Today, my
boss wanted me to take some existing
code that he wrote that is incomplete and finish it by implementing a general
algorithm which he thought up. This code uses a complicated
API into an
application which while very flexible, is somewhat unstable and
crufty. I suggested an alternative to this methodology by going directly to the
data files themselves and performing the minimal required procedures which would end up giving us the exact same result as his complicated code would.
He didn't want to do it that way. He wants to go forward with the complicated API because some day we might use alternate functions of the software application in combination with the main function. This sucks. So we are going to spend two weeks developing this application interface code which will accomplish the same goal as my idea which would only take an hour to develop and another hour to run.
I got back from lunch and my boss had already left for the day to take care of some personal business. He left the SDK on my desk for taking over his code. I not only had to take over OPC, but I had to learn and install an SDK. I was not happy. I decided to throw caution to the wind, ignored his instructions, and went ahead and implemented the code my way, bypassing all the crap, and finished developing and debugging it in under an hour.
This code processed over 400 files per second and gave me the result he needed in 55 minutes. His optimistic estimate on the runtime for his code would get one transaction done every 15 seconds. The minimum number of transactions required was going to be about 17000, giving us over 70 hours of time for processing.
I'd say that a 70-times improvment in processing speed for code which was developed in less than an hour should be something to take a look at. Especially when he has already been struggling with this API-utilizing code for almost a week now, including a complete (12-hour) re-formatting of our application's data sets in order to accommodate a specific requirement of his program (I already had to stay late one night to do that).
Oh well, I'll shut up, becuase I'm complaining and bragging at the same time and neither are very constructive things to do. I apologize for the crap, but I'd just like to mark this day as one of the more annoying workdays I've had in a while. And after hearing a close co-worker mentioning that she's polishing up her resume, I've gotten to thinking the same thing.
On the lighter side, I again got some nice messages from Sara today. I can't wait to meet her tomorrow for lunch and get a feeling for how she's doing and where her interests are. She has been so friendly since valentine's day; I just want to know if she's changed her mind and is now willing to move forward into developing a relationship, or if she still wants total freedom and is just being really friendly.
I'm a bit less anxious about meeting her this week than last week. I'm still somewhat nervous about what to wear and what we will talk about. I guess I'll just have to keep in mind what she told me when we first met and went to the christmas party together: Just make it up as you go along.