[OT] Knuth's rewards [Was: Python syntax in Lisp and Scheme]

[Christian Tanzer]

mertz at gnosis.cx wrote:

> Jacek Generowicz <jacek.generowicz at cern.ch> wrote previously:
> |> Could you afford to pay $327.68 for every bug found in your glorious
> |> software?
> |Anyone know how Knuth arrives at the amounts he offers ?
> |(He also offers $2.56 for errors in his books.)
>
> Surely you recognize powers of two? :-).
>
> The system is really the ultimate in chutzpah.  In takes VERY few errors
> before he goes broke... or, say, if the US treasury were at his
> disposal, *IT* goes broke.
>
> Apparently, so far 8 errors have been found in AoCP, and 15 in TeX....

There were more errors (but surprisingly few). Knuth capped the amount
after a few doublings.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TeX has some more information about this.

Knuth's paper ``The Errors of TeX`` is recommended reading.

-- 
Christian Tanzer                                    http://www.c-tanzer.at/