The BBSM (Building Broadband Service Manager) is a Windows 2000 box that acts as a
gateway to the internet for customer access. It handles that login page when
you connect to the open WiFi network. It is the most convoluted piece of [insert
noun here]. The guy who signs my paycheck had asked me a few weeks back to redesign
said login page in keeping with corporate designs. It was also requested that
it be mobile browser friendly. Classic ASP, running JScript (yes, JScript),
in IIS 5 on Windows 2000 behind ISA Server 2000. The new layout was done in
about an hour, and it looks pretty good. It has been 3 weeks and I still can't
get the freakin mobile code working.
In a moment of insanity (clarity?) I got the bright idea to install .NET on the box
and rewrite all the pages from scratch. Rewriting took a couple hours, and the
mobile support works. Go to set it up on the box (which must be done via USB
key, via Ops guy, via physically walking to box in DataCentre {which I don't have
access to}) and come to find permission errors for the ASPNET account doing COM stuff.
Needless to say I hate COM Interop with a passion. I even sunk to the level
of giving the ASPNET account full admin privileges. Turns out Windows 2000 does
not like COM Interop either.
"It looks nice if you use a laptop" was my statement to the boss.
His response was "everyone is using PDA's and their iPhones. Maybe
10 customers use laptops."
Moral of the story: If the original code was written in the same year you turned 11,
run. Quickly.
