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From: Jim Jackson <jj@franjam.org.uk>
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: Re: People Are Googling Fake Sayings To See AI Overviews Explain Them
Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2025 13:23:16 -0000 (UTC)
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On 2025-04-29, Jim Jackson <jj@franjam.org.uk> wrote:
> On 2025-04-29, Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:
>> On Mon, 28 Apr 2025 12:42:26 -0000 (UTC), Jim Jackson wrote:
>>
>>> Mind you, way back in the day I saw degree student's software that
>>> surely looked like the students were hullucinating when they wrote it
>>> :-)
>>
>> I wonder how that can be, assuming the code actually works.
>
> Who said anything about working?
>

Actually it probably did for at least one path through the code! The one 
they actually tested. But this one path went round the houses to get 
there. :-)

There is a technique to programming where, when it fails to do the job, 
the "coder" (and I use the term loosely) does an edit or add "one 
thing", recompile, test, rinse repeat cycle. Never delete anything, it 
might be important. Code review - don't yer just love it.

Do AI  bots ever compile or run their code? Silly question.
Could we get another AI to do code review? Actually not a silly question.


>> I knew someone, back in undergrad days, who was a good programmer (a few 
>> years senior to me), but a lousy speller. I remember seeing one of his 
>> programs reporting that the user had typed an ???illegial charector??? ...