(C++) Bug

A bug is a runtime error.

Removing bugs is called debugging.

Different kind of bugs

My favorites from The Dodgy Coder:

Heisenbug: a bug that disappears or alters its characteristics when an attempt is made to study it
Higgs-Bugson: a hypothetical bug predicted to exist based on a small number of possibly related event log entries and vague anecdotal reports from users, but it is difficult (if not impossible) to reproduce on a dev machine because you don't really know if it's there, and if it is there what is causing it. To find these you will need to invest in a Large Hadron debugger
Schrödinbug: refers to a function/feature that appears to fluctuate between buggy and correct (like Schrödinger's cat, fluctuating between alive and dead), until somebody looks at the source code (opens the box), at which point it becomes permanently bugged
Loch Ness Monster Bug: a bug which cannot be reproduced or has only been sighted by one person
UFO bug: a bug presented by customers, who, even when they're shown that it doesn't exist, will repeatedly report it again and again, believing it is real
Mandelbug: a bug whose causes are so complex that its behavior appears chaotic or even non-deterministic. Named after fractal innovator Benoît Mandelbrot
Brown-paper-bag bug: a bug in a public software release that is so embarrassing that the author notionally wears a brown paper bag over his head for a while
Sorcerer's apprentice mode bug: a bug in a protocol where, under some circumstances, the receipt of a message causes multiple messages to be sent, each of which, when received, triggers the same bug
Mad girlfriend bug: a bug whose immediate effect remains hidden - the app outwardly seems to function normally and tells you that everything is fine
Excalibur bug: when all of the developers within a company have tried to fix a particular bug but none have succeeded, so far
Load-bearing printf bug: when a line of debug output is required for the code to work - the code does not function if you remove it

Go back to Richel Bilderbeek's C++ page.

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