Why would these morons use information like that in the form?
Put very simply, because they don't know any better. Take a quick look at what a simple query on google turns up or a slightly different one.
Many of the highest hits are places that aren't well respected in these parts or involve people with similar local reputations. I'm not saying they're bad people (I'm sure they love their SO's/kids/cats/dogs/what-have-you), but that they've managed to gain a bit of celebrity by posting bad code.
Look at the books on the subject. MW has a cookbook containing a shopping cart that doesn't taint. This isn't a problem with good books (like O'Reilly's, Damian Conway's, and so on), but how well received are those outside of the Unix/Hacker/Good Programmer mindset? This particular problem is endemic to the cut-rate publishers willing to teach you nothing in 24 hours, days, or whatever (save perhaps that few experiences cannot be learned from a book. Experiences like, "I just wasted my money on this crap?")
I mean absolutely no offense to those who busted their tails writing the best books they knew how. Hell, I'm still trying to learn enough to understand the best ones (Wolf and Panther come to mind) myself. But, the simple fact of the matter is that the best ones require a bit more knowledge, tenacity and/or grit than the harried corporate peon can afford.
This is a crying shame. Surely there's a good writer in the PM community that remember what it's like to learn a new paradigm? Certainly there's someone with the patience to figure out how to explain to the average VB user why it's a bad idea to store any real data in the form? Granted, the Rat book specifically discusses this, but it's the only book I've read to date that provides a very clear example of the process and the hack itself. (Well, okay, KM's recent title has touched on it briefly in the parts I've finished.)
Surely, someone is willing to acknowledge that in spite of its technical weaknesses when compared to other operating systems, the majority of corporate programmers (interprete that term as loosely as you must) are running Windows desktops? (I'm not trying to ignite an OS war; I'm just looking at the market at large.) If you can co-opt these folks, you'll reinvigorate the industry.
What I really find surprising is that we're so surprised that big name e-commerce sites get ripped by really stupid design decisions. Think about it, what is your opinion of the average corporate CGI "scriptor" or the average "enterprise" web development committee? How many times have you seen projects of this nature get dropped into the laps of the completely clueless and/or unqualified. (/me raises his hand.)
It's either "Oh, get the graphics artists on Corporate Communications on it; they'll figure it out." _Or_ "Well, the project has been in the works for two years now and we need to get it finished. The original developer left; you know CGI, right?"
I'm not trying to say these folks are stupid...I am trying to say that they use the tools at their disposal, mainly the search engines. Boom, they find a free script, see instructions on how to install it, it works and boom...they're ready to separate the online masses from their shekels. (</sarcasm>, just in case you weren't reading carefully.)
We know better, of course. They've dropped shields, reduced impulse, continue to broadcast "please board us" across all subspace frequencies.
Again, not because they're stupid, but because they don't know any better. "They'll learn," we say. Yes, sure. But at what cost?
Furthermore, what if we could have prevented it?
This, quite frankly, is why I continue to argue for patience and courtesy for initiates and newbies alike, for we cannot accurately predict the trolls from the truely innocent until we have more data points than a single post or two. Certain ones are obvious, of course, but I believe there's a risk we'll cross the line.
If we, who know better, aren't willing to teach these folks how to protect their sites, jobs, and wallets from the depredations of real world evil, someone else will...at their expense.
"It's just life," we say, wondering at in amazement at the cluelessness we see. To which I say again: "What if we could have prevented it?" What if it was your best buddy from school or your parent/guardian/favorite adult? What if it was your spouse/SO/closest friend in the world?
I believe that knowledge brings responsibility. If you're going to help, then you must be willing to actively and patiently combat the anti-information that's in the channel.
Here's a challenge for some wise CGI/Perl master: Write a series of basic, freely available scripts to rival and shame the top sites in those queries I mentioned. Do the job well enough to knock MSA out of the top spot on the search engines. Show how shamefully and poorly his "solutions" are written.
As a bonus, here's a profit motive: GPL the source and sell support and customization. Do it right and I think you'll make far more than M$FT in their heyday.
Perhaps I'll be able to do that myself...in a few years, when I feel I can actually call myself a Perl adept. In the mean time, there's a wide open market for those of you who already know what you're doing. Change only happens when real people take action.
--f
In reply to Re: Electronic Pricetag Alteration
by footpad
in thread Electronic Pricetag Alteration
by jcwren
| For: | Use: | ||
| & | & | ||
| < | < | ||
| > | > | ||
| [ | [ | ||
| ] | ] |