Salesmen
We wrote a utility for use by the salesmen of a stonking big transport refrigeration corporation that works out what type of fridge is the most efficient that will meet their customers needs. It has horrendously complicated algorithms in it and the customer enters what his trailers are made from, how thick their walls are, even what colour they are and so on, then it plugs dozens of these variables into a fiendishly complex set of fluid dynamic equations, and works out how many BTUs are needed to keep your strawberries fresh or your pies toasty or whatever. We spent weeks getting the equations right.

Unfortunately it turns out very cheap fridges are perfectly adequate for most customers needs, and that wont do at all. So at the end of the horribly complex equations that work out what fridge is best, we were told to instead spit out an answer that is basically three or four fridges larger in size in their range of fridges so they can make a few quid more. We immediately said "meh" and did it.

The same crowd fairly recently brought out a new fridge that they had been working on for years, and it's great. Works like a charm. Except the trouble is, that it works like a charm. Their dealers hate it as it never breaks down and they dont get to sell any spare parts. So they immediately stopped making it and brought out a new improved version that is fucking shit and breaks all the time, and everyones happy now.

Capitalism eh.
(mousehats, Tue 12 Jul 2011, 20:21, Reply)