I Call Him Thorn - Part 4
A survivors account of working with an unscrupulous hack
Parts 2 & 3 described many of the problems encountered working with Thorn. Below is the conclusion to my time working with Thorn.
As I endeavored to create a VM from the 'master' image produced by cloning Thorn's development VM, I found I was getting an error in the Docker-based solution, which should have identical behavior for the moment. This is exactly what happens when such an approach is used; the process for creating the master is forgotten and the image becomes a magical, voodoo ingredient that must be handled carefully and forms an obstacle to upgrades and progress. I thought I could bring this up at the next meeting and not only illustrate the problem of master images, but hopefully put an end to Thorn's 'throw it over the wall and let the lackeys find the bugs' approach for the new feature that wasn't working.
What transpired next made me realize there was no hope. After convincing the team I wasn't trying to revisit Docker but was merely explaining the weakness with master images, I was told that yes, I am expected to debug Thorn's work, and a bug is now defined as undesirable behavior that occurs on Thorn's VM. If the behavior happens anywhere else it doesn't count. Despite my best efforts I still got a little animated as I reminded Thorn, yet again, of the manager-ordered practice of writing code commit messages and use of the issue tracking system (which Thorn continued to flout). After thinking on this incident I told Manager I didn't want to be at a sensory disadvantage to Thorn, who works remotely and can see us on video while we merely get to interact with a speakerphone. From now on I would remain out of frame.
Having resigned myself to being stifled by Thorn, I began to focus instead on pleasing Manager in the hope of getting a good work reference for the future. I now avoid looking at Thorn's code as it just upsets me. I tried fixing some of it but its no use; Thorn lacks insight into his poor skills and ruins the precarious, working code when he adds features (there are no automated tests).
It should be noted that Thorn comes across as a reasonable person and does have some good ideas. I think we both tried to have a good working relationship and got along reasonably well at team social events. Ultimately, Thorns misguided actions could not be ignored and the resulting friction eclipsed any good will I tried to cultivate.
I write this article as a I complete my notice period and am trying to figure out what to say during my exit interview with HR, and to Manager (who returns from leave on my last day of work). I have been careful about what I say to the team, citing economic factors and job security, but I feel I should be more open with HR and Manager. In either case, my leaving is an act of self preservation.
It seems that, in order to coexist on a team with Thorn, I would have to become like Thorn. I tried applying his mindset for a while but found it to be very self-destructive and impossible for the team to function. I neither trust nor respect Thorn professionally. I consider any project he is on to have little or no future due to his desire to make important decisions without adequate skills. He remains unteachable as he lacks insight into the consequences of his actions. I don't normally write people off and instead prefer to help them grow by speaking the truth in love. But sometimes all you can do is keep your distance and let them learn the hard way.
Parts 2 & 3 described many of the problems encountered working with Thorn. Below is the conclusion to my time working with Thorn.
As I endeavored to create a VM from the 'master' image produced by cloning Thorn's development VM, I found I was getting an error in the Docker-based solution, which should have identical behavior for the moment. This is exactly what happens when such an approach is used; the process for creating the master is forgotten and the image becomes a magical, voodoo ingredient that must be handled carefully and forms an obstacle to upgrades and progress. I thought I could bring this up at the next meeting and not only illustrate the problem of master images, but hopefully put an end to Thorn's 'throw it over the wall and let the lackeys find the bugs' approach for the new feature that wasn't working.
What transpired next made me realize there was no hope. After convincing the team I wasn't trying to revisit Docker but was merely explaining the weakness with master images, I was told that yes, I am expected to debug Thorn's work, and a bug is now defined as undesirable behavior that occurs on Thorn's VM. If the behavior happens anywhere else it doesn't count. Despite my best efforts I still got a little animated as I reminded Thorn, yet again, of the manager-ordered practice of writing code commit messages and use of the issue tracking system (which Thorn continued to flout). After thinking on this incident I told Manager I didn't want to be at a sensory disadvantage to Thorn, who works remotely and can see us on video while we merely get to interact with a speakerphone. From now on I would remain out of frame.
Having resigned myself to being stifled by Thorn, I began to focus instead on pleasing Manager in the hope of getting a good work reference for the future. I now avoid looking at Thorn's code as it just upsets me. I tried fixing some of it but its no use; Thorn lacks insight into his poor skills and ruins the precarious, working code when he adds features (there are no automated tests).
It should be noted that Thorn comes across as a reasonable person and does have some good ideas. I think we both tried to have a good working relationship and got along reasonably well at team social events. Ultimately, Thorns misguided actions could not be ignored and the resulting friction eclipsed any good will I tried to cultivate.
I write this article as a I complete my notice period and am trying to figure out what to say during my exit interview with HR, and to Manager (who returns from leave on my last day of work). I have been careful about what I say to the team, citing economic factors and job security, but I feel I should be more open with HR and Manager. In either case, my leaving is an act of self preservation.
It seems that, in order to coexist on a team with Thorn, I would have to become like Thorn. I tried applying his mindset for a while but found it to be very self-destructive and impossible for the team to function. I neither trust nor respect Thorn professionally. I consider any project he is on to have little or no future due to his desire to make important decisions without adequate skills. He remains unteachable as he lacks insight into the consequences of his actions. I don't normally write people off and instead prefer to help them grow by speaking the truth in love. But sometimes all you can do is keep your distance and let them learn the hard way.
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