Software bug: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 11:51, 27 May 2002

Revision as of 12:18, 27 May 2002

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A '''computer bug''' is a fault in a [[computer program]] which prevents it from working correctly. Bugs arise either from either mistakes in the [[source code]] of a computer program, or from either faulty software design. The term derives from hardware engineering jargon, in which hardware errors are referred to as "bugs". The term is often (but erroneously) credited to [[Grace Hopper]], through an anecdote where she determined the reason for a malfunction on an early electromechanical computer was an [[bug|actual insect]] stuck between the contacts of the [[relay]]s that drove the device.

There are bugs in all useful computer programs. However, well-written programs contain relatively few bugs, and these bugs typically do not prevent the program from performing its task. In contrast, "buggy" programs contain many bugs and/or bugs which interfere with the program's functionality.