why blame the programmers??

[cheesepuffgd]

but seriously, why not blame the programmers?

[demosthenes2k8]

Originally Posted by cheesepuffgd

but seriously, why not blame the programmers?

But seriously, why should you? If you're trying to blame someone else for something, you should have a good reason for it.

[El Geffe]

Hah our programmers always take the heat because they're stubborn. They'd rather run the risk of messing everything up by completely tearing down and rebuilding the program instead of switching two air tubes. They wait until the robot is completely built to start programing an autonomous. And they change and load the code without telling anyone. As mechanical, electrical, and driver I think they deserve all the blame they get.

[EricH]

As electrical, it's your wires that pull out/mysteriously swap places, causing the code to go bad.

As a driver, you're the most hated person by the programmers. You tell them that the robot is broken, and it's a code problem (when a hard defensive maneuver took out a wire, say).

As a mechanical, you failed to design and build the robot to the code that the programmers had put together.

Because of all these, the programmers will say it's your fault.




Now, why blame the programmers? They're sitting right there, that's why! Everyone else is moving around trying to fix the robot.

[Twisted eric]

This happened during the last few hours of the build I have 1 limit switch programmed to stop one motor simple enough.

when the limit switch is tripped every thing just dies cant move any thing just dies WITH OUT MISSING A BEAT A MENTOR SAYS "Its the programming."

and i explain the code in simplest terms so that a first grader would under stand it and with a dead serious face he still blames the programming. and what is worse is that we did not manage to fix the mechanical/wiring error.

[El Geffe]

and what is worse is that we did not manage to fix the mechanical/wiring error.

That sucks when it really isn't the programmer's fault.

But thats only happened twice all of build season, once when a spacer for the lift was over-tightened, and again when a key fell out of a drive shaft.

I think it's easiest to place blame on programmers because they sit and do work, moving a mouse never looks as accomplishing as welding or milling parts, but is just as significant to the success of the team.

It still all their fault

[Chickenonastick]

If all else fails, blame the business team.

Depends on the problem.

Magic smoke: Electrical, possibly programming (Mecanum drive code on sticky wheels, trying to strafe, blows a Jaguar)

Robot slamming into walls: either driver or programming (mixed up drive code on wheels)

Clanking noises: Mechanical mostly, possibly programming (movement limits)

Actually, it is the programmer's fault.

[kws4000]

Amen, folks, Amen!

Window motors won't move when connected to Jags (MDL BDC 24), but just peachy on Vics.
Programmers fault!

Mecano wheels don't drive straight at low speed, twist function used a lot.
Programmers fault! (Yes, it really was our fault! Sending Jag signals to Vics!)

Last year: LabView is worthless! Takes too long to deploy!
Programmers fault! (My first year programming, only one using LabView on Classmate, but didn't have any "Wouldn't compile errors!")

[RoBoTiCxLiNk]

On my team, it's become almost a joke that it's always the programmers fault. While even after seeing that its not programming, the only other fault it could be would be either electrical, communications, or user-error (like a driver). Which could all well end up being my (the programmer, electronics, and all that is digital's) fault. Maybe if our team wasn't so mechanically-inclined and more technologically-savvy, they'd understand what I do and not be so afraid of the unknown

[drakesword]

I believe it was 2007. I had finished programming early and was enjoying a bit of cleaning up the code. Had a mentor come in and tell me that the drive code was broken. Symptoms. Both joysticks forward nothing and one joystick forward the robot would spin one way. I thought to my self well that surly is wierd but I need to see it on the debugger. So I waltzed in there and had them run the robot. Joysticks were read right. The correct output was sent to the victors. Then I looked closer to see that one of the other mentors had cross wired the drive motors to two different victors. (Red of Motor A to positive of Victor A, Black of motor A to negative of Victor B). Before I could point this out (I was actually pointing at the wiring), the mentor who did the wiring said that the programmers need to check everything because the programming was always messed up. After I pointed the wiring out the robot ran perfectly and that mentor never came back ...

[TD912]

Well, this year was the year Mechanical and Electrical finally gave enough time to Programming, listened to what they had to say, and worked together with them to get (mostly) everything working correctly. I think it payed off, as the programmers weren't panicking, coding, testing, and fixing bugs on-the-fly between practice matches, they were seeded 4th, and they made it to a 3rd semi-final match before losing 54-64. "It's the programmer's fault" has now turned into a kind of light-hearted joke whenever something breaks.

Basically, some good communication and teamwork goes a long way.

I believe they could have won the regional if it wasn't for some field "no comms" network issues knocking out one of their alliance partners, but that's another story.

[plnyyanks]

Yesterday, our coach said, "well, I don't think it's a code problem"

I was too stunned to even hear what the real problem was

[AmoryG]

In competition, it was either the driver's fault for not knowing the controls, or the programmer's fault for building a buggy control system. But I was the driver and programmer, so everything always was my fault....

[548swimmer]

Blame the programmer because when the arm slams down on the railing from ten feet in the air and smokes the motor during autonomous, who else could it be. (But seriously, the robot was mechanically intact, and after the arm got caught on the railing the code sent more power to the motor to try to move it, smoking the motor. Silly programmers.)