Thursday, October 17, 2013

The Higgs Bug

Quantum Physics has an interesting relationship with programming. You may have heard of the Heisenbug. This kind of bug behaves according the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle. When the diligent programmer is trying to precisely observe it, the damned thing seems to disappear and blur its true location.

I think there is yet another type of bug, which shows some parallels to quantum physics. I call it the Higgs Bug. It manifests itself like this:
You have spotted a bug and you are trying to get to it, wading eagerly through the code, which is between you and the bug. However, despite your effort, numerous other problems emerge on your way. You feel like being stuck in molasses, your momentum constantly drained, as if this bug was surrounded by a Higgs Field, making you heavy and slow.