Software bug
A software bug is a bug in computer software.
A computer program with many or serious bugs may be described as buggy.
The effects of a software bug range from minor (such as a misspelled word in the user interface) to severe (such as frequent crashing).
Software bugs have been linked to disasters. Software bugs in 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.[1]
In 1994, an RAF Chinook helicopter crashed, killing 29; was initially blamed on pilot error, but was later thought to have been caused by a software bug in the engine-control computer.[2]
Buggy software caused the early 21st century British Post Office scandal.[3]
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".[4]
Since the 1950s, some computer systems have been designed to detect or auto-correct various software errors during operations.
Terminology[edit]
Mistake metamorphism (from Greek meta = "change", morph = "form") refers to the evolution of a defect in the final stage of software deployment. Transformation of a "mistake" committed by an analyst in the early stages of the software development lifecycle, which leads to a "defect" in the final stage of the cycle has been called 'mistake metamorphism'.[5]
Different stages of a mistake in the development cycle may be described as mistake,[6]: 31
anomaly,[6]: 10
fault,[6]: 31
failure,[6]: 31
error,[6]: 31
exception,[6]: 31
crash,[6]: 22
glitch,
bug,[6]: 14
defect,
incident,[6]: 39
or side effect.
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Controversy[edit]
Sometimes the use of bug to describe the behavior of software is contentious due to perception. Some suggest that the term should be abandoned; replaced with defect or error.
Some contend that bug implies that the defect arose on its own and push to use defect instead since it more clearly connotates caused by a human.[7]
Some contend that bug may be used to coverup an intentional design decision. In 2011, after receiving scrutiny from US Senator Al Franken for recording and storing users' locations in unencrypted files,[8]
Apple called the behavior a bug. However, Justin Brookman of the Center for Democracy and Technology directly challenged that portrayal, stating "I'm glad that they are fixing what they call bugs, but I take exception with their strong denial that they track users."[9]
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In politics[edit]
"Bugs in the System" report[edit]
The Open Technology Institute, run by the group, New America,[38] released a report "Bugs in the System" in August 2016 stating that U.S. policymakers should make reforms to help researchers identify and address software bugs. The report "highlights the need for reform in the field of software vulnerability discovery and disclosure."[39] One of the report's authors said that Congress has not done enough to address cyber software vulnerability, even though Congress has passed a number of bills to combat the larger issue of cyber security.[39]
Government researchers, companies, and cyber security experts are the people who typically discover software flaws. The report calls for reforming computer crime and copyright laws.[39]
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