[PD] Very large patches unstable?

[Mathieu Bouchard]

On Wed, 2 Dec 2009, Matteo Sisti Sette wrote:

> Well I was just implying that with commercial software I feel the RIGHT 
> to complain about bugs and EXPECT (in the sense of "demand" in english, 
> lol, not of real expectation) them to be fixed, because software is the 
> only field where you BUY something that does not work and are even 
> supposed to accept that, which I don't.

That's because software is the only field in which new developments are 
called "maintenance". It's also the only field in which the only thing you 
ever do is plan (a computer programme is a plan). It's also the only field 
in which the cost of repairing a mistake is that much low. Therefore the 
market expands to handle the biggest plans that human minds can possibly 
handle, as there aren't so many consequences to making a mistake here and 
there.

> I didn't imply that companies will do what I would expect them to do 
> according to what I think is their moral duty.

I think that their first moral duty is to express all of the disclaimers 
that they mean, before you buy. All of the rest is optional.

> but if I take for true what seems to be an almost universally shared 
> opinion, that bug free software does not and won't ever exist,

I believe that bug-free software is possible. I also believe that it is 
not a very interesting fact, because all it focuses on are all-or-nothing 
things: no bug vs any number of any bugs. Basically any other fact about 
bugs is more important than that. Before facts, though, you need 
definitions and agreements. A «bug» in the «bug tracker» is somewhat 
likely to not be one. Bugs are only relative to a statement of what the 
programme should do.

> Oh... I don't speak a word of French, so I'm not sure, you may be right. 
> I meant (and understood) "demand" more or less as "asking" someone to do 
> something, not necessarily in an imperative way.

I guessed that if you made the mistake I thought you had made, then it 
must be having some kind of link with the same mistake in French.

>> Miller Puckette opened the 2007 convention by saying that PureData is 
>> almost finished.
> Hahahahahahha, yes, I remember that was mentioned in the mailing list. But 
> even if I don't know Miller at all, I had seen his performance in Barcelona 
> at "OFF ICMC 2006" so I already knew he has a great sense of humor.

I already had read Miller's posts for five years when I attended that 
keynote. When he said it, it didn't cross my mind for a second that it 
could be a joke. Instead I firmly believed that he was being serious. I 
haven't changed my position since, I won't reconsider it, and I'd like you 
to reconsider yours. Yes, I've seen Miller perform a few times, but it's 
really unrelated.

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| Mathieu Bouchard, Montréal, Québec. téléphone: +1.514.383.3801