4 ms·
Ask HN: Is there a name for this semi-common debugging occurrence?
I was building an app for chess on topologies other than just the plane, and in testing I couldn't figure out why the king was disallowed from making a certain move. It turned out it was functioning perfectly, and it was just hard for a human to notice the square was rightfully in danger. I feel like there should be a name for this phenomenon where you believe there to be a bug, spend a while searching for it, only to discover your program was actually functioning perfectly.
- weare138 6y agoPEBKAC? (Problem Exists Between Keyboard And Chair) That's an old one we used to use...
- jbotz 6y agoNot the same thing. PEBKAC says the operator is the bug, not that the bug only exists in the mind of the operator.
- weare138 6y agoGood point
- bradknowles 6y agoProblem Exists Between Eyes And Fingers? So, PEBEF?
- jbotz 6y agoI don't know of an existing name, but I'll invent one right now that works: it's a "Scheinbug". "Schein-" as a prefix in German means something that appears to be one thing but isn't what it appears to be. Depending on context it can be analogous to the English "sham", but the later has a more negative, manipulative connotation, whereas the German "Schein-" connotes a more neutral and complex confusion of reality and appearance. It's pronounced exactly like the English "shine", so say "shine-bug".