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Re: please coin a term for a lower order bug

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From Eric Sosman <esosman@ieee-dot-org.invalid>
Newsgroups comp.lang.java.programmer
Subject Re: please coin a term for a lower order bug
Date Tue, 10 Jan 2012 07:54:52 -0500
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On 1/10/2012 5:45 AM, Arved Sandstrom wrote:
> On 12-01-09 10:26 PM, Eric Sosman wrote:
>> On 1/9/2012 5:02 PM, Roedy Green wrote:
>>> What would you call a flaw in a program that had no effect on the
>>> results, but needlessly made the program slower or confusing?
>>
>>      Call them "bugs."  Sub-classification as "venial bugs" and
>> "mortal bugs" just reveals the classifier's lack of imagination.
>>
> True. But until this slow or confusing behaviour violated a business or
> technical requirement it's no bug at all. After all, what is "slow"? And
> "confusing" to who?

     The fact that the program is being called slow and confusing
demonstrates that it is neither "fast enough" nor "clear enough."
If the program were satisfactory, nobody would be complaining --
but they are complaining, ergo the program does not meet expectations.

     Note that some bugs are addressed by means other than changing
the code.  We might, for example, relabel the program as "Only for
use on big honkin' screamerboxen" or "Not for use by addlepated
nitwits."  That is, sometimes the failure to fulfill expectations
is remedied by better control of the expectations.  Nonetheless, it's
a bug until and unless *something* is done.

     (The software purveyors' pusillanimous retreat behing "Not
warrantied for any particular use whatsoever" is beneath contempt.)

-- 
Eric Sosman
esosman@ieee-dot-org.invalid

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please coin a term for a lower order bug Roedy Green <see_website@mindprod.com.invalid> - 2012-01-09 14:02 -0800
  Re: please coin a term for a lower order bug Peter Duniho <NpOeStPeAdM@NnOwSlPiAnMk.com> - 2012-01-09 14:18 -0800
    Re: please coin a term for a lower order bug bugbear <bugbear@trim_papermule.co.uk_trim> - 2012-01-10 09:18 +0000
    Re: please coin a term for a lower order bug George Neuner <gneuner2@comcast.net> - 2012-01-10 11:46 -0500
      Re: please coin a term for a lower order bug David Lamb <dalamb@cs.queensu.ca> - 2012-01-10 16:00 -0500
        Re: please coin a term for a lower order bug markspace <-@.> - 2012-01-10 13:38 -0800
          Re: please coin a term for a lower order bug Gene Wirchenko <genew@ocis.net> - 2012-01-10 15:14 -0800
      Re: please coin a term for a lower order bug Peter Duniho <NpOeStPeAdM@NnOwSlPiAnMk.com> - 2012-01-10 18:01 -0800
    Re: please coin a term for a lower order bug markspace <-@.> - 2012-01-10 08:52 -0800
      Re: please coin a term for a lower order bug Lew <noone@lewscanon.com> - 2012-01-10 17:52 -0800
        Re: please coin a term for a lower order bug Peter Duniho <NpOeStPeAdM@NnOwSlPiAnMk.com> - 2012-01-10 19:44 -0800
          Re: please coin a term for a lower order bug Gene Wirchenko <genew@ocis.net> - 2012-01-10 20:35 -0800
        Re: please coin a term for a lower order bug Roedy Green <see_website@mindprod.com.invalid> - 2012-01-11 10:54 -0800
  Re: please coin a term for a lower order bug Ian Pilcher <arequipeno@gmail.com> - 2012-01-09 17:29 -0600
  Re: please coin a term for a lower order bug Eric Sosman <esosman@ieee-dot-org.invalid> - 2012-01-09 21:26 -0500
    Re: please coin a term for a lower order bug glen herrmannsfeldt <gah@ugcs.caltech.edu> - 2012-01-10 02:43 +0000
      Re: please coin a term for a lower order bug Lew <noone@lewscanon.com> - 2012-01-10 07:01 -0800
        Re: please coin a term for a lower order bug Leif Roar Moldskred <leifm@dimnakorr.com> - 2012-01-11 03:23 -0600
        Re: please coin a term for a lower order bug Wanja Gayk <brixomatic@yahoo.com> - 2012-01-15 13:21 +0100
          Re: please coin a term for a lower order bug Eric Sosman <esosman@ieee-dot-org.invalid> - 2012-01-15 08:39 -0500
            Re: please coin a term for a lower order bug Patricia Shanahan <pats@acm.org> - 2012-01-15 06:39 -0800
    Re: please coin a term for a lower order bug Arved Sandstrom <asandstrom3minus1@eastlink.ca> - 2012-01-10 06:45 -0400
      Re: please coin a term for a lower order bug Eric Sosman <esosman@ieee-dot-org.invalid> - 2012-01-10 07:54 -0500
        Re: please coin a term for a lower order bug Lew <noone@lewscanon.com> - 2012-01-10 07:13 -0800
        Re: please coin a term for a lower order bug Arved Sandstrom <asandstrom3minus1@eastlink.ca> - 2012-01-10 18:17 -0400
          Re: please coin a term for a lower order bug Gene Wirchenko <genew@ocis.net> - 2012-01-10 15:23 -0800
        Re: please coin a term for a lower order bug Leif Roar Moldskred <leifm@dimnakorr.com> - 2012-01-11 03:30 -0600
          Re: please coin a term for a lower order bug Eric Sosman <esosman@ieee-dot-org.invalid> - 2012-01-11 08:08 -0500
            Re: please coin a term for a lower order bug Leif Roar Moldskred <leifm@dimnakorr.com> - 2012-01-11 14:38 -0600
              Re: please coin a term for a lower order bug Gene Wirchenko <genew@ocis.net> - 2012-01-11 15:48 -0800
      Re: please coin a term for a lower order bug Roedy Green <see_website@mindprod.com.invalid> - 2012-01-11 11:01 -0800
        Re: please coin a term for a lower order bug glen herrmannsfeldt <gah@ugcs.caltech.edu> - 2012-01-12 01:45 +0000
          Re: please coin a term for a lower order bug Gene Wirchenko <genew@ocis.net> - 2012-01-11 18:05 -0800
  Re: please coin a term for a lower order bug Jim Janney <jjanney@shell.xmission.com> - 2012-01-10 09:52 -0700
    Re: please coin a term for a lower order bug markspace <-@.> - 2012-01-10 09:51 -0800
      Re: please coin a term for a lower order bug Lew <noone@lewscanon.com> - 2012-01-10 18:08 -0800
        Re: please coin a term for a lower order bug Gene Wirchenko <genew@ocis.net> - 2012-01-10 19:30 -0800
          Re: please coin a term for a lower order bug Lew <noone@lewscanon.com> - 2012-01-10 22:11 -0800
            Re: please coin a term for a lower order bug Gene Wirchenko <genew@ocis.net> - 2012-01-11 15:52 -0800
          Re: please coin a term for a lower order bug Jim Janney <jjanney@shell.xmission.com> - 2012-01-11 13:38 -0700
    Re: please coin a term for a lower order bug Eric Sosman <esosman@ieee-dot-org.invalid> - 2012-01-10 14:05 -0500
  Re: please coin a term for a lower order bug v_borchert@despammed.com (Volker Borchert) - 2012-01-11 20:59 +0000
    Re: please coin a term for a lower order bug Gene Wirchenko <genew@ocis.net> - 2012-01-11 15:53 -0800
  Re: please coin a term for a lower order bug Fredrik Jonson <fredrik@jonson.org> - 2012-01-12 06:59 +0000
  Re: please coin a term for a lower order bug Wanja Gayk <brixomatic@yahoo.com> - 2012-01-15 12:45 +0100

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