5. No way, that can't be right

Computer science lingo, on its way to becoming mainstream, has a way of picking up legendary origin stories. Consider, for instance, the tale of the software “bug.” Rellenar huecos (1): The most popular etymological backstory isn’t exactly accuratebut they also had a reputation for beingthey're almost obsolete,In fact, as the museum points out on its websiteThe discrepancy may also offer hints as to the earliest uses of the wordthe linguist and lexicographer Ben Zimmer told me in an emailbut it isn't worth it but consistently failed at seaof overtones and undertones that illuminate the hackish psyche So what can we dois an inelegant but expedient solution to a problem JXUwMDBjJXUwMDNjJXUwMDBkJXUwMDQ1JXUwMDRkJXUwMDAyJXUwMDFjJXUwMDA3JXUwMDU0JXUwMDUwJXUwMDFmJXUwMDFmJXUwMDA1JXUwMDE5JXUwMDBkJXUwMDEzJXUwMDUyJXUwMDQ1JXUwMDExJXUwMDBkJXUwMDE0JXUwMDAyJXUwMDAzJXUwMDAzJXUwMDA4JXUwMDBlJXUwMDBhJXUwMDAyJXUwMDBkJXUwMDRjJXUwMDQyJXUwMDAzJXUwMDAyJXUwMDA4JXUwMDE4JXUwMDA3JXUwMDFiJXUwMDFkJXUwMDBiJXUwMDU5JXUwMDQ5JXUwMDFhJXUwMDFkJXUyMDc3JXUyMDZkJXUwMDU0JXUwMDQ1JXUwMDFkJXUwMDE5JXUwMDAyJXUwMDE3JXUwMDE4JXUwMDE1JXUwMDU5JXUwMDQxJXUwMDAyJXUwMDAwJXUwMDE2JXUwMDA3JXUwMDEzJXUwMDE1JXUwMDEx , but that hasn’t stopped people from retelling it. The term emerged, the story goes, when the pioneering computer scientist Grace Hopper discovered a moth—an actual bug—trapped between two components of the enormous Mark II machine she was working on at Harvard in 1947.

The insect was removed and taped into a log book with a little note: “First actual case of bug being found.” All this really happened—the log book is in a collection at the National Museum of American History!— but it doesn’t represent the first time “bug” was used to mean a glitch or flaw in a program. Rellenar huecos (2): The most popular etymological backstory isn’t exactly accuratebut they also had a reputation for beingthey're almost obsolete,In fact, as the museum points out on its websiteThe discrepancy may also offer hints as to the earliest uses of the wordthe linguist and lexicographer Ben Zimmer told me in an emailbut it isn't worth it but consistently failed at seaof overtones and undertones that illuminate the hackish psyche So what can we dois an inelegant but expedient solution to a problem JXUwMDExJXUwMDI3JXUwMDRlJXUwMDQ2JXUwMDA3JXUwMDAyJXUwMDE3JXUwMDU4JXUwMDBjJXUwMDQxJXUwMDEyJXUwMDUzJXUwMDU0JXUwMDFjJXUwMDBkJXUwMDQ1JXUwMDRkJXUwMDE4JXUwMDA2JXUwMDE2JXUwMDEwJXUwMDE4JXUwMDRkJXUwMDUwJXUwMDFmJXUwMDA2JXUwMDA3JXUwMDFhJXUwMDA3JXUwMDUzJXUwMDRmJXUwMDFhJXUwMDAxJXUwMDU0JXUwMDRmJXUwMDAxJXUwMDRlJXUwMDQ5JXUwMDFkJXUwMDA3JXUwMDUzJXUwMDU3JXUwMDEyJXUwMDA3JXUwMDExJXUwMDFhJXUwMDFkJXUwMDEx , engineers were griping about bugs as early as the 1870s, when Thomas Edison complained of them in his work on electrical circuits. 

“The vocabulary of computing can be baffling, and just when you have finally figured out the difference between a mainframe and a mini, Rellenar huecos (3): The most popular etymological backstory isn’t exactly accuratebut they also had a reputation for beingthey're almost obsolete,In fact, as the museum points out on its websiteThe discrepancy may also offer hints as to the earliest uses of the wordthe linguist and lexicographer Ben Zimmer told me in an emailbut it isn't worth it but consistently failed at seaof overtones and undertones that illuminate the hackish psyche So what can we dois an inelegant but expedient solution to a problem JXUwMDJjJXUwMDFjJXUwMDBkJXUwMDFjJXUwMDVlJXUwMDU1JXUwMDE3JXUwMDQ1JXUwMDQxJXUwMDBkJXUwMDAxJXUwMDAyJXUwMDFjJXUwMDA3JXUwMDU0JXUwMDRmJXUwMDBkJXUwMDExJXUwMDFjJXUwMDAzJXUwMDA5JXUwMDExJXUwMDExJXUwMDQ5 ” wrote Peter H. Lewis in a column for The New York Times back in 1993. In it, Lewis defined a brief list of terms from corporate computing culture, words and phrases like “server,” “open systems,” and “outsourcing.” He also listed a few words and phrases that had trickled into the mainstream, like “hard-wired,” “beta,” and “bandwidth.” And then, there was “kludge:”

KLUDGE, pronounced klooj, Rellenar huecos (4): The most popular etymological backstory isn’t exactly accuratebut they also had a reputation for beingthey're almost obsolete,In fact, as the museum points out on its websiteThe discrepancy may also offer hints as to the earliest uses of the wordthe linguist and lexicographer Ben Zimmer told me in an emailbut it isn't worth it but consistently failed at seaof overtones and undertones that illuminate the hackish psyche So what can we dois an inelegant but expedient solution to a problem JXUwMDMxJXUwMDFhJXUwMDUzJXUwMDQxJXUwMDBmJXUwMDRlJXUwMDQ5JXUwMDA3JXUwMDBiJXUwMDA5JXUwMDA5JXUwMDAyJXUwMDA2JXUwMDBmJXUwMDFhJXUwMDU0JXUwMDQyJXUwMDE3JXUwMDAxJXUwMDU0JXUwMDQ1JXUwMDFkJXUwMDA4JXUwMDE1JXUwMDAxJXUwMDBkJXUwMDBjJXUwMDBiJXUwMDFhJXUwMDU0JXUwMDUzJXUwMDFjJXUwMDAzJXUwMDE5JXUwMDAxJXUwMDFkJXUwMDA2JXUwMDAxJXUwMDRlJXUwMDU0JXUwMDFiJXUwMDRmJXUwMDQxJXUwMDQxJXUwMDUwJXUwMDAyJXUwMDFkJXUwMDBkJXUwMDBlJXUwMDA5JXUwMDA4 , or a solution done hastily that will eventually fail. Examples: “We kludged it until we can figure out the right way to do it.”

The pronunciation of “kludge”—it rhymes with subterfuge and ice luge, not nudge and fudge—hints at its alternate spelling, “kluge,” which is still commonly used among programmers. Rellenar huecos (5): The most popular etymological backstory isn’t exactly accuratebut they also had a reputation for beingthey're almost obsolete,In fact, as the museum points out on its websiteThe discrepancy may also offer hints as to the earliest uses of the wordthe linguist and lexicographer Ben Zimmer told me in an emailbut it isn't worth it but consistently failed at seaof overtones and undertones that illuminate the hackish psyche So what can we dois an inelegant but expedient solution to a problem 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 , which, like “bug,” has its own thicket of folklore to untangle.

“It’s, um, complicated,” Rellenar huecos (6): The most popular etymological backstory isn’t exactly accuratebut they also had a reputation for beingthey're almost obsolete,In fact, as the museum points out on its websiteThe discrepancy may also offer hints as to the earliest uses of the wordthe linguist and lexicographer Ben Zimmer told me in an emailbut it isn't worth it but consistently failed at seaof overtones and undertones that illuminate the hackish psyche So what can we dois an inelegant but expedient solution to a problem JXUwMDJjJXUwMDFjJXUwMDBkJXUwMDQ1JXUwMDRjJXUwMDA1JXUwMDA3JXUwMDA5JXUwMDEyJXUwMDFjJXUwMDFhJXUwMDA3JXUwMDU0JXUwMDQxJXUwMDBmJXUwMDBhJXUwMDQ0JXUwMDRjJXUwMDA5JXUwMDFkJXUwMDExJXUwMDBhJXUwMDBjJXUwMDA4JXUwMDE1JXUwMDEzJXUwMDExJXUwMDE4JXUwMDBkJXUwMDE3JXUwMDUyJXUwMDYyJXUwMDI3JXUwMDBiJXUwMDRlJXUwMDdhJXUwMDMzJXUwMDA0JXUwMDAwJXUwMDA4JXUwMDE3JXUwMDUyJXUwMDU0JXUwMDFiJXUwMDAzJXUwMDA4JXUwMDQ0JXUwMDRkJXUwMDA4JXUwMDQ1JXUwMDQ5JXUwMDA3JXUwMDRlJXUwMDQxJXUwMDBmJXUwMDRlJXUwMDQ1JXUwMDA4JXUwMDBjJXUwMDA4JXUwMDA1 . “The short answer is that the word was originally spelled ‘kluge’—derived from the surname Kluge, in turn from German klug, ‘clever.’ But then later it began to be spelled as ‘kludge,’ merging with a U.K. slang term with that spelling (apparently derived from a Scots word for ‘toilet’). So now we often get the ‘kludge’ spelling with the ‘kluge’ pronunciation.”

Whew!

Several sources trace the word’s origins back to 1940s military usage, where it was apparently used in the Navy to describe electronic equipment that “worked well on shore  Rellenar huecos (7): The most popular etymological backstory isn’t exactly accuratebut they also had a reputation for beingthey're almost obsolete,In fact, as the museum points out on its websiteThe discrepancy may also offer hints as to the earliest uses of the wordthe linguist and lexicographer Ben Zimmer told me in an emailbut it isn't worth it but consistently failed at seaof overtones and undertones that illuminate the hackish psyche So what can we dois an inelegant but expedient solution to a problem JXUwMDNhJXUwMDE3JXUwMDAxJXUwMDU0JXUwMDQzJXUwMDBjJXUwMDAxJXUwMDFkJXUwMDFhJXUwMDFhJXUwMDA3JXUwMDExJXUwMDBiJXUwMDFhJXUwMDE4JXUwMDE1JXUwMDU5JXUwMDQ2JXUwMDA3JXUwMDA4JXUwMDA1JXUwMDA5JXUwMDAxJXUwMDQ0JXUwMDQxJXUwMDE1JXUwMDU0JXUwMDUzJXUwMDE2JXUwMDA0 ,” according to the Jargon File, a compendium of hacker slang created by the developer Eric S. Raymond. But there are other hints that “kluge,” dates back farther, perhaps as a reference to printing press equipment manufactured by Brandtjen & Kluge in the 1930s.

Newspaper ads from that decade describe Brandtjen & Kluge systems as modern marvels—automatic and ultra-fast—  Rellenar huecos (8): The most popular etymological backstory isn’t exactly accuratebut they also had a reputation for beingthey're almost obsolete,In fact, as the museum points out on its websiteThe discrepancy may also offer hints as to the earliest uses of the wordthe linguist and lexicographer Ben Zimmer told me in an emailbut it isn't worth it but consistently failed at seaof overtones and undertones that illuminate the hackish psyche So what can we dois an inelegant but expedient solution to a problem JXUwMDNhJXUwMDE3JXUwMDAxJXUwMDU0JXUwMDU0JXUwMDFjJXUwMDBkJXUwMDFjJXUwMDU5JXUwMDQxJXUwMDBkJXUwMDFmJXUwMDFjJXUwMDRmJXUwMDQ4JXUwMDA5JXUwMDA1JXUwMDQ0JXUwMDQxJXUwMDQxJXUwMDUyJXUwMDE3JXUwMDE1JXUwMDA1JXUwMDAxJXUwMDE1JXUwMDE1JXUwMDFkJXUwMDA2JXUwMDAxJXUwMDRlJXUwMDQ2JXUwMDA5JXUwMDFkJXUwMDUyJXUwMDQyJXUwMDA3JXUwMDBjJXUwMDA3JXUwMDA5 , well, pretty klugey, according to the Raymond’s site: “temperamental, subject to frequent breakdowns, and devilishly difficult to repair.”

“The result of this history is a tangle,” the Jargon File concludes. “Some observers consider this mess appropriate in view of the word’s meaning.” 

But ironically, given its definition, kluge is itself a fantastically nuanced word, too. Here’s how the File describes sophisticated shades of its meaning:

Take the distinction between a kluge and an elegant solution, and the differing connotations attached to each. The distinction is not only of engineering significance; it reaches right back into the nature of the generative processes in program design and asserts something important about two different kinds of relationship[s] between the hacker and the hack. Hacker slang is unusually rich in implications of this kind, Rellenar huecos (9): The most popular etymological backstory isn’t exactly accuratebut they also had a reputation for beingthey're almost obsolete,In fact, as the museum points out on its websiteThe discrepancy may also offer hints as to the earliest uses of the wordthe linguist and lexicographer Ben Zimmer told me in an emailbut it isn't worth it but consistently failed at seaof overtones and undertones that illuminate the hackish psyche So what can we dois an inelegant but expedient solution to a problem JXUwMDM3JXUwMDA5JXUwMDQ2JXUwMDRmJXUwMDE5JXUwMDEzJXUwMDE3JXUwMDA2JXUwMDFiJXUwMDAxJXUwMDBiJXUwMDE2JXUwMDUzJXUwMDQxJXUwMDBmJXUwMDBhJXUwMDQ0JXUwMDU1JXUwMDFiJXUwMDBhJXUwMDAxJXUwMDE3JXUwMDA2JXUwMDFiJXUwMDAxJXUwMDBiJXUwMDE2JXUwMDUzJXUwMDU0JXUwMDFjJXUwMDA5JXUwMDE1JXUwMDU0JXUwMDQ5JXUwMDA1JXUwMDAwJXUwMDE5JXUwMDE4JXUwMDA0JXUwMDA3JXUwMDBmJXUwMDE1JXUwMDExJXUwMDQ1JXUwMDU0JXUwMDFjJXUwMDBkJXUwMDQ1JXUwMDQ4JXUwMDA5JXUwMDAyJXUwMDA4JXUwMDAyJXUwMDFhJXUwMDFiJXUwMDQ4JXUwMDUwJXUwMDAzJXUwMDBhJXUwMDFhJXUwMDBiJXUwMDBk .

The File also points out that kluge exists on a spectrum of related slang that might be used to describe the functionality (and beauty) of code more broadly, from “monstrosity” to “perfection.” (Perfection in computer programming, of course, being a “mythical absolute, approximated but never actually attained.”)

Source: https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/09/the-appropriately-complicated-etymology-of-kluge/499433/