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From: crds@ncoast.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sources.bugs
Subject: Re: Please Don't Post Buggy/Untested Code
Message-ID: <5747@ncoast.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 22-Nov-87 14:37:46 EST
Article-I.D.: ncoast.5747
Posted: Sun Nov 22 14:37:46 1987
Date-Received: Wed, 25-Nov-87 07:12:41 EST
References: <5116@utah-cs.UUCP>
Reply-To: crds@ncoast.UUCP (Glenn A. Emelko)
Organization: Cleveland Public Access UN*X, Cleveland, Oh
Lines: 36
Keywords: responsibility, craftsmanship, hubris
Summary: What is the point?  (Hmmm why are we here??)


  I submit the following:  ANYONE who is willing to post their source code on
this net is welcome by me!  Part of the whole reason to have a network such as
this is to promote the common development and sharing of ideas, not to go on
about how well YOU write programs as compared to your fellow 'guru'.  I also
suggest that not many pieces of source code which are submitted on this net,
let alone, not many programs being SOLD to the public today by companies such
as Microsoft, Digital Research, Ashton-Tate, and the likes, are completely
bug free!!!  I, for one, would rather see buggy code than no code at all.

  Not long ago I posted a piece of source code which was specifically written
for a Charles River Data System computer running UNOS (which is like, but not
exactly UNIX).  I had no way of testing whether what I wrote was at all useful
on a UNIX system, let alone compatable -- I posted it anyhow.  Why??  So that
others could see my thought processes, look at my code, improve upon it, and
push it back my direction in a "higher" form.  THIS IS ONE OF THE REASONS I
SPEND TIME ON THIS NETWORK.

  How many of us work well in a vacuum?  (with the follow up question) If in
fact you DO work well in a vacuum, WHO notices your work until you take it
out of the vacuum, and HOW do you test it without putting it into use?  I
challenge most 'gurus' out there to be effective in finding BUGS in their own
programs WITHOUT EVER giving it to a "MONKEY" to beat on it.  Sure, SOME of
you can, and in fact HAVE done this -- but it's rare that anyone spends the
time, let alone has the insight to exercise a program to it's operational
limits and beyond.

  In summary, I suggest this:

  IF YOU DON'T WANT BUGGY CODE FROM THIS NETWORK, GET OFF THE NETWORK.

  In the mean time, I'll be just happy to recieve all the buggy code you'd
like to send me.

Glenn A. Emelko
...cbosgd!mandrill!hal!ncoast!crds