In my 25 year career, I have never had to deal with such a garbage software vendor as this one. I don’t want to go on a rant since I have other things to do today and could go on for hours, but here are the highlights:
- Application has like 30 modules. Each module has its own config file.
- Config files are not centralized and reside in the directory with each module.
- Vendor ships a zip file of slop code that requires manual assembly.
- Vendor provides no substantial documentation. Every request for technical documentation is met with “Let’s setup a meeting to solve your immediate problem”.
- Vendor ships dummy config files in every release necessitating manual backup/restore of the config for each of the 30 modules
- Vendor changes config file format every third release. This requires re-configuring the entire application stack and all 30 modules.
- Vendor puts the version info in the goddamned config file instead of building it into the compiled .NET application as a variable like a sane person would do.
- Vendor sends an update every week and gets pissy when we don’t deploy it within 3 hours of their “we shat out an update” email.
- Vendor has been asked repeatedly to address this. The only response we’ve gotten to these complaints is the sound of crickets chirping. 🦗
To answer any questions:
- Yes, I voiced my concerns long ago. They were ignored.
- Yes, they are the “lowest bidder” and it goddamned shows.
- Yes, they know I hate them.
- Yes, I tried writing scripts to manage the config files. They work once or twice until the vendor changes the config file format every 3rd-4th release.
- Yes, it is sunk cost fallacy all the way down, but I’ve been given my orders.
Hey, I got worse with some freaking expensive vendor. And because the ones who decided to go this path in opposition to everybody who knew better won’t accept the mistake, they sold it as a massive success to leadership, which puts pressure on us because “they are making our life’s easier”.