(Reborn from a long ago blog post)
Failover: An operation that, when a system fails, automatically switches the software it was running over to a standby system, where it will fail in an identical manner.
Fixed Disk: A broken disk, repaired.
Firmware: Hardware that can be relied upon never to change its mind.
Formal Method: A formal method is a specially constructed language for specifying a program, which ensures that the correctness of the program can be tested and proved. Yes, you can really know for sure whether the program has any bugs in it. This sounds as though it should be the end to all the woes of computing.
Oh joy!
Joy turns to surprise when you discover that the formal method specification itself can have errors in it.
Surprise turns to mirth when you examine one of these languages and discover that it is yet another cryptic programming language.
Despondency sets in and you go back to C++ or Python.
Future-Proof: A computer product is future-proof if it is so well designed that it allows for any possible technology developments or trends that might happen in the future. Future-proof products are perpetual motion machines built from hen’s teeth.