Why Refactor Code

I ran across a great example of why to refactor code. We have a system that users fill out some forms and processes are kicked off that route that data to a database and send out emails to different people based on certain user input. Before we rewrote the system in January of 06, to change who got a certain email took at least a 1 hour of coding time and an half an hour of QA. It was way out of wack. We totally rewrote the system in January but because of delays to other parts of the project the system didn’t go live until August of this year. So for 8 months we could have sat on our new code which worked. Instead every 2 months we revisited different code blocks and refactored. At most we spent less then an hour refactoring. This particular code block ended up getting refactored 4 times.

Today, I got a request to route emails to different people, based on new business rules. The end result took 2 minutes of code changes, and 3 minutes to QA. We use Watir to run automated test. Because we use source control I did some auditing. Looking back these are the number of lines of code that would have needed to change for today’s changes.

Refactor Date	Lines of Code to Change
March	51
May	22
July	15
August	8

Refactoring code rocks!

Written by Tim on September 28th, 2006 with 2 comments.
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Bank of America Horror Story - Part 1

This is my tale of dealing with Bank of America credit card services. Bank of America’s tag line is “Higher Standards”. From an IT and customer services prospective, Bank of America must be measuring against some rather low standards.

On the 20th of every month I get the following email from Bank of America notify me that my credit card statement is ready. Normally I wait until the first of the month to deal with bills, but two months ago (July) I decided to pay right then and save a few dollars on interest.

I log onto their system and schedule a payment to come out that same day., and sure enough it comes out of my checking account. Everything is cool. On the 5th of August I am checking my other online banking accounts and accidentally login into my Bank of America account. I soon remember that I made the payment on 20th of June. However Bank of America shows that I still owe my July payment. How could this be? I dig around online and find they put my June 20th payment towards my June statement, even thought I had made that payment already. That’s odd, but banks do make mistakes and I thought a quick call to customer service can resolve the problem.

I talk to a Maria, who is very short with me, and explains that even though I got my statement on the 20th, I am not able to pay that bill until the 21st. This makes no sense, you send me a bill and say don’t pay it until tomorrow? Then why not wait until tomorrow to send me the freaking bill. I try to explain her that logic, but she doesn’t care and frankly I don’t blame her, she is a customer service rep not the IT director who thought of this brainiac idea. She goes on to tell me as “courtesy” she will have the payment applied to July’s payment. I didn’t lose my cool but I definitely told her that it wasn’t a courtesy if their system is screwed up. I was not impressed by customer service so I stayed on the line and took a survey about my experience. I was told after the survey that because my answers indicated I had an unpleasant experience I would get a call from a manager within two business days. I am still waiting on the call 2 months later.

The story doesn’t end there. Check back tomorrow when the online banking doesn’t reflect the payment being applied and a Bank of America rep tells me I owe $5 for July…

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Credit cards can cause a lot of hassle and inconvenience. To avoid this, you should probably look online to compare personal and business credit card options before you apply. While you think you may be making the right choice with a low interest credit card, there may be hidden fees you aren’t aware of. Research before you apply.

Written by Tim on September 20th, 2006 with 14 comments.
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Questions Never Asked Answered

This is off topic, but some things get my goat and this is my blog so I’m going to be ranting a bit.

I found this article today by John M. Peters. His theory to phrase him is why the terrorist hate us is because of our foreign policy and pro Israel stance. Those are his answers for the two questions he posed. Below is my rebuttal.

Q:Why did so many American citizens die on American soil that day?
A: Terrorist drove 4 planes into 3 different buildings full of people and 1 plane crashed in a field because the passengers fought against the hijackers.

Yes, that is the answer jack ass (I’m referring to you John). Stop beating around the bush (no pun intended) and ask why they want to kill us.

Q: Why would people want to attack us in such a vicious and grandiose fashion?
A: I can understood how the terrorist can bomb our Navy ship, bomb our embassies; these are military and national targets. If you at war with a country these are acceptable targets. The pentagon is/was definitely fair play. However, these monsters drove 2 planes into 2 skyscrapers full of everyday business men and woman. This wasn’t a stance against the US; it was a killing, a holocaust, a mass execution. Don’t try to paint it in any other light or blame our foreign policy. You want the freaking truth John? They believe Islam is the only religion that should be practiced, convert or die. Wake up. Some of the left wing in this country are so oblivious. These people would cut your throat if you gave them a chance.

Written by Tim on September 14th, 2006 with 5 comments.
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