the roamer
"Let's be clear: there's no way to avoid or eliminate mistakes. Software is too complex to be completely bug-free. What we can do, though, is create places where we can tease out as many bugs from the code as possible before we set it in front of others."

(III.1) #CraigMaloney, #TheMediocreProgrammer

https://themediocreprogrammer.com/

#PersonalDevelopment #programming #mistakes #testing
The Mediocre Programmer

The Mediocre Programmer
Jul 7, 2024 at 9:39amWeb
Show threadJ Paul GibsonJul 7, 2024
@the_roamer thanks for the link - i will certainly check out the full source text when i have time. i would like to add that we (software developers) do know how to reduce the number of bugs in deployed software, its just that the industry chooses not to do it, as it is considered to be too costly. for me, its an ethical issue that leads to significant technical debt (often in critical infrastructure).
Show threadthe roamerJul 7, 2024

@jpaulgibson

Yes, in my own work (not in CS or programming) I too feel the pain of the tension between the good things that we should do, versus the mindless box-ticked stuff that the institution wants us to do.

I do a lot of pogramming in my work, but very ad hoc, not in a poduction context. To me the Maloney book is a treasure trove of more general insights into how we can learn to grow as professionals.

Show threadTim Ward ⭐🇪🇺🔶 #FBPEJul 7, 2024

@jpaulgibson @the_roamer I once wrote a piece of bug free software. I'd promised my fellow research students a pint for each bug they found, so I made sure there weren't any, and they never found any, despite using it every day.

There was a cost, though. I spent weeks over a piece of software for which you'd be expected to take hours in a commercial environment.

Show threadthe roamerJul 7, 2024

@TimWardCam @jpaulgibson

Excellent! Donald Knuth famously offered a dollar (or was it ten?) for every bug found in the TeX programme. I think the total number found was around 10, incredible given the relative complexity of the programme. He never had to pay anything, of course, since the people who found the bugs preferred to keep Knuth's signed cheques on display on their walls.

Show threadTim Ward ⭐🇪🇺🔶 #FBPEJul 7, 2024

@the_roamer @jpaulgibson

🤣

Reminds me of when one of our kids needed treatment from the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

We could have sent the bill on to our insurance company and claimed back what they'd charged us, but we preferred to keep the invoice as a souvenir of the holiday.