Bugs Quote by Edsger Dijkstra
“In the good old days physicists repeated each other's experiments, just to be sure. Today they stick to FORTRAN, so that they can share each other's programs, bugs included.”
About This Quote
Highlights the shift from experimental replication to code sharing, implying that modern science often propagates software bugs as readily as data.
In simple terms: From reproducing experiments to sharing code, including errors.
Key Takeaway
Shared code spreads both insight and bugs.
Themes
Scientific methodology
Collaboration
Software reliability
Reproducibility
Technology evolution
Mood
ironic
critical
reflective
Type
humorous
observational
When to use this quote
- academic research labs
- software development teams
- data science projects
- physics collaborations
Key Concepts
experiment replication
code sharing
bug propagation
FORTRAN legacy
Practical Applications
- audit and test shared code
- implement version control and CI pipelines
Questions to Reflect On
- How can we ensure shared code is reliable?
- What practices mitigate bug diffusion?
A Different Perspective
While code sharing accelerates progress, it also necessitates rigorous validation to prevent systemic errors.
![“Please don't fall into the trap of believing that I am terribly dogmatical about [the goto statement]. I have the uncomfortable feeling that others are making a religion out of it, as if the conceptual problems of programming could be solved by a single trick, by a simple form of coding discipline!” quote by Edsger Dijkstra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/6ad/edsger-dijkstra-5102_believe_please-don-t-fall-into-the-trap-of-belie_167695.jpg)
