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RE: List of real bugs in built-in functions (was Re: Re: "At long last, Sir, have you no shame?")

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  • Subject: [mg18504] RE: [mg18440] List of real bugs in built-in functions (was Re: [mg18385] Re: "At long last, Sir, have you no shame?")
  • From: "Ersek, Ted R" <ErsekTR at navair.navy.mil>
  • Date: Wed, 7 Jul 1999 23:08:54 -0400
  • Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com

Martin Kraus and David Withoff wrote:
------------------------------------
>
> > Hmmm, I guess we could quickly gather dozens of well known
> > bugs in this thread. Before doing so: Is there anyone who
> > would like to set up a database with online access for
> > bugs (including workarounds) in Mathematica?
> 
> [D. Withoff]
> One response to your request for someone who would like to set up
> such a database is that Wolfram Research is interested in this, and
> is already doing it.  The "support section" of the Wolfram Research
> web site is a "database with online access for bugs (including
> workarounds) in Mathematica".

  [M. Kraus]
Hmm, are you talking about the "Technical FAQ"?
I would not consider most of the problems described there as
bugs. And the mentioned problems which are bugs seem to have
been patched already.
------------------------------

The support section of the WRI web site does describe bugs. The web pages I
list below show where at least some versions of Mathematica have bugs. Many
of these bugs (perhaps all of them) are corrected in version 4.0.  Now  this
isn't a case where WRI is only letting us know about bugs that are fixed.  I
came across each of these pages several months before version 4.0 was
released and they are all bugs in version 3.0. 

http://support.wolfram.com/Kernel/Symbols/System/FullSimplify.html

http://support.wolfram.com/Kernel/Symbols/System/Factor.html

http://support.wolfram.com/Kernel/Symbols/System/Roots.html

http://support.wolfram.com/Kernel/Symbols/System/Integrate.html

On the other hand I have personally reported bugs to tech support, and got
confirmation that they are in fact bugs.  Even though the bugs I report are
easy to characterize I haven't seen a single bug that I reported mentioned
on a tech support web page (yes, I have checked).  So WRI does tell us where
some of the bugs are, but I think they aren't very diligent about ensuring
all bugs are noted on the tech support web pages.

You may be interested in the following web pages where WRI provides more
response on this subject.

http://support.wolfram.com/Reference/BugsAndWorkarounds.html

http://support.wolfram.com/Reference/BugInformation.html


Regards,
Ted Ersek


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