Comment by jaapz

Comment by jaapz 3 days ago

11 replies

Kind of similar to the story about the origins of the word "bug" in software

If this would have caught on we might have called bugs mice

moomin 3 days ago

Too many people remember the “bug” story as “Grace Hopper invented the term ‘bug’” when the real takeaway is “Grace Hopper was very funny.”

rkomorn 3 days ago

Isn't that story more myth than reality?

The history section of the Wikipedia entry for "bug" [1] suggests it predates computers by decades.

1- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bug_(engineering)

  • bregma 3 days ago

    It's also more moth than reality.

    Moths are, technically [0], not bugs.

    [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemiptera

    • direwolf20 3 days ago

      I don't think there's a precise scientific definition of "bug"

      • peaseagee 3 days ago

        Yes and no. There's a group called "true bugs" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemiptera as linked above). "Bug" in the common sense doesn't have a precise definition (small arthropod that may or may not be a pest to humans is about as precise as I feel I can get), but there _is_ a scientific definition of "true bug".

    • rkomorn 3 days ago

      This is the kind of response I appreciate. Thank you!

  • vidarh 3 days ago

    The actual story is not myth. It just isn't the origin of the term.

    Hopper's note didn't suggest the word was new, but was funny exactly because it was not.

    • rkomorn 3 days ago

      Right, good correction. It's the origin part that's the myth.