Why Computers don’t just work?
It’s a good question one that can be answered with a question. Think of all the steps that go into filling an ice tray and getting it into the freezer to make ice. Now think of all the things that can go wrong…
Got the picture in your mind? Good. Now compare the list, you probably have more things that could go wrong that it did to actually get the water into the freezer. The trouble is if you only thought of 10 or 20 things that could go wrong others can think of 10 or 20 more than you did and on it goes.
Computer programming is a lot like that process. Programmers will think of the things that can go wrong but somethings they many never have thought of, or did think of but it was so remote they decided to keep it out of their code. The more conditions we put on a program the more time it takes to run and the slower it gets making you spin your mouse around in circles while it just sits there and thinks….until you get completely frustrated and shut it down.
If we were to take the list that you created for your ice tray to make ice and compared it again to the things that could go wrong you may end up forgetting the whole thing and go to the corner 7-11 or supermarket and buy a bag of ice, at least there is fewer things to go wrong…right? Or is there?