1 random error is completely the norm in google app engine. You need to program defensively, because any call to the data store to write data might fail. Exception handlers are your friend. This is something you are trading off in exchange for automatic scaling, no charges at all during the startup phase of your business when you have few customers, and really low prices if/when your business takes off. It's a drag that you have to defend against the datastore throwing random errors, but in my case, it's definitely outweighed by the positives.
What is not the norm is a condition like we've seen the past week. Every few months, GAE will have a really bad week like this. It always seems to happen just after "scheduled maintenance". I agree that this is completely unacceptable, and I'm pretty sure google thinks so, too. I think they tend to prioritize fixing the problems over communicating with us when things get bad. And that's understandable. Frankly, I couldn't care less about their platitudes -- I want the problems fixed. No service provider is perfect, and it's OK for us all to gripe about GAE being imperfect, but jumping to another provider because of one bad week is probably something you'll regret. -Joshua On Sep 25, 2010, at 4:18 PM, jintx wrote: > I feel like I am in the twilight zone. After having a great > experience with other Google products, I foolishly dove into App > Engine development. I now have a product ready for a customer and do > not know what to do. Ever since a couple of weeks ago I am seeing > NUMEROUS random errors. Way more errors than acceptable. Is even 1 > random error from the "same scalable systems that power our own > applications" acceptable? > > I feel as if I am in the Twilight Zone when I read this group, seeing > constant posts about random errors. Then, I rarely see any response > from Google. I would feel a little better if I at least saw a post > saying, "Yes, we know that the system is in a very error prone state > and are feverishly working to return app engine to a reliable state > within the next week." > > Then, I check the status page and it lists everything OK. ??? Are you > serious?? Is this status page more for PR purposes than for actual > use?? > > Is there any response on these issues? Are they being worked on? Is > the design of app engine that most users should just learn to accept > and live with random 500's ? The product is 2 years old now and seems > extremely buggy. You just recently admitted the data store was below > par, and waived everybody's billing for the datastore. Now you > reinstate billing, and datastore performance seems to be terrible. Is > it time for another upgrade??? If so upgrade it. > > Anybody know of any reputable developers who specialize in porting app > engine apps away from app engine? > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Google App Engine" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/google-appengine?hl=en. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Google App Engine" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/google-appengine?hl=en.
