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Ask HN: Anyone know any funny programming jokes?

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Re: Ask HN: Anyone know any funny programming jokes?

#313

Post by numlocked »

amingilani wrote: post #253
gumby wrote: post #193

This is an oldie (I first heard it in the 80s) but is one of my all time favorites. While it can be told about any two classes of people it really applies to a lot of code I encounter: A physicist is showing a thermos to her friend, a programmer. "It's amazing", she said. "You put a cold drink inside and regardless of how hot it is outside the drink stays cold". The programmer is suitably impressed. "But that's not a…

Could you share an example of this? I could be misinterpreting this but say you're building a survey system and you need to keep track of answer types (e.g. text, date, etc) and the answer itself, how can you collapse that into one field?

I think they are referring to this sort of thing (the reader will have to use their imagination and assume there is additional functionality in this class):

  class ReadingMaterial:
    is_magazine = False

    def is_periodical():
      return is_magazine
Using a base class (e.g. a Magazine and a Book class, or something) and inheritance, is much clearer than monkeying around with state.

Re: Ask HN: Anyone know any funny programming jokes?

#314

Post by dwd »

zxcvbn4038 wrote: post #186

How many IBM employees does it take to change a light bulb? Fifteen. Five to do it, and ten to write document number GC7500439-001, Multitasking Incadescent Source System Facility, of which 10% of the pages state only "This page intentionally left blank".

Make that at least 17 when you count the employee + lawyer who file the patent.

Re: Ask HN: Anyone know any funny programming jokes?

#315

Post by thejenk »

the_pwner224 wrote: post #263
shimonabi wrote: post #197

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In my car, I have to disconnect the battery when the cheap 30$ Chinese radio freezes.

Put a toggle switch somewhere in the cabin and splice it between the car radio power wires and the battery. So you can easily reboot the radio without having to mess around under the hood.

A push button normally closed momentary switch would be pretty slick too. Also it would probably be best to put it on the ground wire. Car radios will have at least two power wires, one for constant power (which keeps the clock set, and favourite stations programmed), and one switched accessory power to command it on.

Then again, a new $30 radio would be slicker still.

Re: Ask HN: Anyone know any funny programming jokes?

#316

Post by Jtsummers »

andi999 wrote: post #305
Jtsummers wrote: post #267

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Al Gore was ridiculed for saying he invented the Internet (he didn't say that). The rest of the joke is playing off of that and then punning with his name.

To be fair Gore claimed he 'took the initiative in creating the internet'. His choice of words were not good I think.

If that were the only sentence in the statement, sure. But read the rest (which I believe you found if you can quote it) and it's clear what he's saying unless your objective is to misquote it and ridicule him.

Re: Ask HN: Anyone know any funny programming jokes?

#317

Post by knodi123 »

gumby wrote: post #193

This is an oldie (I first heard it in the 80s) but is one of my all time favorites. While it can be told about any two classes of people it really applies to a lot of code I encounter: A physicist is showing a thermos to her friend, a programmer. "It's amazing", she said. "You put a cold drink inside and regardless of how hot it is outside the drink stays cold". The programmer is suitably impressed. "But that's not a…

But How Do It Know? Basic Principles of Computers for Everyone

https://smile.amazon.com/But-How-Know-Principles-Computers/d...

Re: Ask HN: Anyone know any funny programming jokes?

#318

Post by n_f »

Once upon a time, a baby bear asked his mama to tell him a story about recursion. And so the mama bear started reading:

“Once upon a time, a baby bear asked his mama to tell him a story about recursion, the mama bear started reading:

...””

Re: Ask HN: Anyone know any funny programming jokes?

#319

Post by klik99 »

preparat wrote: post #37

I think I saw this on reddit years ago: Programmer's wife: "when you go to the store, can you buy a carton of milk and if they have eggs, get six." He comes back with 6 cartons of milk. Wife: "why would you buy six cartons of milk?" "Well, they had eggs"

I get it, she’s upset that he didn’t get 7, which is technicallly what she meant.
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