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History's Worst Software Bugs

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the when-software-goes-bad dept.

bharatm writes "Wired has an article on the 10 worst sofware bugs.. From the article 'Coding errors have sparked explosions, crippled interplanetary probes -- even killed people. Here's our pick for the 10 worst bugs ever, but the judging wasn't easy.'"

5 of 645 comments (clear)

  1. Well, that makes me feel better by PIPBoy3000 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Bringing down the company's intranet countless times over the years almost seems like an amusing little distraction. No one died, nothing blew up, and I've even managed to keep my job. It must be that people are getting used to these "software bug" excuses for the various problems that pop up with computers. I'll have to remember that for next time.

    Caller: "My computer exploded and I'm bleeding profusely!"
    911 Operator: "Must be a software bug."

  2. hey, we're all still here by Colin+Smith · · Score: 3, Funny

    So nobody's hit on the really big one yet.

    --
    Deleted
  3. This bug reminds me of a Dilbert comic by technoextreme · · Score: 4, Funny
    1988-1996 -- Kerberos Random Number Generator. The authors of the Kerberos security system neglect to properly "seed" the program's random number generator with a truly random seed. As a result, for eight years it is possible to trivially break into any computer that relies on Kerberos for authentication. It is unknown if this bug was ever actually exploited.

    Hehehe.... This reminds me of a Dilbert cartoon. Here is what I can remember:
    Some guy: And here is our random number generator.
    Another guy: 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2.
    Dilbert: That isn't very random though.
    Some guy: He is randomly getting the same number.
    Anyone actually know which comic I am thinking of.
    --
    Ooo man the floppy drive is broken. No wait. The computer is just upside down.
  4. Re:The meat of the article... by meringuoid · · Score: 4, Funny
    The resulting event is reportedly the largest non-nuclear explosion in the planet's history.

    The former dinosaurian population of the Yucatan Peninsula might disagree...

    --
    Real Daleks don't climb stairs - they level the building.
  5. Re:Predictions are hard by BenEnglishAtHome · · Score: 3, Funny
    The tendency that people have to overrate their abilities fascinates Cornell University social psychologist David Dunning, PhD.

    I'll bet the guy just LOVES the first few installments each season of American Idol.