@Cameron Colley 12:56
Perhaps you had better go back up and re-read what "everyone above" said...
Then you will see why my comment is relative.
AC 11:00 ...
Bruce Ordway 16:17 "... I can only submit it as a change request to the vendor."
etc.
Almost every company I know does not manage their own code and software. A couple manage their own simple database apps usually written in MS Access or similar.
As I stated, most source is crap because most programmers don't know what they are doing, they think that code is self-documenting, or that if they use obscure methodology it will give them job security.
And if you have to rely on a vertical market vendor and they can't fix issues in a timely fashion, then you need to re-think who your vendor is and re-examine why you are paying them money.
Sure, you can perhaps fix some bug you run into in their code, but then what are you going to do when they release a future update that breaks your fix or introduces other issues if you attempt to compile in your fix? You are going to be constantly chasing your tail.
The vertical market tools that I develop are in conjunction with a large global company that provides middle-ware. Pretty much every new release from them to their licensees breaks every licensee's code drop who has had in-house programmers mess with stuff, so the licensees are having to constantly freeze at old code.
To state that including source is a viable maintenance feature for all companies is total hogwash. For the vast majority it is not a direction I would ever recommend.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
