Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site west44.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!mgnetp!ihnp4!houxm!houxz!vax135!ukc!west44!gurr From: gurr@west44.UUCP (Dave Gurr) Newsgroups: net.lang Subject: Re: Batch Programming / Re: ..., Going Off-line Message-ID: <241@west44.UUCP> Date: Wed, 20-Jun-84 10:56:40 EDT Article-I.D.: west44.241 Posted: Wed Jun 20 10:56:40 1984 Date-Received: Thu, 14-Jun-84 00:56:58 EDT References: <1044@vax2.fluke.UUCP> <3572@fortune.UUCP> <443@whuxle.UUCP> Organization: CS Dept., Westfield College, London Lines: 43 < force of habit .. > > I'm not going to discuss the differences in philosophy of the various > faculty members, but here's a quote that's been causing some discussion > on another (non-usenet) mailing list. > Date: Sun 20 May 84 18:48:40-EDT > From: SAZ%MIT-OZ@MIT-MC.ARPA > > The following paragraph appeared in the Course Notes for > [an undergraduate computer course] under the section heading "Defensive > Programming": > > The word "bug" is in many ways misleading. Bugs do not > crawl unbidden into our programs. We put them there. > DON'T THINK OF YOUR PROGRAM AS "HAVING BUGS;" THINK OF > YOURSELF AS HAVING MADE A MISTAKE. Bugs do not breed in > programs. If there are many bugs in a program, it is > because the programmer has made many mistakes. You > should never be proud when you track down a bug in your > own program. It's like finding a cockroach in your > kitchen. You should be embarrassed and upset that it was > there in the first place. This philosophy is *dangerous*. Anyone out there remember the concept of ego-less programming? If you get so tied up with a program that you are embarrassed and upset about finding bugs, you may also convince yourself that other shortcomings in the program don't exist. I'm sorry if this sounds like a flame - it isn't supposed to. If anyone wants a reference to the ego-less programming concept, mail me and I'll dig it out. (On the other hand, maybe some kind soul out there in netland could provide a really good list of refs. on this?)mcvax \ ukc!west44!gurr / vax135 Dave Gurr, Westfield College, Univ. of London, England.