Idiot-proofing code... brings back memories.
I once worked for a company for whom my team wanted to make some code absolutely foolproof. It had been a long day, our testing wasn't going well, and we were slogging through the tests one at a time because none of us were able to think so inelegantly as the people intended to use this product. A USA high school education for THESE users would have been listed as "a plus" but not a requirement. Minimum wage somehow isn't descriptive.
Anyway, we were getting tired and it was getting into some late hours. The boss was with us, so we sent someone out for the beer and pizzas. After a break, we were trying to devise more tests for this code and one of us said the magic phrase that pretty much wrecked the evening.
Someone said, "You know, to make these programs foolproof, we need to hire some fool to test them."
Someone else chuckled and added, "Yes, but we need a total fool. Not just any fool will do."
After a couple of laughs, someone else said, "I guess we should go to the personnel dept. to run a job ad, 'Perfect Fool Wanted' - no qualifications listed. As a hidden test, we should name a low salary."
Next comment after more laughter: "But what fool would apply for such a job?"
More laughter, then: "Applying for the job would prove just how big a fool we were getting."
After that round of laughter died out: "What fool would hire him?"
After that hysterical laughter mixed with tears we were laughing so hard: "If we found the fool who would hire the applicant, perhaps it proves we should have hired from within." At which point the boss left the room
It was ALREADY downhill from there and going fast, so we agreed it was time to go home and get some sleep. Proof that we weren't fool enough to go on working when we were that blitzed. Also proof that we would have been disqualified on the hiring exam for this new testing position.
So if you want to idiot-proof some code, the FIRST thing you want to ask yourself is, do I want to go out and HIRE the idiot we need to do the testing? and the SECOND question is, would you want it known you were working in a software department that hires idiots?
