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From: liz@umcp-cs.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.lang
Subject: Re: Superstition in Programmers - (nf)
Message-ID: <4816@umcp-cs.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 20-Jan-84 12:49:25 EST
Article-I.D.: umcp-cs.4816
Posted: Fri Jan 20 12:49:25 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 21-Jan-84 07:36:49 EST
References: <4930@uiucdcs.UUCP> <156@pucc-k> <1587@rlgvax.UUCP>
Organization: Univ. of Maryland, Computer Science Dept.
Lines: 22

x <- bug killer!

Ah, but the above is indeed a superstition -- especially when people
use it in an article like this which would not start with a blank
even if the bug killer was not there...  You see, this all started
out as a warning that you better not start an article with a blank
or tab and became a rule that you better always start with a bug
killer just to be sure.  Now, the bug has probably been fixed(*),
but no one is ready to trust it yet, so we continue to use bug
killers -- just to be safe, just because we're still suspicious or
superstitious or something...

Anyone care to generalize from this "superstitious behavior"?

				-Liz Allen

(*) Someone did post an article on net.news somewhere saying the
bug seemed to be fixed...
-- 
Univ of Maryland, College Park MD	
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