What does cargo cult programming mean?

Definitions for cargo cult programming
cargo cult pro·gram·ming

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word cargo cult programming.

Wikidata

  1. Cargo cult programming

    Cargo cult programming is a style of computer programming that is characterized by the ritual inclusion of code or program structures that serve no real purpose. Cargo cult programming is typically symptomatic of a programmer not understanding either a bug he or she was attempting to solve or the apparent solution. The term 'cargo cult programmer' may also apply when an unskilled or novice computer programmer copies some program code from one place and pastes it into another place, with little or no understanding of how the code works, or whether it is required in its new position.

The New Hacker's Dictionary

  1. cargo cult programming

    A style of (incompetent) programming dominated by ritual inclusion of code or program structures that serve no real purpose. A cargo cult programmer will usually explain the extra code as a way of working around some bug encountered in the past, but usually neither the bug nor the reason the code apparently avoided the bug was ever fully understood (compare shotgun debugging, voodoo programming).The term ‘cargo cult’ is a reference to aboriginal religions that grew up in the South Pacific after World War II. The practices of these cults center on building elaborate mockups of airplanes and military style landing strips in the hope of bringing the return of the god-like airplanes that brought such marvelous cargo during the war. Hackish usage probably derives from Richard Feynman's characterization of certain practices as “cargo cult science” in his book Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! (W. W. Norton & Co, New York 1985, ISBN 0-393-01921-7).

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of cargo cult programming in Chaldean Numerology is: 9

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of cargo cult programming in Pythagorean Numerology is: 6

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"cargo cult programming." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/cargo+cult+programming>.

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