You Know You're a Geek When...

Thursday, November 04, 2004

Among the tiny graves on Blocker Hill, the wind echoes with the tortured cries of computer programmers. Beneath the eight grave markers, and perhaps in a rumored unmarked grave nearby, lie reams of paper printouts of code for software that has left this mortal operating system.

The cemetery is a quirky tradition among the programmers at LexisNexis, which provides online legal and business information. Rather than simply delete programs that are retired or replaced, they print them out for a proper send-off - not always with fond regards.
...
In 1992, up to 50 mourners followed pallbearers carrying a wooden coffin with a printout of the former Database Update Control System as a trumpeter played "Taps," project consultant Alice Kaltenmark said. Eulogies were said and chocolate cake served.

I guess I can understand this. Sometimes software can take on a life of it's own, especially if you have to support it for a long time. You can put blood, sweat and tears into it. This can offer some much needed closure when you finally put the code to rest.

Programming is like sex: one mistake and you have to support it for the rest of your life.
- Michael Sinz

Unless you kill it and bury it.

Posted at 9:35 AM by Nick | | |

Post to del.icio.us | Digg this Post | Save to Furl

Comments: