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Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!scorplx!frank
From: frank@scorplx.UUCP (Frank Pavelski)
Newsgroups: net.jokes,net.philosophy,net.poems
Subject: For marathon debuggers
Message-ID: <149@scorplx.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 28-Aug-84 13:02:49 EDT
Article-I.D.: scorplx.149
Posted: Tue Aug 28 13:02:49 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 30-Aug-84 10:11:59 EDT
Organization: Honeywell Info. Systems, Billerica, MA
Lines: 45

Food for the line eater.
An after dinner mint


ONE LAST BUG
------------

"But what does it matter?"
they said with a shrug.
"The customer's happy,
what's one little bug?"

But he was determined.
The others went home.
He spread out the program.
Deserted.  Alone.

The cleaning men came.
The whole room was cluttered 
with punch cards, core dumps;
"I'm close," he muttered.

His mumbling grew louder,
"Simple deduction!
I've got it!  It's right!
Just change one instruction."

It still wasn't right,
as year followed year,
and strangers would query,
"Is that nut still here?"

He died at his console
of hunger and thirst.
They buried him next day
(face down, nine edge first).

The last bug in sight,
one small ant passing by,
saluted his tombstone
and whispered "Nice try."

             Author unknown