Piet van Oostrum: I find this a nice feature but it is not according to the documentation. Or is it a BUG? Larry Wall: Let's call it an accidental feature. :-)
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Wall calls an undocumented behavior an accidental feature rather than a bug.
- In plain terms
- He labels a surprising behavior as an unintended feature.
- What can you take from it?
- Sometimes unexpected behavior is accepted as a quirky feature.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- When should a bug be re‑classified as a feature?
- What are the risks of accepting accidental behavior?
Another view
Labeling bugs as features can hide real problems.
More from Larry Wall
I dunno, I dream in Perl sometimes...
Permalink to quote #6 (To someone at New York University) If you consistently take an antagonistic approach, however, people are going to start thinking you're from New York. :-)
Permalink to quote #8 I don't know if it's what you want, but it's what you get. :-)
Permalink to quote #5
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