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NIST Estimates Sloppy Coding Costs $60 Billion/Year

Posted by timothy on from the numerical-imperative dept.

An anonymous reader submits: "Computerworld is reporting on a government study just released that software bugs are costing the U.S. economy an estimated $59.5 billion each year, with more than half of the cost borne by end users and the remainder by developers and vendors. Better testing could allegedly cut that by one-third."

6 of 336 comments (clear)

  1. uh, yeah by Ty · · Score: 0, Redundant

    ...and in other news, the sun is found to cause sunburn.

  2. M$ by jzarzosa · · Score: 0, Redundant
    software bugs are costing the U.S. economy an estimated $59.5 billion each year

    Funny... M$ products account for $59.4 billion of that total number.

    --
    Domains for only $8.75/year! Transfer your domain for on
  3. Re:Costing the U.S. economy? by anthony_dipierro · · Score: 1, Redundant

    That's like saying vandalism helps the economy.

    That's as true as saying it hurts it.

    However, if he hadn't thrown the brick, the grocer would have both a window and $100, which he would spend on something that actually did help the economy

    So at the very least then the GDP would break even. But what if instead of spending the $100, the grocer lowers prices in the store. Now you not only have $100 less going to the windowmaker (who would have used it to buy something), but you also have lower sales for the store. So you've cost the GDP twice (admittedly, you've also caused deflation, so the inflation-adjusted GDP hasn't changed).

    My point is not the software bugs are a good thing. It's that the statement that they cost the economy $60 billion is meaningless.

  4. We know where the source of the crappy coding is.. by Third+Normal+Form · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Here was the main culprit, responsible for $59 billion of the $60 billion.

  5. Re:Costing the U.S. economy? by anthony_dipierro · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Please read the link [progress.org] I gave you in another comment [slashdot.org] before you comment further.

    I have. It does not at all refute what I am saying.

  6. Re:Costing the U.S. economy? by anthony_dipierro · · Score: 0, Redundant

    You may argue about the numbers and whatnot, but bugs in software are definitely a subtle form of the broken window fallacy, and that very definitely is a drag on the economy.

    Software bugs are very different from breaking windows. When you break a window, the window was already there. When you create software with bugs, you are creating something new.