Wisdom by Peck
12 pieces of wisdom
“In any program, any error which can creep in will eventually do so.”
“Not until the program has been in production for at least six months will the most harmful error be discovered.”
“Any constants, limits, or timing formulas that appear in the computer manufacturer's literature should be treated as variables.”
“The most vital parameter in any subroutine stands the greatest chance of being left out of the calling sequence.”
“If only one compiler can be secured for a piece of hardware, the compilation times will be exorbitant.”
“If a test installation functions perfectly, all subsequent systems will malfunction.”
“Job control cards that positively cannot be arranged in improper order, will be.”
“Interchangeable tapes won't.”
“If more than one person has programmed a malfunctioning routine, no one is at fault.”
“If the input editor has been designed to reject all bad input, an ingenious idiot will discover a method to get bad data past it.”
“Duplicated object decks which test in identical fashion will not give identical results at remote sites.”
“Manufacturer's hardware and software support ceases with payment for the computer.”