Greatest Software Ever Written 4238

Of course it's a joke. But at least people are talking and there is some flavor of template to follow. That's how it has always worked. Extensions and exceptions are documented. That's what makes stuff work together. The coder knows what's going on. Micpoo doesn't document nor does it give advance warning of breakage. This is done on purpose to undo compebreastors, including itself.

When your electric power grid depends on software that is guaranteed to break sometime in the future, not only is your butt in deep poo but national security is compromised. We were aware of this stuff during the Cold War. Why is everybody forgetting? standards.

Humans will be human; I understand this completely. Standards committees caused competing humans to talk to each other...or thru an intermediary. It also gave enough specifications so that Joe Programmer could actually something useful done.

No, we can't. Not if the "standard of the hour" is not documented. You won't even know your system is broke until after everything falls apart. You cannot plan for the breakage. A huge part of "changing the standard" thru the committees is so people can plan.

It means that you cannot communicate adult-level concepts, let alone solve adult-level problems.

I don't think I'm mixed up. Our work depended on knowing how to not be mixed up.

It's an emotional shock when you find out your myths are wrong. History has similar problems.

BAH