Bugs in software, *HUGE* ones ... idiot programmers and middle management jerkoffs

By Sam the cat

He was pissing me off. I've been to using a new version of Fractal Design's Painter product (V3.1) and I just don't get it. How can these companies do it? I've had so many GPF's from the bloody thing, that I'm now de-installing it. It's a shame cause it has all these really cool new features targeted at Internet publishing so I can bitch to a world audience. Ok, so it was a free download from the Fractal site, but come on guys! If you offer something to your customers, it should bloody well work. And they're not the only ones, if it's one thing that really gets up my left nostril, it's buggy software. There's so much of it around these days that people just accept it as the norm - bull! Would you buy a car if the stereo didn't work ? Or were told that the wheels might or might not fall off ? ... I don't think so. So why do these software house continue to expect us as consumers to keep buying their software when they keep releasing it  with bugs, and not just a few, *LOTS OF BUGS*. I've seen software put on the streets with over 200 known bugs in it. And that's only the bugs known by the authors. Furring disgusting. If GM stuck a car on the street with that many known problems, they would be in the supreme court by lunch time. Now I know what you programmers out there are saying, software is often very complex and difficult to debug. Well, let me tell you, I've written a fair amount of code and quite frankly I'm no better than you, i.e. I've written buggy code as well. But by the same token, with the resources most software houses have I don't think that there should be the level of bugs we are seeing. I'm not just clawing on about small bugs, I mean Ginormous huge, drive your new VFR through it type bugs. Why is this, doesn't the idiot programmer know that he should make sure the loop control cannot get out of wack ? Is he too lazy to bother ? Does he think someone else will fix it ? Or is it the greatest evil of all - management, putting ridiculous time constraints on the programming teams ? Personally, I've clawed a few managers in my time over these sorts of issues, so I'll vote for the last reason. Most managers are basically jerks. They just think it's always the other managers who are the problem. Meanwhile you and I, poor, innocent and trusting are continuing to spend our hard earned money on products that in any other field would have a national enquiry going. Well I say lets start putting a stop to it ! If you get a bug that causes a piece of software to go skitzo or hang your system from the rafters, then I say, get onto the manufacturer. Let them know you're not happy. Even, dare I say it, ask for your money back. Why should you pay for something that doesn't work ????