4 ms·

Reminds me of my old college lecturer. > There is no such thing as a bug or a glitch. Computers will only do exactly what someone tells them to do. > You eith

Reminds me of my old college lecturer. > There is no such thing as a bug or a glitch. Computers will only do exactly what someone tells them to do. > You either have a mistake, or a lack of understanding.

imp0cat 3y ago
Unless of course a random solar flare comes and flips a bit. ;)
- bluepod4 3y ago
  Or something more simple like a browser update.
- SAI_Peregrinus 3y ago
  Or any other error source like that. Thermal noise, background radioactivity, etc. As chip density increases the chance of bit flips also increases, and ECC RAM becomes more important.
rusk 3y ago
I’ve heard this thinking described as a fallacy somewhere - in economics I think - nobody has total knowledge of any complex system. So it is not valid to say any kind of complex computer system only does what manifests in its commands is the result of the interactions of many people, analogous to thermal noise jiggling a grain of sand in suspension.
- calewis 3y ago
  Parkinsons law of triviality https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_triviality https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_triviality
  - rusk 3y ago
    I think you are referring to “bikeshedding” which isn’t quite what I had in mind. I think what I’m describing is more closely related to https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nirvana_fallacy https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nirvana_fallacy See also “Complete Information” https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complete_information https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complete_information The idea that all agents in a system should be aware of the consequences of all actions is itself fallacious in this thinking. As such, the “glitch” can legitimately arise from the interaction of agents who do not have complete information.
mongol 3y ago
I don't think bug means the computer is at fault.
karatinversion 3y ago
I was once able to make a very solid case that a crash was due to a bit flip turning a two-byte cpu instruction into a one-byte “inc r8” and a garbage second instruction

imp0cat 3y ago

Unless of course a random solar flare comes and flips a bit. ;)

bluepod4 3y ago
Or something more simple like a browser update.
SAI_Peregrinus 3y ago
Or any other error source like that. Thermal noise, background radioactivity, etc. As chip density increases the chance of bit flips also increases, and ECC RAM becomes more important.

rusk 3y ago

I’ve heard this thinking described as a fallacy somewhere - in economics I think - nobody has total knowledge of any complex system. So it is not valid to say any kind of complex computer system only does what manifests in its commands is the result of the interactions of many people, analogous to thermal noise jiggling a grain of sand in suspension.

calewis 3y ago
Parkinsons law of triviality https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_triviality https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_triviality
- rusk 3y ago
  I think you are referring to “bikeshedding” which isn’t quite what I had in mind. I think what I’m describing is more closely related to https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nirvana_fallacy https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nirvana_fallacy See also “Complete Information” https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complete_information https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complete_information The idea that all agents in a system should be aware of the consequences of all actions is itself fallacious in this thinking. As such, the “glitch” can legitimately arise from the interaction of agents who do not have complete information.

mongol 3y ago

I don't think bug means the computer is at fault.

karatinversion 3y ago

I was once able to make a very solid case that a crash was due to a bit flip turning a two-byte cpu instruction into a one-byte “inc r8” and a garbage second instruction