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On the etymology of 'Bug'

1 pointsby sajidover 6 years ago

1 comment

eesmithover 6 years ago
&quot;The terminology of a “bug” is usually attributed to Grace Hopper in 1945, but this seems to indicate it was in airplane terminology years earlier.&quot;<p>??? It goes back to at least Edison. <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Software_bug#History" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Software_bug#History</a> quotes him as writing in 1878:<p>&gt; It has been just so in all of my inventions. The first step is an intuition, and comes with a burst, then difficulties arise—this thing gives out and [it is] then that &quot;Bugs&quot;—as such little faults and difficulties are called—show themselves and months of intense watching, study and labor are requisite before commercial success or failure is certainly reached.[3]<p>The Hopper story is &quot;First actual case of bug being found&quot;, tongue-in-cheek because the bug was actually caused by a bug, instead of metaphorically so.