goes live. Most of the time everything is perfect.

When I think of all the testing I do before I do *anything* to GIS its amazing. I would expect for something that big, the testing would be huge! But thats no reason not to do it.