There are usually a number of possibilities for solving a problem. The first would be any solution that quickly gets the job done yet not actually permanent while the second would be a proper solution – which unfortunately takes longer and costs more. I was surprised when speaking with my colleague to find out that he chose the temporary solution for one of our important computer programs.
All of this sounds so vague. Here is a small clarification. On a UNIX server there is a temporary directory called /tmp which is used by the operating system or other applications for temporary files. This directory has the unique quality that the permissions allow anyone to write to it. It sounds like a very convenient place to put programs or files, what could possibly be the downside. Well, this directory is by definition a temporary directory and the contents can be deleted at any time. Yet the contents of this directory are not usually deleted from one day to the next, but usually when the machine is restarted.
Paul was putting the user email configuration file for his program into this directory. The location of the file was convenient as Paul could easily maintain the contents of the file without dealing with any of the normal IT rules about production access. The file was actually harmless but it did have to be recreated every few months when the system was restarted. Despite this Paul didn’t redesign his program until this breach of the security rules for this program was discussed in one of our group meetings with the IT department.