In computer programming the improbability factor is a situation where a problem exists in a system. Frequently, the programmers are aware of the problem, but they are not allowed to fix the problem, solely because the chances of the problem ever surfacing are supposedly negligible compared to other problems that could be solved with the programmers' time and money. As a result, the problem may still occur and do heavy damage due to Murphy's law.
The improbability factor is an example of an anti-pattern.
Famous quotes containing the word factor:
“In his very rejection of art Walt Whitman is an artist. He tried to produce a certain effect by certain means and he succeeded.... He stands apart, and the chief value of his work is in its prophecy, not in its performance. He has begun a prelude to larger themes. He is the herald to a new era. As a man he is the precursor of a fresh type. He is a factor in the heroic and spiritual evolution of the human being. If Poetry has passed him by, Philosophy will take note of him.”
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