4 ms·
Of course not, it's hyperbole to illustrate the point. In the specific cases of Qmail and TeX, the 'bug free' aspect of it however is overblown and a marketing
by roel_v 15y ago
Of course not, it's hyperbole to illustrate the point. In the specific cases of Qmail and TeX, the 'bug free' aspect of it however is overblown and a marketing gimmick. It's not that hard (given enough time) to make something bug free, it's a whole different thing when the software needs to evolve at the same time to meet the (changing and expanding) requirements of actual users.
- RBerenguel 15y agoTeX wasn't born in a night and suddenly appear in binary form. Knuth worked a hell lot to make it clean, make it work and make it fast. At least, for when he wrote it. Go and read The TeXbook
- Joeri 15y agoAre you implying that qmail and tex don't have actual users? The point those packages make is that some problems can have a solution that lasts years or decades instead of mere months.
- roel_v 15y agoHow many people are using just TeX, and how many just qmail in production systems (i.e., not on their local workstation)? Very few.
- EdiX 15y agoActually, the reason for not evolving/rewriting TeX is so that old documents can be typeset and produce the same results. I find that an appealing goal.