Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!rutgers!mtune!codas!usfvax2!pollock
From: pollock@usfvax2.UUCP (Wayne Pollock)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Flame on Apple Technical Notes
Message-ID: <930@usfvax2.UUCP>
Date: 24 Dec 87 01:45:12 GMT
References: <3706@islenet.UUCP>
Reply-To: pollock@usfvax2.usf.edu.UUCP (Wayne Pollock)
Distribution: na
Organization: University of South Florida at Tampa
Lines: 28
Keywords: tech notes
Summary: flame on Fred Huxham's tech note #164

Regarding tech note #164, I have two relavent stories:

1) When I moved to Ohio, a friend was showing me around.  Turning down a
certain street he said "now you'll see an example of mid-western road
repair."  Around the next bend was a sign saying "Dip in road."

2) When I discovered some problems in an IBM product once, I reported it and
received an interesting (and now, famous) reply: "Its not a bug, its a
feature!"

I'm not sure which story is more appropriate to this tech note, but I am sure
that I am very disappointed by the attitude this shows!

I don't care that the code will somehow work even if certain functions and
variables aren't declared explicitly.  Good software design dictates that
all objects be declared, especially in system software.  This is necessary
for portability (both imported software, and improved "macs of the future")
as well as debugging; Assuming something is an int because you can't find
a declaration is not the way I like to work!

A tech note that says "here's a bug we won't fix" (story #1), or that says
"its not a bug, its a feature" (story #2) is not particularly useful.
Obviously, people are complaining to you about this.  How 'bout a real
answer?

Wayne Pollock, The MAD Scientist
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