I agree that cargo cult programming shouldn't mean cases where knowledge has been lost but the software works correctly. I've never seen it used this way, but i

I agree that cargo cult programming shouldn't mean cases where knowledge has been lost but the software works correctly. I've never seen it used this way, but if you say other people do abuse the term like that then fine. But I don't think that was the thrust of the essay. Every time I've seen it be used in programming, it meant copying design patterns, "best practices" or popular new ideas without thinking about whether they make sense or really should apply in this case.