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2.8 KiB
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17 lines
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<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><title>cargo cult programming</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="../../jargon.css" type="text/css"/><meta name="generator" content="DocBook XSL Stylesheets V1.61.0"/><link rel="home" href="../index.html" title="The Jargon File"/><link rel="up" href="../C.html" title="C"/><link rel="previous" href="careware.html" title="careware"/><link rel="next" href="cascade.html" title="cascade"/></head><body><div class="navheader"><table width="100%" summary="Navigation header"><tr><th colspan="3" align="center">cargo cult programming</th></tr><tr><td width="20%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="careware.html">Prev</a><EFBFBD></td><th width="60%" align="center">C</th><td width="20%" align="right"><EFBFBD><a accesskey="n" href="cascade.html">Next</a></td></tr></table><hr/></div><dt><a id="cargo-cult-programming"/><dt xmlns="" id="cargo-cult-programming"><b>cargo cult programming</b>: <span xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" class="grammar">n.</span></dt></dt><dd><p> A style of (incompetent) programming dominated by ritual inclusion
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of code or program structures that serve no real purpose. A cargo cult
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programmer will usually explain the extra code as a way of working around
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some bug encountered in the past, but usually neither the bug nor the
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reason the code apparently avoided the bug was ever fully understood
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(compare <a href="../S/shotgun-debugging.html"><i class="glossterm">shotgun debugging</i></a>,
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<a href="../V/voodoo-programming.html"><i class="glossterm">voodoo programming</i></a>).</p></dd><dd><p>The term ‘cargo cult’ is a reference to aboriginal
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religions that grew up in the South Pacific after World War II. The
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practices of these cults center on building elaborate mockups of airplanes
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and military style landing strips in the hope of bringing the return of the
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god-like airplanes that brought such marvelous cargo during the war.
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Hackish usage probably derives from Richard Feynman's characterization of
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certain practices as “<span class="quote">cargo cult science</span>” in his book
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<i class="citetitle">Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!</i> (W. W. Norton
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& Co, New York 1985, ISBN 0-393-01921-7).</p></dd><div class="navfooter"><hr/><table width="100%" summary="Navigation footer"><tr><td width="40%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="careware.html">Prev</a><EFBFBD></td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="u" href="../C.html">Up</a></td><td width="40%" align="right"><EFBFBD><a accesskey="n" href="cascade.html">Next</a></td></tr><tr><td width="40%" align="left" valign="top">careware<EFBFBD></td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="h" href="../index.html">Home</a></td><td width="40%" align="right" valign="top"><EFBFBD>cascade</td></tr></table></div></body></html>
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