A Bug's Life

Bugs are an unfortunate fact of life in software development, and Microsoft, like all large software companies, uses a well-defined, companywide process for tracking and fixing them. But even with rigorous design and code reviews, Microsoft must balance its desire to fix every bug with the reality that even the smallest change can lead to additional, potentially more severe bugs. Customers involved in prerelease programs can improve their chances of seeing their reported bugs fixed by understanding this process and submitting detailed, reproducible bug reports early in the product development cycle.

How Microsoft Handles Bugs

A bug, simply put, is a flaw in a software program or hardware component, and although the term is often attributed to Admiral Grace Hopper and the appearance of a moth in the Harvard Mark II, it was used in print to refer to faults in electrical systems as far back as 1896. Tracking bugs is a standard part of almost every software development methodology.

At Microsoft, a bug goes through several distinct steps.