spent the whole week working on a bug fix last week.

implemented a method to filter some data to make it easier to use in the HTML template.

friday's session with other programmers to review code went well, they said the method is pretty good and works nice. (I must admit there was an elusive bug that prevented the component to render and none of us could figure it out)

i get back on monday to a message from the lead saying the code is unusable and they reverted to the previous (convoluted) way of doing things and i should do the same in the future. just copy their work.

i check the typescript class. fucking method that was used (which he told me not to use and I should copy and work off of), he went and just changed the method's name, and the body is EXACTLY the same as his existing method.

this code base is ridden with re-used methods (I managed to extract two reused ones into a service some time ago), the use of any for 90% of method return types and variables...

WTF. I am losing all of my respect for seniors and faith in this company.

This is why I am burned out. You are farting against a hurricane and everyone else's shit is coming back onto you. This is fucking insane. Or am I insane?

I was cited in a decent-ish journal article.
Feels like a win.

Sometimes, Google's solutions are worse than the problem they intend to solve.

For example, Google ReCaptchas are worse than spam, especially those with the pictures that fade extremely slowly on purpose. Unlike bots, humans are likely to not finish deliberately annoying captchas to save their precious time. (see http://archive.today/2022.06.25-110... )

In Chrome (mobile version), pull-to-refresh saves the one second it takes to reach for the refresh button in the submenu, but poses a threat of accidental refreshes each time you swipe down intending to scroll up. Over two thousand people have complained about this. ( http://archive.today/2025.02.26-153... )

With Android 4.4, Google blocked write access to memory cards (MicroSD) from all user-installed apps with the exception of app-specific folders so apps can not leave files behind when uninstalling. Google provided no option to change this. (source: http://web.archive.org/web/... )

But for unwanted files, there is already a delete button! Why take away the freedom to use the MicroSD card properly?

Google crippled the usefulness of memory cards for this nonsensical reason.

Google solved these problems with solutions that are worse than the problem.

devrant cert expired

Modern smartphones: "Powerful", "marvelous", but corporate overlords dictate what you actually get to do with it.

They lock your bootloader and prevent you from installing third-party operating systems.[1] Now they are starting to block third-party app installation only in certain situations, but this will sure as hell escalate.[2]

They block you from using the MicroSD card properly or take away the memory card slot entirely, decide what you are allowed to screenshot[3], and they lock your user data (like browsing history and saved pages) away from yourself to "protect you" from imagined evils. But this "protection" is actually the curse.

They also refuse to implement features people ask for like always starting with the rear camera regardless of the last used camera[4] and let the user backed up saved pages[5]. Something as simple as turning the flashlight on and off while recording a video took over a decade for Samsung to implement when shouldn't have taken a single afternoon.

----

Sources:

[1] Xiaomi prevents unlocking the bootloader but graciously allows it seven days after purchase. I believe that as the buyer, you should be able to install any operating system you like.
[2] (added through edit, hence last) Since Android 16, Google blocks APK installations during phone calls, supposedly to protect against scammers. But if history teaches us anything, it means this will quickly escalate and end with APKs being blocked completely or only installable through ADB, which requires an external computer and a USB cable.
[3] Google and Apple let app developers block users from taking screenshots. This is, for example, used by WhatsApp to prevent screenshots of profile pictures, even though everyone knows one should not put something in a visible spot on the Internet that one does not wish to be preserved. I believe people should have the freedom to screenshot anything that appears on their screen, like desktop operating systems (Windows and Linux) do. The buyer deserves to have the final say on a device they paid for.
[4] https://r1.community.samsung.com/t5...
[5] https://forum.developer.samsung.com/...

Am I in a toxic work environment or not?

1. I suggested implementing some code guidelines for our team so we can all work the same way. Lead architect sends me a DM telling me to stop talking about it until after projectX is done because it might stress out other devs. Friday he talks about how important it is to use standardised tools and ways of doing things.
2. Spent a week working on a bug fix and they said solution is good, but then invalidated all of my work by DM-ing me saying it's unusable because i worked on wrong branch and he quickly fixed it over the weekend and I should just copy his (inefficient) code.
3. I ask him a basic question of what version the backend software is using and he doesn't even respond. I ask another team member who quickly helps me check. it would have taken 1 fucking integer to answer that question. i wanted to learn the backend stack, but not so much anymore.
4. Lead doesn't respond to project management software ticket mentions.
5. Lead randomly makes hotfixes to the QA server without prior notice so the backend randomly goes down at times during work hours and then my local copy of the front end stops working for no reason at all when I am trying to focus on bug fixes
6. UX/UI designer's screen designs look completely different than the actual app, so I spent weeks implementing a feature looking like his nice designs, then having to change it again, taking another week.
7. Generally poor comms
8. Leadership mentioned jobs are safe, then 2 months later retrenched a bunch of people.
9. People getting sick all of the time.
10. Nobody gives a shit about technical debt

Yeah turns out writing a shell is a whole lot more work than I thought

Fuck man, why can't I just find a cool project that is actually doable in a normal lifetime

What‘s the purpose of separating your code into "independent" modules if each module contains everything anyways?

Well, happy treason day to all the yanks

There is nothing easier than running an insurance company in the US of A. When a big request comes in from a client in distress that got into a terrible accident that is definitely covered by their (very expensive) plan, you just go to the data bank like Equifax and see if they're still rich enough to win a lawsuit against you should you refuse to pay.

For those of you who don't know what a data bank is: data banks are companies that buy/scrape/suck in every last bit of data they can about every person in the country, and then resell it through their fancy UI with all the convenient features and metrics.

So, Umbrella Insurance Co. goes to Equifax and asks whether Joe Schmoe's accident is severe and life-ruining enough that they won't be able to sue us. Exuifax says: let's see... Joe's Revolut©™ account has the grand total of $80.12, with $7,382.25 recently spent on medical bills. Joe's WhatsApp©™ (a Meta©™ company) classifies their recent messages as "desperate". Joe's iPhone©™ Screen Time©™ is increased, and Joe is doomscrolling a lot, especially on The Washington Post©™ (a Jeff Bezos company). All signs show that if you don't pay them, they won't be able to out-sue you. That would be $0.12, thanks!

As a person who is no one in particular that may or may not have been a US of A's supreme court judge once said, "sometimes it's not about justice, but about making the sucker spend all their money".

I have almost 8 years of experience, am currently a tech lead in the company im at (a big known music and video streaming platform), i live and breathe tech...

and someone i interviewed for (in a 4 year old fintech startup) wants to put me in a mid level position because he "felt i lacked depth". apart from his feelings he failed to make me understand how I'm not senior enough for him.

so how do i become deep? what is this depth he speaks of?

If you see a toilet in your dream, do not,

I repeat,

DO NOT use it.

Remember kids, if you can’t into C, you suck. But if you can’t into CSS, CSS sucks.

Is it just me or other people too sit to code and then look at the time and suddenly 4 hours have passed? I feel so disoriented at that point of time 😭

killall != killall5

that was a close call

ww3 is about to start, should I attend the scrum meeting anyway ?

architecture/framework/schema/system is best judged by how much neglect it can take before breaking down.

Week : 92 (Year 1 )

I am tired, guys. Mortgage, EMI—I have to keep up.
I wanna exit this loop. I am stuck. How are you gonna spend this weekend?

Question : What’s something you still don’t understand as an adult?

last Weekend : https://devrant.com/rants/17187723

Fatal exception? More like fatal rule.

Had 1 beer in a pub. Had difficulty walking back to hotel.

You can tell I'm not a big drinker.
2 more weeks to pass here, in Dublin. And not get run over while crossing a street [u know, opposite traffic].

Somehow...

All for the sake of that promising project.