I'm a software architect/developer myself. Writing bug-free software is completely impossible. The reason is simple: there are too many environment variables. Every computer is different, every user has different software installed, every user has a different workflow, and so on.

Errors are part of the human condition. Nuff said.

Noel Borthwick [Cakewalk]
Yes it is true. We'll have to agree to disagree. Speaking from an idealistic perspective that rarely exists in the real world has little constructive value. All developers think they write perfect code - until something breaks it :) I'm assuming you are a software engineer in a different field other than real time music software. What might work in a more linear environment doesn't quite fit here.

Well, like I said, it may not always be cost-effective. I've worked in a real-time software field most of my life (video games) and they too are very hard to do good tests for. No unit test is going to tell you if the game is too hard or the graphics render too dark! :) But I was mostly just making a point about software in general, that there is nothing intrinsic to software that makes it impossible for it to be bug free; it's just about resources. And if users demanded quality over features, software developers would change priorities accordingly.

stac
I'm a software architect/developer myself. Writing bug-free software is completely impossible. The reason is simple: there are too many environment variables. Every computer is different, every user has different software installed, every user has a different workflow, and so on.

It may be impossible to guarantee that a certain program does exactly what you want on every machine ever. It's not impossible to guarantee that your software does the right thing, given the necessary resources. If your program breaks because the user has different software installed, then either there is a bug in the OS or a bug in your program. If your program breaks because the user has a workflow you didn't expect, that's your fault, not an inevitability.

For some of us, work does not yet flow. I would hate for them to waste time figuring out why some stupid thing I did "broke" the program...

Well, that's something slightly different. :)

Kylotan
And if users demanded quality over features, software developers would change priorities accordingly.

You will never get users to agree. Some users want to prioritize stability, some users want to prioritize features, and neither side is willing to pay for both.
 

Anderton

Kylotan
And if users demanded quality over features, software developers would change priorities accordingly.

You will never get users to agree. Some users want to prioritize stability, some users want to prioritize features, and neither side is willing to pay for both.
 

What Craig said, PLUS ... enough users will never agree to the pricing that would be req'd.  Funds would soon dry up and the doors would close.
 
Governments are the only ones with pockets deep enough, but they never get it 100% right either.  Games?  Now you're talking unlimited funding from addiction.  The game revenue stream is second only to tax dollars.  ;)
 
On a serious note, given that there is a transition period to get thru, I think Noel and his team are doing a very good job balancing things. 
 
And just so Noel doesn't relax too much, I reserve the right to change my mind when renewal times comes!  :)
 

+1 Bob.

I know nothing about software development, but I do know a couple things about QA and statistics. It would be hard to track all the interdependencies in Sonar IF there was only one way to do each task and a finite number of tasks. With something as complicated as Sonar the combinations and permutations that the system deals with has to be in the billions.
 
The term workflow, and the fact that everyone seems to have a unique workflow basically means there's a whole bunch of different ways to arrive at the destination. To have that freedom, I accept the fact that my unique way of doing things may trigger a problem that was unforeseen. My imagination is putting uncertainty into the system. I can live with that.
 
Good on you Bakers (wizards), keep on working the system.