Hey, you software and website designer guys here

[gryphon]

When the ATF created a digital system for submitting NFA paperwork, Form 4 approvals were cut from 6-10 months down to 60 days or less. But then the system started becoming unstable and nearly impossible to use at times.  Like healthcare.gov unstable.  The ATF’s E-Forms division is blaming one store that is batch filing forms (an option the ATF makes available).  The store is calling shenanigans on that claim, saying they only batch upload their forms between the hours of 4 and 5 AM, leaving the system open during the day for everyone else.

Opinions?

http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2014/03/foghorn/disgruntled-ffls-claim-austins-silencer-shop-single-handedly-crashing-atfs-e-forms-system/

[TheQ]

How many forms are they submitting? If the forms are valid business, it sounds like the ATF did not size their system properly.

[TheQ]

... Or maybe their developers write code that resembles dog $#|t.

I've seen the system administrators of various systems blamed for systems that perform poorly when the code sucks.

[SD40VE]

thats what i was thinking, the coding.

they are also using a batch file system to upload them, they could be causing the issue with their software that does the batch upload. without seeing hands on and being able to trouble shoot and exclude things that could cause the issue it is pure speculation at this point

[gryphon]

... Or maybe their developers write code that resembles dog $#|t.

I'll take sucky code for $200, Alex.

[m.marino]

I'll take sucky code for $200, Alex.

 

Having done a bit of coding on computers and a lot of g-code work, as well as having family that do that as part of their job. I am with sucky code and bad administration of said program (IF you know the fault is there and don't fix it then you are just as much to blame as the idiot who sold you bad code). Given other factors one can see in the current administration that type of lazy is well within possible. -Michael

[bigt8261]

It's a customers fault for properly using an available feature?   

+1 it's the code.

[part deux]

Anybody consider the possibility the ATF just might have intentionally make it difficult to file?

[gryphon]

I have a real issue with reporters who fail to ask the relevant and proper questions, whether it be mlive here in Michigan or whoever talked to the ATF here in this situation.  If someone uploads their forms to the E-File system at 4:00 AM, how does that make the system all but unusable during regular business hours of 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM?

[bigt8261]

If someone uses an available feature during the hours of 9-5, how does that make the rest of the application unusable at all?

That's like saying you can't hit the break and turn the steering wheel at the same time.

 

[TheQ]

If someone uses an available feature during the hours of 9-5, how does that make the rest of the application unusable at all?

That's like saying you can't hit the break and turn the steering wheel at the same time.

 

Record locking?

[jgillmanjr]

The owner of the Silencer Shop is calling shenanigans on that claim. According to him, forms are only being batch uploaded between the hours of 4 and 5 AM, at the rate of about four every minute.

Four a minute and that's hosing the system?

More amateur hour $#|t from the government IT crew (or whoever the hell they contracted it out to)...

[gryphon]

Record locking?

Record locking would be the thing to do.  Database locking, on the other hand, is amateur hour!

[jgillmanjr]

Record locking would be the thing to do.  Database locking, on the other hand, is amateur hour!

Row level write locks or GTFO.

Seriously, there's probably a reason MySQL uses InnoDB as the default engine now.

[gryphon]

Well, my point was you only need to lock the record you are processing, not the entire database.  So, if only the Danny Griffin record is locked, Jason Gillman should still be able to enter his record in the database.  The entire database shouldn't be unavailable just because one record is being processed.

[jgillmanjr]

Well, my point was you only need to lock the record you are processing, not the entire database.  So, if only the Danny Griffin record is locked, Jason Gillman should still be able to enter his record in the database.  The entire database shouldn't be unavailable just because one record is being processed.

Yeah, that's pretty much row level write locks, as compared to table or larger locks.

[gryphon]

Yeah, I never dealt with these new-fangled databases like Oracle using SQL and stuff.  I used to write B/B+ trees for dedicated PC applications back in the stone age so that's what I am more familiar with.

[jgillmanjr]

Yeah, I never dealt with these new-fangled databases like Oracle using SQL and stuff.  I used to write B/B+ trees for dedicated PC applications back in the stone age so that's what I am more familiar with.

Heh, I'm pretty sure modern databases still use B-Trees

[linux203]

I call BS.  I work on the front end of a pretty complex and busy system.  We accept batch processing.  Batch is processed on a different set of application servers behind a different set of web servers.  Lanes don't merge until the database layer.  Batch processing only affects batch processing.

If the claim of 1 per 15 seconds during off peak is accurate and causing performance issues in the day, it's bad application code.  They probably never researched the volume of paper flow multiplied by the number of transactions needed to submit a form, and the total resources required to process that form.  It's a niche system that is probably grossly underpowered.

[gryphon]

Don't know if any of you ever browse quora (a website where people pose and answer questions--don't, it's addictive) but here's a question I ran across today.

http://www.quora.com/Software/What-are-some-of-the-funniest-software-bugs-you-have-seen