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Why (Most) Software is so Bad
Rivard was one of several to point out that
MSNBC
says software sucks.
My opinion is that in software fields where the monetary gap between market-leader and second-place is large, we should expect bad software. Good design, good execution, good debugging all take time, but users can't see under the hood -- and wherever information is scarce or not readily traded among consumers, the free market bogs down. (Note what the article says about McAfee VirusScan.) So companies that don't plan on releasing a crummy 1.0 and fixing it later go under. That's just the way some markets work; if you're a coder or engineer who doesn't like that, find yourself a job in a niche without that monetary gap. Anyway, the really stunning thing is that, of all the media outlets, MSNBC points out that just one of Microsoft's poor design decisions has cost consumers $8.75 billion, and wonders why nobody has
sued.
Update: 06/18 14:10 GMT by J : Readers point out the story is a reprint
from Technology Review
(one of the few good magazines I get -- but this issue hasn't arrived yet :).
Rivard continued his writeup with an interesting point of view, saying that while we all know software sucks, we just accept it:
"Even though 'plenty of reviewers, pundits, hackers and other outsiders' will point out problems, often intentionally left in the product, no one has brought a liability suit against the makers of the known-to-be-vitiated product -- because the software gestapo (the End User License Agreement) has been 'able to avoid product liability litigation partly because software licenses force customers into arbitration' of poorly designed pith."There is a light at the end of the tunnel, believe it or not, and it's Bill Gates. Microsoft suspended coding for two months to seminar on bugs and how to fix them. Gates told his employees he wanted to make 'reliable and secure' software Microsoft's 'highest priority.' If you don't buy Gates' ad-hocking promises of redemption there are other solutions, like creating a programming language that forces good code; going back to the days of intense peer-review, instead of relying on compilers; and intense planning, past the bungling paradigm of the bar napkin."
By irony, I mean that jamie discusses good coding practices, but is part of slashcode, one of the ugliest coded projects known to man?
NOW
The music was a little loud for Kaye's taste, but the students seemed to be having a good time, and Kaye didn't really have anything else to do, so she didn't mind that when principal Ray Devlin asked her to chaperone the Saturday night dance in the school gym. A local dejay was playing all the latest CD's, and with about a half hour to go, he had slowed the pace down, giving the kids a chance to have a few slow dances. It looked like it would turn out to be an uneventful evening, until Cal Norridge showed up. Right from the get go Kaye could see that he had been drinking, so she quickly moved towards him to prevent any altercations he might start up. When she stepped in front of him, her nostrils were filled with the pungent aroma of fresh liquor, and she hoped that she could get him to leave without causing a scene. "Cal," she began, "since you've been drinking I think you had better leave, school property is no place for that kind of activity!" Cal gave a short harsh laugh and replied insolently, "Who's been drinking, I don't see anyone drinking!!!" Taking him by the arm, she started to lead him to the front door, but instead of going out, he veered off and headed down one of the dark corridors, laughing and singing as he went! "Drunk as a skunk," she thought to herself, as she took off after him!
By the time she caught up to him, they were far away from the gym, and as he turned to face her he said, "Hey pretty teacher, you've got nice tits, why don't you let me touch them, while reaching out his hand for a quick feel!!! Kaye jumped back, but not soon enough, and the insolent junior's fingers brushed over her heavy chest! "Stop that," she barked, "stop that this instant and go home!!!" Getting even bolder, Cal, a nineteen year old incorrigible, quickly cornered her, and pressed his body against hers, groping her ass as he pulled her closer to him, and for the first time, she felt a stab of fear in her stomach, they were a long ways from help, and Cal was strong as an ox! Fighting to push him away, she said through clenched teeth, "Stop this at once or I'll scream!!!" Cal just laughed and covered her mouth with his forcing his tongue into her mouth, Frenching her right there in the hall!!! She almost gagged from the taste of bourbon, but Cal kept kissing her, while cupping her ass with one hand, and kneading her breasts with the other!!! Being a young woman with a naturally strong sex drive and no steady boy friend, the feeling of having a man so close made her knees grow weak and her resolve wane! Even though he wasn't as experienced as someone older, Cal could sense right away that she was his for the taking, so dropping his hand from her boobs, he reached down and unzipped his pants and slid his thickening pecker out into the night air! Kaye couldn't believe what was happening, but her clit had totally taken over her senses, and she automatically reached down and slowly began fisting the hard cock that stood up proudly between them!!!
While she was doing him, he started to unbutton Kaye's blouse, while muttering under his breath, "I've always wanted to see what these babies looked like, and now I'm gonna get my chance!!!" Her bra was low cut and lacy, and her 36D's hung full and firm in their nylon cups. Kaye's breasts had always been exceptionally sensitive to the touch, and having a nineteen year old feeling her up sent shock wave after shock wave straight to her now throbbing clit, and she whispered hoarsely into his ear, "Do you like my bra, it's a D-cup!?!" "Oh sweet jesus, yes," he moaned, "I've never seen anything like it!!!" Slipping her boobs from her bra, Kaye thrust her chest upward, a clear invitation that she wanted him to orally partake of her beautiful chest, and although his technique was a little rough, the nibbling and sucking of her rubbery nipples caused her to moan out loud and beg him for more, and so for the next five minutes or so, she got the tit sucking of a lifetime!!! With her clit growing hotter by second, Kaye all at once had an overwhelming desire to take Cal's cock into her mouth and suck him off!!! She pulled her nipple from his mouth and offered, "My turn now," and dropping to her knees, let the fat erection pop into her waiting mouth!!! "Oh, god," he groaned, "I'm cumming!!!" Kaye was now almost in a frenzy for cock, and as Cal's pecker erupted, she swallowed every drop from the spurting baby maker!!!
After savoring the hot load of the young stud, Kaye stood up, leaned against a locker, hiked her skirt up above her waist, and ordered, "Okay, stud, show mama how good a cunt lapper you can be!!!!" Like a magnet drawn to metal, Cal's tongue made a beeline straight for Kaye's pussy, where it bored in on her fully erect clit!!! Now it was her turn to feel an orgasm racing through her loins, and she lifted a nipple to her mouth to speed up the process!!! She sucked her nipple harder and harder, using her own body knowledge to make her climax even more intense!!! Again, Cal was short on technique and long on effort, but that was always better than having a so called "expert" beat around the bush and leave you hanging!!! A slick tongue meeting a slick clit always caused Kaye to have her most intense orgasms, and Cal's relentless assault on her sex, her own oral attention to her nipples, coupled with the fact that she hadn't had a climax in over two days resulted in an orgasm that left her literally shaking like a leaf in a strong breeze!!!
Now completely disheveled, Kaye quickly began putting herself back together, so she could return to the dance, while at the same time telling Cal, "Now, you have to get out of here, or we're both in big trouble!!!" Cal gave her a lopsided grin, helped her return her tits back to their prison, and said, "Ya know what, teach, I think I'm gonna need some after school tutoring, don't you?!?" She just smiled and answered, "My room, tomorrow after school, be there!!!"
THE END
jesus was a gay monkey.
Most software is made by Microsoft. Nuff said.
Karma: Good (despite my invention of the Karma: sig)
DUR DUR IM A PART OF THE OPEN SOURCE COMMUNITY.
Never wrote a line of code in your entire fucking life, but you're a part of the community because you're a rebel and stand up to the trolls! YEAH!
Never before have I seen a community more interested in railing on every failing of ANYONE they don't like (MS, DOJ, Media, Government) but can't take even the SLIGHTEST bit of heat directed their way. I guess self-criticism and realistic evaluation of themselves, not just the people they tear apart, is something Slashdotters don't even consider.
And you can waste your time ranting against the troll if you want, Slud, but the reality is that the code is shit, and you certainly haven't contributed much either. Hypocritical fuck.
Where's pr0n king when you need him?
Quality straight pr0n goes here
If you are writting an OS, then it is your responsiblity to write it correctly. If you can't do that, then you should get out of the business.
Are you a child-raper?