Editing Software bug (section)

{{Short description|Inherent flaw in computer instructions}}
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{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{software development process}}

A '''software bug''' is a design defect ([[Bug (engineering)|bug]]) in [[computer software]]. A [[computer program]] with many or serious bugs may be described as ''buggy''. 

The effects of a software bug range from minor (such as a misspelled word in the [[user interface]]) to severe (such as frequent [[crash (computing)|crashing]]).

In 2002, a study commissioned by the US [[Department of Commerce]]'s [[National Institute of Standards and Technology]] concluded that "software bugs, or errors, are so prevalent and so detrimental that they cost the US economy an estimated $59&nbsp;billion annually, or about 0.6 percent of the gross domestic product".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/releases/n02-10.htm |title=Software bugs cost US economy dear |date=June 10, 2009 |access-date=September 24, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090610052743/http://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/releases/n02-10.htm |archive-date=June 10, 2009 }}</ref>

Since the 1950s, some computer systems have been designed to detect or auto-correct various software errors during operations.