Buggy March 12, 2011
Posted by mareserinitatis in computers, engineering, work.Tags: bugs, modelling, software
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I’ve been having problems at work of a technical nature. Things have been generally difficult the past two weeks because I’ve found two problems with the software I usually work with.
I have to admit that when I’m using commercial software, my expectations are pretty high. If I were using my own software, I would expect bugs. Part of programming is debugging, sadly. But if you’re paying for the software, that gives a different perspective.
The first problem was really strange. I spent over a week trying to fix things myself by changing my models. Nothing I did seemed to work, so I finally gave up and contacted the developers. Yep, definitely a bug.
The second problem was more of an annoyance, and I was able to find a workaround myself.
The problem with this is that I spend a lot of time not knowing if these problems creep up because of my own incompetence with the program or if there really is something wrong with the program. I therefore spend a significant amount of time trying to check myself and talking with the other engineers who are familiar with the software.
But it’s really a relief to get that email saying, “It’s not you!” It’s nice to know that sometimes it’s not my brain that’s buggy.
I also blog at Engineer Blogs, home away from home to some of the best engineering blogs.
What software are you finding bugs in?
I’d rather not say as I don’t want to sound like I’m saying nasty things about the software. But the response in dealing with the problem has been great. :-)