DevTopics is a high-level and sometimes satirical look at software development and computer technology. DevTopics is written by Tim Toady, the founder of Browserling Inc, a cross-browser testing company. When we occasionally dive into the details, it's usually about C# and .NET programming. (More)
This programmer discovered the hard way the importance of testing:
in 1998, i made a C++ program to calculate pi to a billion digits. i coded it on my laptop (pentium 2 i think) and then ran the program. the next day i got a new laptop but decided to keep the program running. it’s been over seven years now since i ran it. and this morning it finished calculating. the output: "THE VALUE OF PI TO THE BILLIONTH DIGIT IS = "
mindblowing eh? i looked in the code of my program, and i found out that i forgot to output the value :(.
Comment: true story, i fixed the code and am running it again. (Source)
This cautionary tale reminds me of a certain fictional computer that worked for 7-1/2 million years to calculate the meaning of life, only to output the number 42:
"I think the problem is that the question was too broadly based…"
"Forty two?!" yelled Loonquawl. "Is that all you’ve got to show for seven and a half million years’ work?"
"I checked it very thoroughly," said the computer, "and that quite definitely is the answer. I think the problem, to be quite honest with you, is that you’ve never actually known what the question is." (Source)
If you haven’t seen this video yet, it’s worth two minutes of your time. This is a recording of an actual Dell customer service phone call. The call is recreated by two talented actors, and spliced together with some very clever editing. It’s a little bit rude but LOL funny. Enjoy!
A creed is a statement of belief or faith often recited as part of a religious service or organizational gathering. The word “creed” derives from the Latin credo (I believe) or credimus (we believe). Perhaps the oldest is Apostle’s Creed cited in Christianity. However, the Rifleman’s Creed is arguably the most famous, made popular by the Stanley Kubrick war movie “Full Metal Jacket” (warning: language). This has inspired me (with tongue planted firmly in cheek) to write a creed for our noble profession of software development.
As any experienced computer programmer knows, there are unwritten laws that govern software development. However there are no penalties for breaking these laws; rather, there is often a reward. Following are 21 Laws of Computer Programming:
You have to wonder if these robot programmers ran any unit tests on the robot software before strapping in. The rider’s head appears to come very close to smashing against the ground many times.
And this is what happens when you don’t adequately test robot software (warning: graphic violence):
