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More Than Coding Errors Behind Bad Software

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the bad-decisions-go-all-the-way-up dept.

An anonymous reader writes "SANS' just-released list of the Top 15 most dangerous programming errors obscures the real problem with software development today, argues InfoWeek's Alex Wolfe. In More Than Coding Mistakes At Fault In Bad Software, he lays the blame on PC developers (read: Microsoft) who kicked the time-honored waterfall model to the curb and replaced it not with object-oriented or agile development but with a 'modus operandi of cramming in as many features as possible, and then fixing problems in beta.' He argues that youthful programmers don't know about error-catching and lack a sense of history, suggesting they read Fred Brooks' 'The Mythical Man-Month,' and Gerald Weinberg's 'The Psychology of Computer Programming.'"

6 of 726 comments (clear)

  1. a book never written by jollyreaper · · Score: 5, Funny

    Fred Brooks's 'The Mythical Man-Month',

    I read that as "the Mythical Man-Moth." I bet that would be a great book.

    --
    Kwisatz Haderach
    Sell the spice to CHOAM
    This Mahdi took Shaddam's Throne
  2. Re:When I was breaking in by fishbowl · · Score: 5, Funny

    >There are geniuses and idiots in all groups.

    Most of both groups are within two standard deviations of a norm. Your idiots are probably smarter than you think and your geniuses are probably not as smart as you'd like to believe.

    --
    -fb Everything not expressly forbidden is now mandatory.
  3. Re:Perfection Has a Price by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I am 40 years old and have been in this world since I was around 10 or so

    You're 30 dude. Deal with it.

  4. Went on to fame and fortune by CarpetShark · · Score: 4, Funny

    A project I was on in 2000ish went as follows:
    Steppings A0, A1, A2, and A3 were halted in-fab because someone found a critical bug in simulations.
    A4-A7 did not work.
    B0-B4 did not work B6 did not work
    C0-C4 did not work
    B5, B7, C5 sorta worked.
    The company folded.
    That's what a software mentality working on hardware will get you.

    Luckily Microsoft stepped in and bought the company, and now market the product as X-Box.

  5. Re:When I was breaking in by CorporateSuit · · Score: 4, Funny

    "Write a function to sum all the numbers from 0 to 100"

    easy

    dim a a = 1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8+9+10+11+12+13+14+15+16+17+18+19+20+21+22+23+24+25;
    a = a+26+27+28+29+30+31+32+33+34+35+36+37+38+39+40+41+42+43+44+45+46+47+48+49+50;
    a = a+51+52+53+54+55+56+57+58+59+60+61+62+63+64+65+66+67+68+69+70+71+72+73+74+75;
    a = a+76+77+78+79+80+81+82+83+84+85+86+87+88+89+90+91+92+93+94+95+96+97+98+99+100; print a;

    --
    I am the richest astronaut ever to win the superbowl.
  6. Re:When I was breaking in by 77Punker · · Score: 4, Funny

    I'm beginning to realize that I chose a terrible sample question to post here.