It’s been lurking inside the machine for years - since 1993, to be exact. Crawling about, slowly eating its way through cables and insulation, wreaking havoc on the computer and software that the machine processes. And last week, engineers at Microsoft finally discovered it by accident when they noticed a loud vibrating sound emanating from inside one of the powerful computers used to compile software code for Microsoft’s operating systems in development.
“We thought it was just a cooling fan going on the fritz,” said Napoor Rajkumar, a product test engineer. “But we opened up the CPU and found this hideous insect staring right at us and making this buzzing sound…it was the size of my thumb! And it looked really scary with those big bug-eyes! Eeewww!”
The bug, a 17-year cicada, morphed from larval to pupal stage, and finally to an adult insect. It is believed that the insect larva had nibbled through various connector cables and circuit board components over time, causing minute electronic disturbances which in turn, created glitches in Microsoft’s popular operating systems products, from MS-DOS up to their latest, Windows 7.
The compiler, a special program installed on the computer, is a tool used to process raw code into a usable computer program, a critical stage of software development. It is believed the computer somehow became contaminated with cicada eggs back in the early 1990s, which started the drawn-out problems. The machine, purchased in 1992 from a computer manufacturer in Sioux City, Iowa, likely became contaminated with the bugs while being stored in a warehouse facility near farm fields before it was shipped to Microsoft. Cicadas are a common pest in rural areas of the Midwest.
The troubleshooting success has now been a boon to the giant software maker, which has long been plagued with problems in its Windows operating systems. Those problems are now believed to be completely fixed.
“Ha! We now have the culprit of nearly two decades of software bugs…literally!,” exclaimed a senior software engineer at Microsoft’s Redmond, Washington, headquarters. “A quick downloadable patch and voila! Windows - all versions - will become flawless! This will be the last patch, ever! We’re now good to go!”
Microsoft’s CEO Steve Ballmer was ecstatic over the news. “Now we can lay these quality problems to rest, once and for all,” exclaimed the MS chief, not one to mince words. “I don’t want to hear anyone bitching from this point forward. If our stuff doesn’t work, it’s all on you!”
News of the fix helped buoy Microsoft’s shares up by $1.32 at the end of trading Friday on NASDAQ, closing at $29.56.
