The turns of a ruined maze

[bunn]

I am making changes to the code of an old, old website.  Some remnants of the code probably date right back to 2005 or 2006, and the last really major revamp of it was in 2015. 

At some point, it grew a content management system when the original system that the customer was buying into for managing their business proved to be a broken reed and my sister and her partner, who I was working with at the time, built a quick thing that was going to tide them over for a year or so till something better could be sorted. 

Of course, it never was sorted, but it has been elaborated and experimented with, simplified again, and elaborated again in new directions. 

I try to comment as I go, but honestly there is no way that anyone but me could really work on it any more, and at some point, my ability to patch it up and keep it afloat for one more year is going to run dry. 

Anyway, it made me think of this line from the Tombs of Atuan.  Not that the altar has fallen quite yet, but there are definitely mice nesting behind the empty throne:
 
 She knew the turnings of a ruined maze, she knew the dances danced before a fallen altar.

Comments

[keiliss]

Oh man, I keep looking for time to reread Earthsea again - I'm more than due.

[bunn]

Earthsea always stands up to a re-read, I think.

[grundyscribbling]

Yikes!
Is the customer aware of the mice?

[bunn]

The various creaking groaning sounds and distant scuttling has been discussed now and again down the years, and I'm sure I've quoted to replace the thing a couple of times, but they won't do anything until it actually starts collapsing in a way that's visible to them or their customers. As long as I can keep patching things up and it all works so far as they can see, they prefer that to having to do the work involved in building something new.

If it does collapse, I'm now at the place where I will just say 'sorry about that, but we knew it wouldn't go on forever' and they can find another supplier, who I am fairly sure will employ 10 people to cover the roles I do, and price accordingly. At the end of the day, they are a customer not a friend, and my obligation to perform miracles for them is consequently limited.

[grundyscribbling]

Ah, one of those who waits until it's actually down to think about doing the serious work...

[marycatelli]

There's many a program that retired with its programmer.

[bunn]

I think a lot of my fellow Gen X 'we cover everything' programmer/developers are getting to the point of wanting to just scale down what we do, or let go of it.

[mrowe]

I suppose I should reread Earthsea sometime soon...

[bunn]

Earthsea always stands up to a re-read, I think.

[mossgreen]

Oh wow it's been a heck of a long time since I read Earthsea!! The Tombs of Atuan was always one of my favourites, too.