Tales from Tech Support

I'm not going to waste time give you the introduction. If you don't know who Jimmy is, I suggest you check my post history.

So, the lad striked again. You might remember the app he tried to vibe code. The other day he tried to have me put it in the server I have set up when I tried to explain it wouldn't do what he thought he would.

Copilot basically gave him a one page HTML that saved data in cache and it was major thousand line slop that I could barely make sense of. Today he insisted I set it up once more. Today he asked again. I warned him that I was already doing my own version. He got pissed and said he had already told about it to the bosses and this was HIS idea and HE was doing this one. I shrugged. The way I saw it, if he actually managed to do a better job, more power to him, we would've earn it, and some humbling wouldn't hurt me either. I'd still finish my own version, though I didn't told him that. I actually finished the first working version today though it needs some polishing and admin interfaces (I can still set permissions directly on the database). I'd still give him a fair chance.

"OK, how did you set up the database then"

"Never mind that, it's working. Just do it"

"Dude, I need to know what you used to make sure the server is supporting it"

(obviously, he has no clue, he can't even read the code...at this level of slop neither can I)

"Uh...it's...uh...it's in...PHP"

"Database? Dude...is it like...SQL?"

"Yeah, that's it"

(me, knowing he has no clue how to set up an SQL database, and assuming it was working at home) "You sure...maybe it's SQLite? In a single file?"

"Yeah, that's it"

I shrugged and said sure, I'll do it. He hands me over a USB pen. At this point, I don't even care. I'll just throw the code in ChatGPT to have a clue on what it does. So I sit in my computer and open the USB pen. Of course, it's a HTML file again (probably some JS there) and the thing is so huge even ChatGPT can't make sense of it. This, I expected.

This is what I didn't expect...

In the middle of the files there's a saved webpage. The name of the webpage? https://dev-server.spirinolas.com/ (not the real name, obviously). This lazy POS found my Laravel version open in the browser of the computer (not my work laptop, that is always locked) and tried to save it to steal my code. Of course, nothing of value was there. But the fact he actually tried it...I saw red.

I called him and confronted him. First he denied it. When I confronted him with the facts he got pissed and started gaslighting me.

"That file was already on the computer, I know nothing about it"

"It was already saved on the computer? Who saved it then"

"I have no idea. It was already there. When I got here it was wide open"

It's a browser with a webpage...top secret indeed. The actual code is in VSCode and isn't even stored on my work laptop. I use SSH to access it on my home server.

"Then explain to me how it was on your USB pen?"

As he got stuck against the wall and couldn't gaslight me anymore he lost his cool. He said I left it open because I know nothing about security and I'm a fucking idiot. The moment he insulted me I stopped the conversation immediately. I told him he had no right to insult me and we were DONE. I removed the USB and gave it back to him and told him to figure it out, I was not helping him.

Now I'm actually considering talking with the bosses about this. I know they like him but this was serious. He was trying to steal my work and pass it as his own though he's too stupid to realize how out of his depth he is.