> Computer programs that other computer programs use all require a detailed functional spec.
And yet most programs that are used by other programs do not provide a detailed functional spec! How curious.
Most computer programs do not a formal, detailed, functional spec. They simply are what they are. Furthermore, the type of specs we are talking about are incomplete and purposefully leave a lot of room open to implementers to make different choices. Their choices are unspecified but fully relied upon.
Hyrum's Law: With a sufficient number of users of an API, it does not matter what you promise in the contract: all observable behaviors of your system will be depended on by somebody.
std::deque has an underdefined spec such that the MSVC implementation meets the spec but is utterly worthless. And it can't be fixed because that would break the ABI.
In this thread I'm specifically talking about the C++ standard library specification and implementations. Whether other software benefits from a detailed spec or not is outside the scope of this conversation. I maintain that the C++ standards committee should provide a std::deque implementation and not a spec. Thus far no one has even attempted to argue why it's better as a spec. Womp womp.
And yet most programs that are used by other programs do not provide a detailed functional spec! How curious.
Most computer programs do not a formal, detailed, functional spec. They simply are what they are. Furthermore, the type of specs we are talking about are incomplete and purposefully leave a lot of room open to implementers to make different choices. Their choices are unspecified but fully relied upon.
Hyrum's Law: With a sufficient number of users of an API, it does not matter what you promise in the contract: all observable behaviors of your system will be depended on by somebody.
std::deque has an underdefined spec such that the MSVC implementation meets the spec but is utterly worthless. And it can't be fixed because that would break the ABI.
In this thread I'm specifically talking about the C++ standard library specification and implementations. Whether other software benefits from a detailed spec or not is outside the scope of this conversation. I maintain that the C++ standards committee should provide a std::deque implementation and not a spec. Thus far no one has even attempted to argue why it's better as a spec. Womp womp.