"Off By One" by XKCD comic (mirror bots @xkcd @xkcdbot ) - Off-by-one errors are so common in coding that each coder and reviewer should be alert for them. But this solution is a bit like giving up on a whack-a-mole task and just blowing up the front lawn. Can an explosion crater be considered landscaping? https://xkcd.com/3062/ #software #engineering #tech #oops #WTF
![XKCD comic #3062 "Off By One" https://xkcd.com/3062/
Explanation+transcript from ExplainXKCD at https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/3062:_Off_By_One
transcript:
[Cueball faces Megan and Hairy. Cueball points towards a computer behind him]
Cueball: Any time an integer is stored or read, its value is adjusted upward or downward by a random amount between 40 or 50.
[Caption below the panel]
My new language almost completely eliminates off-by-one errors.
title/mouseover text: It does come at the small cost of a LOT more off-by-40-or-50 errors.
explanation:
In programming, off-by-one errors are very common. An off-by-one error is an error where the value of a variable differs from the intended or expected value by 1. This can arise from a number of sources, including mistakenly using a ≤ (less than or equals) comparison where a < (less than) comparison was needed, or vice versa (or ≥ / >); confusion between zero- and one-based indexing of arrays in code, either by convention or by definition in the code; or fencepost errors (needing the number of values in the range, say, 4 to 6, inclusive, but using 6 - 4 = 2 as the number instead of 3).
Cueball has attempted to combat off-by-one errors by introducing off-by-40-to-50 errors, which is arguably even worse[citation needed] and may actually lead to off-by-39-to-51 errors, depending on whether "between" here is inclusive or exclusive. [...] It may also completely leave the bounds of the array, causing out-of-bounds errors.](/proxy/post_attachment/1585486/b3cc1928da.png "XKCD comic #3062 \"Off By One\" https://xkcd.com/3062/
Explanation+transcript from ExplainXKCD at https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/3062:_Off_By_One
transcript:
[Cueball faces Megan and Hairy. Cueball points towards a computer behind him]
Cueball: Any time an integer is stored or read, its value is adjusted upward or downward by a random amount between 40 or 50.
[Caption below the panel]
My new language almost completely eliminates off-by-one errors.
title/mouseover text: It does come at the small cost of a LOT more off-by-40-or-50 errors.
explanation:
In programming, off-by-one errors are very common. An off-by-one error is an error where the value of a variable differs from the intended or expected value by 1. This can arise from a number of sources, including mistakenly using a ≤ (less than or equals) comparison where a < (less than) comparison was needed, or vice versa (or ≥ / >); confusion between zero- and one-based indexing of arrays in code, either by convention or by definition in the code; or fencepost errors (needing the number of values in the range, say, 4 to 6, inclusive, but using 6 - 4 = 2 as the number instead of 3).
Cueball has attempted to combat off-by-one errors by introducing off-by-40-to-50 errors, which is arguably even worse[citation needed] and may actually lead to off-by-39-to-51 errors, depending on whether \"between\" here is inclusive or exclusive. [...] It may also completely leave the bounds of the array, causing out-of-bounds errors.")