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Dope Wars, Space Trader, Graffiti, memos, calculators and more: the Internet Archive’s instant Palm Pilot emulator is an app store before the App Store. For those that still write everything in Graffiti
Those that know, know
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Memories... 
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Extend your codebase with custom, interactive blocks. I hear your documentation needs more code
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Occasionally I run across a tool or development project with the intent of eliminating the programmer. "Exterminate! EXTERMINATE! EX-TER-MIN-ATE!"
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Quote: There was no debugger or other tools, not even an editor with color coding.
Horrors!
The difficult we do right away...
...the impossible takes slightly longer.
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I currently work for a client who uses a no-code platform.
Their idea is that a business analist can change the program too.
The tool mainly calls database (SQL) stored procedures or executes SQL queries or calls web APIs.
You'd expect a flow like this:
Timer trigger -> exec SP -> call service -> exec query
Unfortunately, it's like this:
Timer trigger -> exec SP -> record set to XML -> call service -> XML to record set -> exec query
Now you think, still not too bad.
Unfortunately, looping and if-else branches are done in stored procedures, something a database isn't really meant to do.
It gets worse.
Processing large data sets is almost impossible using this tool (very slow).
So, what they do, XML files are stored on disk, an SP is executed which reads the XML and then processes it using OPEN XML FOR or something like that.
I don't know about you, but working with XML in a query is not something most of us do on a daily basis, so it greatly complicates things.
Now, with procedures calling procedures, views and functions, which are in turn called by some step of some task in a no-code platform, with no ability to search or debug, this thing is a nightmare to developer and maintain.
The database has thousands of objects, with tables that do nothing except store a result to be used in another task or step.
Basically, each function you'd have in code is now a stored procedure.
Despite having various services, all databases (three major ones) are linked and used for querying in the other databases.
There's a ASP.NET Visual Basic WebForms project for the front-end, which does little more than create and read records from/to the database and start a task in the no-code tool.
I'm a skilled developer with years of experience and I really struggle to maintain and develop this.
The person who built the bulk of this is around to tell me where I need to look.
Just last week we couldn't find where some table was updated, not even the person who built it could remember where it was.
We still haven't found it.
The main "programmer" is certain this is the way to go and that a business analist could build on this.
Their customer is satisfied, I'm horrified 
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Really great story, thanks for sharing.
I understand the philosophy behind all of this is that the business _believes_ that they are going to _insure_ that their business logic is not _owned_ by some developer who has wrapped it in a computer language -- a confusing abstraction to them.
However, they've wrapped it in another thing that has no broad acceptance & are probably doing things in a proprietary way so now they are going to be _owned_ by a Business Analyst, I suppose.
They thought they were running away but they were really running in a larger circle and have only arrived back where they started. 
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Yeah, that's exactly it.
What strikes me most, is that most of the VB.NET code is moved to SQL, as the no-code platform does little in that regard.
Somehow, people think SQL is easier to develop in and that people who know SQL are in larger demand.
However, SQL is just not a general purpose programming language.
The result is all kinds of workarounds and hacks just to make easy things work and still lots of bugs (especially with error handling!).
Another phenomenon I've witnessed, with this platform and another no-code platform as well, is that their clients hire a consultancy company (often a subsidiary of the no-code company) to "write" their application.
So instead of hiring general purpose developers, they hire specialised no-code developers.
And so, the vendor lock-in is complete.
But somehow developers are in short supply 
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mandatory[^]
M.D.V. 
If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about?
Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you
Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.
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The following comment found under that comic strip is really how it ends up going...
Comment from site ...then the project manager gives it to the programmer saying, I did 99% of it, you should be able to finish this last little bit...
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Designing a control loop for a motor is 100x easier and more reliable with Simulink™ than by hand, plus it's also a lot more portable across different chip manifacturers, which actually helps competition - so far a lot of chip manifacturer coast on the fact that embedded code is pretty much locked to the toolchain and the platfrom it runs.
Removing the hairiest part from the porting is a huge boon, and I'm talking as a standard developer who knows Jack and ![Sunshine | [little ray of sunshine]](https://www.codeproject.com/script/Forums/Images/sunshine.gif) about control algorithms and Simulink, and Jack is out of town. It's also good from a software engineering standpoint since it helps with modularity - you can much more easily adapt different high level logics on a wide array of different motors without invalidating the test and validation already done on each of the component.
GCS/GE d--(d) s-/+ a C+++ U+++ P-- L+@ E-- W+++ N+ o+ K- w+++ O? M-- V? PS+ PE Y+ PGP t+ 5? X R+++ tv-- b+(+++) DI+++ D++ G e++ h--- r+++ y+++* Weapons extension: ma- k++ F+2 X
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Yes, but the control loop is only the lowest part of the control stack. Once you can position the motor reliably, all the rest of the code still needs to be written.
This "business logic" is typically much more complex, and not understandable by your average "business analyst".
Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.
-- 6079 Smith W.
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Eh, positioning a 3 phase motor in sensorless configuration then controlling it in speed and torque while maintaining the safe operating area is still quite the chunk of code, and it's very difficult to debug and simulate, especially simulate, since RLC parameters are actually encoded in several variables with different econdings and partial computations.
All the rest of the code becomes much smoother to write once you have a motor that runs when you tell it to run and stops when you want it to stop. Also, starting the motor is always hell, since you won't know where it landed (sensorless) and you might have parasite torques that trigger overcurrents.
GCS/GE d--(d) s-/+ a C+++ U+++ P-- L+@ E-- W+++ N+ o+ K- w+++ O? M-- V? PS+ PE Y+ PGP t+ 5? X R+++ tv-- b+(+++) DI+++ D++ G e++ h--- r+++ y+++* Weapons extension: ma- k++ F+2 X
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Windows 11 may soon show a system tray indicator notifying when your computer is connected to a VPN, allowing users wishing to browse anonymously to ensure they are connected. Because you needed a new icon down there
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Researchers found that problematic smartphone use is linked with low self-esteem as well as negative cognitive outcomes. I read this on my smartphone
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My phone told me I wasn't allowed to read that, and to plug it back in. So I will never know...
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We're starting to see the downside of communications technologies that allow people to never interact on a personal level.
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Somewhat surprised to not see this mentioned here or in the Lounge. Dr. Frederick P. Brooks died on 17 November.
The obit/article doesn't mention it, but for those that don't place the name right off, he was the author of the Mythical Man Month, as well as quite a few other accomplishments.
RIP
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The San Francisco Police Department submitted a proposal that would give robots the ability to use deadly force in dangerous situations. "Please put down your weapon. You have 20 seconds to comply."
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mmm... how very American of them. I guess would make for good scifi thriller slice of life novel! 
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San Francisco - Homeless encampments everywhere, human feces on the streets, and killer robots.
Really makes you want to visit. 
Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.
-- 6079 Smith W.
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Del Spooner is turning over in the shelf
There is going to be a big: "I told you"
M.D.V. 
If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about?
Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you
Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.
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