A bug is an error in coding by the software developer that causes a program to malfunction or to produce incorrect results. The origin of the term reputedly goes back to the early days of computing, when a hardware problem in an electro-mechanical computer at Harvard University was traced to a moth caught between the contacts of a relay on the machine. (Entomologists will undoubtedly be quick to note that a moth is not really a bug). The above is quoted from the Computer Dictionary by Microsoft Press. [SHAZAM Guide home]