I'd have to agree. However, due to politics or financial considerations, there may not be another palatable option, e.g. PHBs may insist that you do it in a production environment to get a 'real feel' for what it's like, and/or you may not have money or authorization to have a test machine.
That said, if management and users are OK with you doing this, and you don't have a test server, it may be a matter of the lesser of two (or more) evils. But again, I'd say try and do this in an isolated test environment first, if at all possible - you can create test accounts and log them in, and test your code to make sure the users don't get disconnected.
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spiritway,
It sure is - and? IMO, your answer is like telling teenagers not to have sex because it is bad. The reason for asking the question is to understand what can go wrong, what the alternatives are, and what is the "best" you can do to mitigate risks if you choose to proceed. While in YNSHO, any use of modifying code is insane, I am asking what is the relatively sanest way about doing it.
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Hi, [id://Limbic~Region]. I think the analogy isn't so much like telling teenagers sex is bad (which, in fact, it isn't), as much as it is saying something like, "sticking your finger in a light socket is not a good idea". For one thing, the payoff is far less rewarding. And the possible downside becomes apparent almost immediately.
I guess I don't really see a "best" way to do something that, as far as I can see, is neither necessary nor particularly safe; that has no payoff I can even imagine (which doesn't mean it's not there - it could be my lack of imagination).
And no, I don't consider it *insane* - just leaving yourself open to a world of troubles. I've heard of some amazing things done by people who broke this sort of rule and managed to do it without wreaking havoc. So I guess it can happen - and I wish you the best if you want to do that.
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