[panic]

I think "bug-free" software is a distraction. It's fine to make the occasional mistake. The real problem here is that nobody seems to take these mistakes seriously. Everyone seems to expect software to be occasionally broken, including the people writing it.

[catnaroek]

Aren't your second and last sentences in conflict? How could we not expect software to be "occasionally" broken, if it's "fine" to make the "occasional" mistake?

Of course, making mistakes is only human, but mistakes should never get past the build process (compilation, automated testing). Any mistake that does reflects an error in your design (not making your code amenable to verification) and/or your process (not capturing requirements in tests).

[panic]

Yeah, using "occasionally" in both places drew a parallel that I didn't intend. We can expect people to make mistakes without accepting broken software. As you say, there are processes that can reduce the impact of mistakes on the final product. I think a culture of taking issues seriously is also important. Small mistakes are easy to make, but they're easy to fix if the organization has a good way for them to be reported and allows people to spend time fixing them.