|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1. The Jargon File (version 4.4.7, 29 Dec 2003) |
software rot
n.
Term used to describe the tendency of software that has not been used in a
while to lose; such failure may be semi-humorously ascribed to bit rot.
More commonly, software rot strikes when a program's assumptions become out
of date. If the design was insufficiently robust, this may cause it to
fail in mysterious ways. Syn. code rot. See also link rot.
For example, owing to endemic shortsightedness in the design of COBOL
programs, a good number of them succumbed to software rot when their
2-digit year counters underwent wrap around at the beginning of the year
2000. Actually, related lossages often afflict centenarians who have to
deal with computer software designed by unimaginative clods. One such
incident became the focus of a minor public flap in 1990, when a gentleman
born in 1889 applied for a driver's license renewal in Raleigh, North
Carolina. The new system refused to issue the card, probably because with
2-digit years the ages 101 and 1 cannot be distinguished.
Historical note: Software rot in an even funnier sense than the mythical
one was a real problem on early research computers (e.g., the R1; see
grind crank). If a program that depended on a peculiar instruction hadn't
been run in quite a while, the user might discover that the opcodes no
longer did the same things they once did. (?Hey, so-and-so needs an
instruction to do such-and-such. We can snarf this opcode, right? No one
uses it.?) Another classic example of this sprang from the time an MIT
hacker found a simple way to double the speed of the unconditional jump
instruction on a PDP-6, so he patched the hardware. Unfortunately, this
broke some fragile timing software in a music-playing program, throwing its
output out of tune. This was fixed by adding a defensive initialization
routine to compare the speed of a timing loop with the real-time clock; in
other words, it figured out how fast the PDP-6 was that day, and corrected
appropriately.
Compare bit rot.
|
2. The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (30 December 2018) |
software rot
The tendency of software that has not been used
in a while to fail; such failure may be semi-humorously
ascribed to bit rot. More commonly, "software rot" strikes
when a program's assumptions become out of date. If the
design was insufficiently robust, this may cause it to fail
in mysterious ways.
For example, owing to shortsightedness in the design of some
COBOL programs, many would have succumbed to software rot when
their 2-digit year counters wrapped around at the beginning of
the year 2000. A related incident made the news in 1990, when
a gentleman born in 1889 applied for a driver's licence
renewal in Raleigh, North Carolina. The system refused to
issue the card, probably because with 2-digit years the ages
101 and 1 cannot be distinguished.
Historical note: Software rot in an even funnier sense than
the mythical one was a real problem on early research
computers (e.g. the R1; see grind crank). If a program
that depended on a peculiar instruction hadn't been run in
quite a while, the user might discover that the opcodes no
longer did the same things they once did. ("Hey, so-and-so
needs an instruction to do such-and-such. We can snarf this
opcode, right? No one uses it.")
Another classic example of this sprang from the time an MIT
hacker found a simple way to double the speed of the
unconditional jump instruction on a PDP-6, so he patched the
hardware. Unfortunately, this broke some fragile timing
software in a music-playing program, throwing its output out
of tune. This was fixed by adding a defensive initialisation
routine to compare the speed of a timing loop with the
real-time clock; in other words, it figured out how fast the
PDP-6 was that day, and corrected appropriately.
[Jargon File]
(2002-02-22)
|
|
|
|
|
Common Misspellings > |
software rot osoftware rot osftware rot sosftware rot oftware rot ssoftware rot sfotware rot sofotware rot sftware rot sooftware rot sotfware rot softfware rot sotware rot sofftware rot sofwtare rot softwtare rot sofware rot softtware rot softawre rot softwawre rot softare rot softwware rot softwrae rot softwarae rot softwre rot softwaare rot softwaer rot softwarer rot softwae rot softwarre rot softwar erot software erot softwar rot softwaree rot softwarer ot software r ot softwarerot software rot software ort software rort software ot software rrot software rto software roto software rt software root software rtot software ro software rott qoftware rot sqoftware rot qsoftware rot woftware rot swoftware rot wsoftware rot eoftware rot seoftware rot esoftware rot aoftware rot saoftware rot asoftware rot doftware rot sdoftware rot dsoftware rot zoftware rot szoftware rot zsoftware rot xoftware rot sxoftware rot xsoftware rot coftware rot scoftware rot csoftware rot oftware rot s oftware rot software rot s9ftware rot so9ftware rot s9oftware rot s(ftware rot so(ftware rot s(oftware rot s0ftware rot so0ftware rot s0oftware rot siftware rot soiftware rot sioftware rot spftware rot sopftware rot spoftware rot skftware rot sokftware rot skoftware rot slftware rot solftware rot sloftware rot saftware rot seftware rot suftware rot soetware rot sofetware rot soeftware rot sortware rot sofrtware rot sorftware rot sottware rot softtware rot sotftware rot sodtware rot sofdtware rot sodftware rot sogtware rot sofgtware rot sogftware rot soctware rot sofctware rot socftware rot sovtware rot sofvtware rot sovftware rot sobtware rot sofbtware rot sobftware rot so tware rot sof tware rot so ftware rot sof5ware rot soft5ware rot sof5tware rot sof%ware rot soft%ware rot sof%tware rot sof6ware rot soft6ware rot sof6tware rot sofrware rot softrware rot sofrtware rot sofyware rot softyware rot sofytware rot soffware rot softfware rot sofftware rot sofgware rot softgware rot sofgtware rot sofhware rot softhware rot sofhtware rot soft2are rot softw2are rot soft2ware rot soft@are rot softw@are rot soft@ware rot soft3are rot softw3are rot soft3ware rot softqare rot softwqare rot softqware rot softeare rot softweare rot softeware rot softaare rot softwaare rot softaware rot softsare rot softwsare rot softsware rot softdare rot softwdare rot softdware rot softwqre rot softwaqre rot softwqare rot softwwre rot softwawre rot softwware rot softwsre rot softwasre rot softwsare rot softwxre rot softwaxre rot softwxare rot softwzre rot softwazre rot softwzare rot softw re rot softwa re rot softw are rot softwere rot softwire rot softwore rot softwure rot softwa4e rot softwar4e rot softwa4re rot softwa$e rot softwar$e rot softwa$re rot softwa5e rot softwar5e rot softwa5re rot softwaee rot softwaree rot softwaere rot softwate rot softwarte rot softwatre rot softwade rot softwarde rot softwadre rot softwafe rot softwarfe rot softwafre rot softwage rot softwarge rot softwagre rot softwar3 rot software3 rot softwar3e rot softwar# rot software# rot softwar#e rot softwar4 rot software4 rot softwar4e rot softwarw rot softwarew rot softwarwe rot softwarr rot softwarer rot softwarre rot softwars rot softwares rot softwarse rot softward rot softwared rot softwarde rot softwarf rot softwaref rot softwarfe rot softwara rot softwari rot softwaro rot softwaru rot software 4ot software r4ot software 4rot software $ot software r$ot software $rot software 5ot software r5ot software 5rot software eot software reot software erot software tot software rtot software trot software dot software rdot software drot software fot software rfot software frot software got software rgot software grot software r9t software ro9t software r9ot software r(t software ro(t software r(ot software r0t software ro0t software r0ot software rit software roit software riot software rpt software ropt software rpot software rkt software rokt software rkot software rlt software rolt software rlot software rat software ret software rut software ro5 software rot5 software ro5t software ro% software rot% software ro%t software ro6 software rot6 software ro6t software ror software rotr software rort software roy software roty software royt software rof software rotf software roft software rog software rotg software rogt software roh software roth software roht Definition commonly spelled as: Defanition or Defenition, Synonym as: Synonim, Sinonym or Sinonim, Thesaurus as: Thesorus or Thesauris, Dictionary as: Dictionery or Dictionry and Define is usually not misspelled. What does mispell meen? It Meens...
Full Map Index: Å Norway-Am Timan Chad |
Ama United States of America-Audon France |
Audouville-la-Hubert France-Baskil Turkey |
Baskin United States of America-Bindoy Philippines |
Bindoy Philippines-Breuilpont France |
Breukelen Netherlands-Campofelice di Fitalia Italy |
Campofelice di Roccella Italy-Champigny France |
Champigny-en-Beauce France-Colle San Magno Italy |
Colle Sannita Italy-Damulog Philippines |
Damurhuda Bangladesh-Duliāgaon India |
Duliajan No.1 India-Ethridge United States of America |
Étienville France-Frignano Italy |
Frignicourt France-Gouhenans France |
Gouillons France-Hasselbach Germany |
Hasselbach Germany-Hurlock United States of America |
Huron United States of America-Jovellanos Cuba |
Jovellar Philippines-Kirchzell Germany |
Kircubbin United Kingdom-La Gomera Guatemala |
La Gonfrière France-Le Hohwald France |
Le Hommet-dArthenay France-Loma de Gato Philippines |
Loma de Juárez Mexico-Mālpur India |
Mālpura India-Memphis United States of America |
Memphis United States of America-Montería Colombia |
Monteriggioni Italy-Navalilla Spain |
Navalmanzano Spain-Noyelles-lès-Seclin France |
Noyelles-lès-Vermelles France-Pachelma Russia |
Pachgaon India-Piégut-Pluviers France |
Piekary Śląskie Poland-Prilep Macedonia |
Přílepy Czech Republic-Reuil-en-Brie France |
Reuilly France-Şag Romania |
Şag Romania-Saint-Puy France |
Saint-Python France-Santa Rita Panama |
Santa Rita Venezuela-Sewarhi India |
Sewen France-Sparbu Norway |
Spardorf Germany-Tamparan Philippines |
Tampayan Philippines-Tottington United Kingdom |
Tottleben Germany-Valdivia Chile |
Valdivia Colombia-Villeneuve-le-Roi France |
Villeneuve-lès-Avignon France-White City United States of America |
White City Canada-Żywiec Poland |
|
Most Popular Searches: Define Misanthrope, Define Pulchritudinous, Define Happy, Define Veracity, Define Cornucopia, Define Almuerzo, Define Atresic, Define URL, Definitions Of Words, Definition Of Get Up, Definition Of Quid Pro Quo, Definition Of Irreconcilable Differences, Definition Of Word, Synonyms of Repetitive, Synonym Dictionary, Synonym Antonyms. See our main index and map index for more details.
|
©2011-2024 ZebraWords.com - Define Yourself - The Search for Meanings and Meaning Means I Mean. All content subject to terms and conditions as set out here. Contact Us, peruse our Privacy Policy |
|