OT: Bug versus Feature

[Resident Alien 2]

quote:

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Originally posted by Jourin:
Whether something is a bug or a feature is based off the rule of unintended consequences. You design something that results in an unintended consequence. If that consequence is positive, it is a feature. However, if that consequence is negative, it is a bug.

Using a specific example: Drones were designed with no "move to" capability resulting in the unintended consequence that drones can not do recon. Since I think that the majority of people believe this consequence is negative, this consequence is a bug.

Yes, drones were designed with no "move to" capability, but that does not mean the design didn't cause a bug.

Bugs can be caused by
Sloppy keystroke entry (syntax)
Poor programming design (logic)
Poor concept design (unintended consequences)

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I would have to disagree with calling current Drone functionality a bug. Disagreement about a design decision doesn't make it a bug.

The designers vision of Drones was attack only, he designed it that way, he coded it that way, it works that way.

Unless there's a user requirements specification we signed off on to say that drones should have "go to" capability then it's not a bug in my usage of the phrase "software bug".