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Ask HN: What is the most useless project you have worked on?

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Re: Ask HN: What is the most useless project you have worked on?

#401

Post by systemvoltage »

epolanski wrote: post #372
CamperBob2 wrote: post #355

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm curious; what law was being broken, exactly?

Breaking fiduciary duty would be the first that comes to my mind. Previous user took a very huge risk. I've seen similar stuff happen, you can get sued (along whoever told you, but you need proof) just for the sake of making an example in front of the rest of the company.

CEO can say it is his fiduciary duty to phase out old software and put a brand spanking new modern enterprise grade system.

Also, still it is not illegal. Just that the shareholders need to sue him to matter at all.

Re: Ask HN: What is the most useless project you have worked on?

#402

Post by smackeyacky »

rgmerk wrote: post #320

I spent much of 2023 writing the code for our company to implement the changes in the new version of this standards document: https://www.frc.org.uk/library/standards-codes-policy/actuar... As far as getting paid to write code in our industry goes, it was quite enjoyable. Most of the code was totally new and not particularly tightly coupled with the rest of the system, so the challenges were in understanding the subt…

I feel much the same way about working on code for Australia's Consumer Data Right (CDR).

Mostly it would have been OK if the code handed to me (a project I took over) wasn't the worst kind of "smart people doing stupid things" dependency injection hell in javascript. Then, having to deal with the ever evolving CDR regulations for the banking sector and trying to get the institution I was working for to take it seriously (there are fines involved if it doesn't work).

The end result - nobody in the public actually uses it except for a few dodgy lender-of-last-resort companies.

Re: Ask HN: What is the most useless project you have worked on?

#403

Post by nothrowaways »

CommieBobDole wrote: post #205

I worked on a six-month contract project for a large US retailer; the fact that everybody else I worked with was laid off the second week probably should have told me something was wrong, but they kept paying me so I kept showing up. Anyway, the only task they ever gave me was to build Cisco router ACLs to match existing traffic in the stores; they needed to implement access control but wanted to make sure they weren…

> they kept paying me so I kept showing up.

What a line.

Re: Ask HN: What is the most useless project you have worked on?

#404

Post by calvinmorrison »

Tijdreiziger wrote: post #366
calvinmorrison wrote: post #261

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I tried to place out of an intro-to-programming course in a back-to-school bout of scholastic achievement. I wasn't allowed to test out of it despite the coursewor being rote and that anyone with 2 seconds looking at my CV could see I did not need it. Anyway - they released the assignments on day 1. I turned them in on day 2. I still had to go to class. Stupid. My "filesystems and database design" class was basically…

It’s hard to say with this little information, but it sounds like you might have chosen the wrong school for your goals? The database class at my uni was mostly relational algebra. Likewise, many other classes were mostly foundational theory (though we did have project-based applicative classes too).

It was the closest reasonably priced state school near to my home thst took transfer credits from my community College. I should have gone for copywriting

The final nail in the coffin was me failing calc 3 twice so I don't think they were unacademic

Re: Ask HN: What is the most useless project you have worked on?

#405

Post by bombcar »

ShamelessC wrote: post #286
shaftway wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The joke is that BMW drivers don't use them.

Not familiar with that meme/stereotype…

Many people merge without using turn signals, but the subset that do it where you will notice it (e.g, close to you) seem to often be in BMWs.

I don’t know if anyone has ever actually done a study. Would be amusing.

Re: Ask HN: What is the most useless project you have worked on?

#406

Post by system2 »

Our firm signed a contract with a makeup manufacturing company to build an e-commerce system (web/shipping/marketplaces integrated). They had no idea how to advertise or drive traffic. We built it in 4 months, then told them what needed to be done for marketing in a meeting.

Instead of following basic instructions, the CEO and CFO came together and invited every known influencer in Los Angeles to a rooftop party in Hollywood. For this event, they spent over 1 million dollars paying for the fancy hotel for a day, decorations, gifts, and unlimited alcohol. After the event, there was no money left for marketing. They shut down the site after 3 months of not trying anything else.

Re: Ask HN: What is the most useless project you have worked on?

#407

Post by bombcar »

zilti wrote: post #341
ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #233

Define "Useless." My team worked on a project for about 18 months. I won't go into detail about what it was, but it was (and still is) badly-needed. We worked with the top interaction and graphic design folks in the world for the aesthetics and interaction. We had many meetings, flying the whole team to San Francisco, several times a year. When the project was in its final testing, the company got cold feet, and canc…

And you really leave us hanging here with so little information

They had developed a way to punch people in the face over TCP/IP.

Re: Ask HN: What is the most useless project you have worked on?

#408

Post by dkjaudyeqooe »

theragra wrote: post #327
psnehanshu wrote: post #95

Worked for a client via freelancing. Built 3 projects, all failed. He likes to follow the trends, first SaaS, then crypto/blockchain, and now AI. He apparently raises money, pays himself and builds bullshit projects. That's it. But while doing so, he does everything to look like a legit startup. Ngl, he was my first major client with whom I gained a lot of experience, but it doesn't change the fact that he is a hype…

The difference between startup and bullshit is pretty blurry, no?

There's the question of intent, but maybe this guy believes his own bullshit.

Re: Ask HN: What is the most useless project you have worked on?

#409

Post by thefourthchime »

LaserDiscMan wrote: post #124

I once worked on an in-house ERP system which had been developed over about 15 years by various developers. It was the engine of the entire company, everything passed through it. The CFO and some senior leadership erroneously blamed it for their shortcomings/used it as a scapegoat. When new management took charge, an initiative was started to replace the system with an industry standard solution. Both myself and the…

Story as old as time. It's a second system, they rarely work. The only hope is to come up with something small and exciting the a new generation moves too. Then you can build it to become the new thing.

Trying to build a total second system is nearly impossible if it's big and old.

Re: Ask HN: What is the most useless project you have worked on?

#410

Post by ikiris »

epolanski wrote: post #372
CamperBob2 wrote: post #355

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm curious; what law was being broken, exactly?

Breaking fiduciary duty would be the first that comes to my mind. Previous user took a very huge risk. I've seen similar stuff happen, you can get sued (along whoever told you, but you need proof) just for the sake of making an example in front of the rest of the company.

Where do you think fiduciary duty exists as a random software dev?
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