Wiktionary
n. (context programming English) a form of defensive design that wants to ensure that the continuing functioning of a piece of software in spite of unforeseeable usage of it.
Wikipedia
Defensive programming is a form of defensive design intended to ensure the continuing function of a piece of software under unforeseen circumstances. Defensive programming techniques are used especially when a piece of software could be misused.
Defensive programming is an approach to improve software and source code, in terms of:
- General quality – reducing the number of software bugs and problems.
- Making the source code comprehensible – the source code should be readable and understandable so it is approved in a code audit.
- Making the software behave in a predictable manner despite unexpected inputs or user actions.
Overly defensive programming however introduces code to prevent errors that can't happen, but needs to be executed on runtime and to be maintained by the developers, thus increasing the runtime and maintenance costs. There is also the risk that the code catches or prevents too many exceptions. In those cases, the error would be suppressed and go unnoticed, while the result would be still wrong.
Usage examples of "defensive programming".
That meant they'd bypassed all that sophisticated defensive programming before they'd even entered the temple, and that meant sending overriding commands to her own 7800 and everyone else's before they ever got through the front door.
That meant they'd bypassed all that sophisticated defensive programming before they'd even entered the temple, and that meant sending overriding com.
Either Dahak had sufficient power to repair the damage, in which case the ship is, in fact, fully operational and would destroy him or his minions, or else Dahak had insufficient power to decontaminate the vessel's interior, in which case re-entry would remain effectively impossible without Imperial technology-which would activate any operational defensive programming.
She knew only one thing for certain: whatever defensive programming she had triggered was expensive and sophisticated.
Have you at least made provisions for any eventualities and taken care of the necessary defensive programming instructions to your robot brain?
But no defensive programming in the galaxy could compensate for the STAP’.