bug

A software bug is an error, flaw or fault in the design, development, or operation of computer software that causes it to produce an incorrect or unexpected result, or to behave in unintended ways. The process of finding and correcting bugs is termed "debugging" and often uses formal techniques or tools to pinpoint bugs. Since the 1950s, some computer systems have been designed to deter, detect or auto-correct various computer bugs during operations.
Bugs in software can arise from mistakes and errors made in interpreting and extracting users' requirements, planning a program's design, writing its source code, and from interaction with humans, hardware and programs, such as operating systems or libraries. A program with many, or serious, bugs is often described as buggy. Bugs can trigger errors that may have ripple effects. The effects of bugs may be subtle, such as unintended text formatting, through to more obvious effects such as causing a program to crash, freezing the computer, or causing damage to hardware. Other bugs qualify as security bugs and might, for example, enable a malicious user to bypass access controls in order to obtain unauthorized privileges.Some software bugs have been linked to disasters. Bugs in code that controlled the Therac-25 radiation therapy machine were directly responsible for patient deaths in the 1980s. In 1996, the European Space Agency's US$1 billion prototype Ariane 5 rocket was destroyed less than a minute after launch due to a bug in the on-board guidance computer program. In 1994, an RAF Chinook helicopter crashed, killing 29; this was initially blamed on pilot error, but was later thought to have been caused by a software bug in the engine-control computer. Buggy software caused the early 21st century British Post Office scandal, the most widespread miscarriage of justice in British legal history.In 2002, a study commissioned by the US Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology concluded that "software bugs, or errors, are so prevalent and so detrimental that they cost the US economy an estimated $59 billion annually, or about 0.6 percent of the gross domestic product".

View More On Wikipedia.org
  • 8

    Stuart Wright

    Administrator From Birmingham, UK
    • Messages
      2,369
    • Reaction score
      1,664
    • Points
      1,901
  • 1

    davejohn

    Standard Member From Uley
    • Messages
      16
    • Reaction score
      4
    • Points
      9
  • 1

    Ferretusmaximus

    Established Member From Wales
    • Messages
      76
    • Reaction score
      120
    • Points
      43
  • 1

    Lord Randall

    Established Member From Varese Italy
    • Messages
      76
    • Reaction score
      45
    • Points
      18
  • 1

    tomsl

    Standard Member From Austria
    • Messages
      47
    • Reaction score
      24
    • Points
      14
  • 1

    Chongma

    Established Member From Essex
    • Messages
      53
    • Reaction score
      48
    • Points
      19
  • 1

    Mr Savage

    Standard Member From Norway
    • Messages
      22
    • Reaction score
      35
    • Points
      14
  • 1

    Marchie

    Novice Member From Australia
    • Messages
      2
    • Reaction score
      0
    • Points
      1
  • 1

    Amun

    Established Member From Norfolk, UK
    • Messages
      222
    • Reaction score
      123
    • Points
      58
  • 1

    Sloucher

    • Messages
      693
    • Reaction score
      1,079
    • Points
      329
  • 1

    Camy

    Standard Member From Scotland
    • Messages
      33
    • Reaction score
      4
    • Points
      8
  • 1

    dave99

    Established Member From Manchester
    • Messages
      182
    • Reaction score
      148
    • Points
      57
  • 1

    YaR

    Established Member From Cambridge
    • Messages
      226
    • Reaction score
      228
    • Points
      92
  • 1

    halogen

    Established Member From indonesia
    • Messages
      125
    • Reaction score
      116
    • Points
      58
  • 1

    CarbonEV

    Established Member From Manchester
    • Messages
      158
    • Reaction score
      124
    • Points
      62
  • 1

    Tigger

    Established Member From London, England
    • Messages
      171
    • Reaction score
      183
    • Points
      62
  • 1

    Adam C

    Established Member From Isle of Wight
    • Messages
      237
    • Reaction score
      394
    • Points
      106
  • 1

    Andrew

    Established Member From Kent, UK
    • Messages
      62
    • Reaction score
      39
    • Points
      26
  • Back
    Top Bottom