Oh it does _that_?
So, I was asked to write some Javascript so that when a person clicks
on a link it saves which link they clicked on and then if they ever
return to that page it automatically directs them to the same link
they click before.

No problem says I.


Actually, there are two links. One is the "accept" and the other is
the "decline" and there is a timer on the page. If the timer reaches
zero then it is the same as if they hit decline. And forever more
they will be directed to the same page as they originally selected.

And then some more features.

And then some more.

And some more.

In particular one that allowed for a countdown of product. That is
you would see updated live on the screen as the number of items left
decreased, ala The Home Shopping Network. When the quantity ran out,
once again we assume this is the same as "declining."

Then, they see it in action. And look at a page with the quantity
countdown. They click the accept link. Go to the order page.

A few minutes later they are telling me the site is broken. Actually
it was more of "Everything is fucked and to top it off the technology
is fucking broken!!! I am just going to rip it out."

"It" being my script.

"How is it broken?" I ask.

"I cannot see the original page anymore, it just takes me to the
accept link. Every single time."

Me, "Yes. That is how I understood this script to work. Once you
have done an action on this page you never see it again."

"Well that just doesn't make sense. We want them to be able to browse
around and come and go from the first page as they make up their
mind."

"That's fine. But it is not the usage scenario that we have been
working with up until now."

"Well we just can't have it that way. I am going to take the script out."

Wheeeee...away he goes with his 10 minutes of HTML training and
Frontpage. Mr. Hack and Slash.

Certainly not giving me any chance to think about the situation or
what to do about it.

Anyway, I step back. Review the code for a couple of minutes. Have a
fix. Test it. Upload it all before he could change the HTML and send
him an email telling him what I have done.

You know what happens then...

He uploads his changes. Overwrites mine. Gets my email. "Undoes"
his changes back to the old script. And uploads that.

And then calls me and tells me it is _still_ broken.

I have just now changed it again to the current script...Lets see what
happens now.

His latest response "K"

"K" What?

"K" it is working?

"K" you are checking?

Your mom's name is "K"?

You would like to have special "K" for breakfast?

What?

What?