From: dishborealis@yahoo.com   
      
   "Michael Kennedy"  wrote in message   
   news:Igl1i.19574$j7.373522@news.indigo.ie...   
   >> Thinking about the programming books I've read over the years, the ones   
   >> which deal with good programming habits in any language, the idea of an   
   >> "unknown error" strikes me as absurd, at least for any application*   
   >> that's been around for a while. So, when I see this on MySpace, my first   
   >> reaction is "sloppy and they don't give a damn as long as the advertising   
   >> revenue keeps pouring in". Am I being harsh?  Partially correct? Opinions   
   >> wanted. Assuming I'm trying to access a feature that's not new, is there   
   >> really any such thing as an unknown error?   
   >>   
   >> * I'm choosing to consider web sites to be applications at the moment.   
   >   
   > As you've suggested, numerous whole BOOKS have been written on   
   > high-quality programming... In a "normal" commercial program, perhaps half   
   > of the code is dealing with "errors", and these are only the "normal"   
   > errors that are expected.   
   >   
   > In the PC arena, for many different reasons, a vast array of errors can   
   > arise that are not usually handled within the app code, and the programmer   
   > will hope the operating environment, hardware drivers, etc, will handle   
   > them adequately.   
   >   
   > As a "Hello World" example:   
   >    Input "A?: ",A   
   >    Input "B?: ",B   
   >    Print "A+B=",A+B   
   >   
   > What if:   
   >   - the sum of A+B exceeds the arithmetic capacity available, just as if   
   > one typed 2 huge numbers on a 2-dollar calculator?   
   >   - the user types "Hi, There!" as one of the values to be added?   
   >   - the Keyboard is stuck, and the program just sits there waiting for   
   > "A"?   
   >   - the hardware to display the result is not functioning properly?   
   >   - ...etc, etc, etc...   
   > This tiny program could turn into a monster, if all "Known" errors were to   
   > be handled adequately. No to mention RAM limits, Disk limits, LAN issues,   
   > comms troubles, timing problems, failing hardware, bugs in drivers and   
   > operating systems, hardware bugs..... I recall the "Bug-list" for a very   
   > early Pentium CPU design amounted to 40 pages.   
   >   
   > And... another huge issue is trouble arising within error-handlers   
   > themselves... The code is trying to trap all relevant info for later   
   > debugging, and this code breaks, and loses the info of the original error,   
   > and then all hell breaks loose...   
   >   
   > ...Or, maybe I mis-understand...   
   >   
   >   - Mike   
      
   I *know* I misunderstand, especially since MySpace was sold to Rupert   
   Murdoch's company for $580 million, a budget that would seem large enough to   
   enable them to hire people to make sure that the most basic features work   
   all the time.   
      
   I'm not a professional programmer, but I've learned enough here, and from   
   reading to know that a particular error is only unknown once, unless it's   
   not fixed.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)