If It Hasn't Been Tested, It Doesn't Work

Did you know that North Korea has nuclear weapons? That's the big news today. I did think, though, that we've been talking about North Korea having nuclear weapons since, oh, last summer. No?

I think it was FNC's Shepard Smith this afternoon who was talking with some sort of "expert" (yes, those are "sneer" quotes) who said it would be an awful, awful mistake for North Korea to test a nuke. Japan would get mighty worried, don'tchaknow. And who knows what the Japanese might do if they finally got worried about something besides their never-ending economic recession.

Now, ever since we started talking about North Korea having nukes — it has been since last summer, right? — I can't ever remember anybody talking about the North Koreans having tested any such darned thing. I'm pretty sure that every government on earth would know if they had done it. So, I'm also pretty sure that the North Koreans indeed must not have ever tested their nuclear weapons that are big news today but which we've all been talking about since last summer.

When I was working as a programmer/analyst, we used to have a rule. It wasn't a written-down rule. It was more a chatting-among-ourselves, wondering-how-things-are-going kind of unwritten rule. And this is it:

Though you have finished coding a program, if it hasn't been tested, it doesn't work.

That's a rule derived from lots and lots of experience. Bad experience. (Not just mine, mind you!) Rare is the computer program that's worked right the first time it's been run. Thus, the prudent assumption that, until a program has been tested, it doesn't work.

Now, if that's a good rule for computer programming — and it certainly is a good rule for computer programming — wouldn't it also be a good rule for building a nuclear bomb? If it hasn't been tested, it doesn't work. Wouldn't it actually be an even better rule for building a nuclear bomb than for writing a computer program?

I say we call 'em on it. Tell the North Koreans — dare them — to test their nuclear bomb. Frankly, I think the Japanese would be relieved by the results, not panicked.

Lane Core Jr. CIW P — Thu. 04/24/03 10:22:45 PM
Categorized as International.