Wait List Coding: Harder than Temporal Physics?

[UncleDuke]

What is it about waiting lists that seems to be beyond the skills of coders of the poker sites? Even some of the sites known for good-quality software (UB, for example), seem to have trouble with this.

Party and its skins have the well-known cutting in line issue (I've had things like this happen with UB too, where I will actually move backwards on a waiting list after joining). For the past few weeks, it's been impossible to join a waiting list at all on Prima. Most of the sites I've played won't allow you to join a list when the table isn't currently "full" even if there are people on the list ahead of you preventing you from just sitting down (example, 10-seat table, 9 seated, 2 on wait list, one empty but "reserved" seat, result: can't sit down, can't get on line). Crytptologic (the software that makes Pacific look cutting-edge [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]) kicks you off your current table if you get to front of the line on a waiting list (currently they also seem to reserve seats for people who don't exist [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]). Pacific, oddly, seems to have waiting list software that actually works, although that certainly doesn't make up for the low quality of the software otherwise.

I admit I've done no web-site programming, but I have done a fair bit of other sorts, and I just don't see how this stuff could be that difficult. I guess I don't have a real serious question here, but I'm curious. Any ideas as to why this sort of thing is such a problem for poker sites? Is there a real technical problem, do the site managers just not consider it a significant issue, or are the people on job just feeble?

Unc, who just felt like ranting a bit [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[george w of poker]

they're too busy counting money to worry about things like working software. i probably would be too.