Further developments on the black-box NT map server stuff. After much tweaking, prodding, and frustrated howls into the night, we discovered that the client, which was, admittedly, completely undocumented and buggy, was not the problem. Despite it's evil, undocumented ways, I'd pretty much figured out what all it was doing, even if it was mostly doing a "package data into an undocumented structure, then pass it to an undocumented function. Later, retrieve a map from somewhere strange." sort of thing.
Unfortunately, there were not merely problems with the client, there were problems with the server, which was pointed at the wrong database. Now, the demo that ships with this map generation thing, which we were man-handling into a working state, points at a "sample" database. This is not immediately helpful, since the sample is in Microsoft Access and the real database is in god knows what format. Since we have to write up a confused .ini file to access the database, this is a problem, since we have no idea how to properly point the server at the right database.
This results in amusing things like only being able to search for city and state, not address, since we apparently haven't hooked the thing up to the database that knows street addresses. It also results in amusing things like being unable to find important cities. Like, for example, New York. We can find Newark. We can find Carbondale. But New York is Right Out. What makes it especially galling is that the database that draws the maps knows where New York is, but the database that does the lookup doesn't. So we can see New York. It's right there, calling out to us with New Yorky goodness. And yet, the computer has no idea where New York is, because the server is brain dead.
Also, half of Tallahassee is missing from the map database. I guess they didn't think anyone would notice. But when the guy who authorized the purchase looks at the map and can't find the street he lives on, the street before that, or the street before that, he's going to get a little surly.
Clearly, we've been shipped a Beta version.
God help us.
At least I know the problem isn't in my part, the client for this thing, so I can sit back and twiddle my thumbs for a bit while Extreme Surl is directed at the company that promised us that this product would do many things which it, apparently, does not. Things such as "function in a meaningful way".
It's just a laugh-a-minute down here, I tell ya.
Today's MP3 is Finias Cage with Famous Monsters. I have become one... a faaaamous monster!
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