A workaround is a bypass of a recognized problem or limitation in a system or policy. A workaround is typically a temporary fix that implies that a genuine solution to the problem is needed. But workarounds are frequently as creative as true solutions, involving

outside the box Thinking outside the box (also thinking out of the box or thinking beyond the box and, especially in Australia, thinking outside the square) is a metaphor that means to think differently, unconventionally, or from a new perspective. The phrase als ...

thinking in their creation. Typically they are considered brittle in that they will not respond well to further pressure from a system beyond the original design. In implementing a workaround it is important to flag the change so as to later implement a proper solution. Placing pressure on a workaround may result in later system failures. For example, in

computer programming Computer programming is the process of performing a particular computation (or more generally, accomplishing a specific computing result), usually by designing and building an executable computer program. Programming involves tasks such as ana ...

workarounds are often used to address a problem or anti-pattern in a

library A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...

, such as an incorrect

return value In computer programming, a return statement causes execution to leave the current subroutine and resume at the point in the code immediately after the instruction which called the subroutine, known as its return address. The return address is sa ...

. When the library is changed, the workaround may break the overall program functionality, effectively becoming an anti-pattern, since it may expect the older, wrong behaviour from the library. Workarounds can also be a useful source of ideas for improvement of products or services.

Legal workarounds

When the legal system places an obstacle in the form of a restriction or requirement, the law may provide a possible workaround. Laws intended to tap into what may seem to be deep pockets may lead to what are at least temporary solutions such as: * Since "most French workplace laws affect businesses with 50 or more employees... many French companies opt to employ only 49 people in avoidance of crippling legislations." * An injunction against

Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washing ...

regarding XML features and an ''easy technical workaround'', a patent attorney suggested having two versions of MS Word, one with and one without the feature.

Acronyms

Some well-known acronyms were created to work around bureaucratic or contracting restrictions: * PDP - The term was used to describe a computer by another name, due to contracting complications for purchasing or leasing computers. The term PDP (Programmed Data Processor or Programmable Data Processor) was a workaround. The name "PDP" intentionally avoids the use of the term "computer". PDPs were aimed at a market that could not afford larger computers. * GNU - GNU's Not UNIX. As AT&T's prices for academic licensing and use of

UNIX Unix (; trademarked as UNIX) is a family of multitasking, multiuser computer operating systems that derive from the original AT&T Unix, whose development started in 1969 at the Bell Labs research center by Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, and ot ...

increased, new restrictions on maximum number of concurrent users and limitations on types of use created a motivation for an alternative: a work-alike workaround. Among the better known ones are: **

Linux Linux ( or ) is a family of open-source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged as a Linux distribution, which ...

BSD The Berkeley Software Distribution or Berkeley Standard Distribution (BSD) is a discontinued operating system based on Research Unix, developed and distributed by the Computer Systems Research Group (CSRG) at the University of California, Berk ...

** System V * PSAP. By contrast with hearing aids, the sale of which is more regulated and more expensive, a Personal Sound Amplification Product (PSAP) is lower in price albeit more limited in capability.

References

{{Authority control Software quality Software maintenance

Legal workarounds

Acronyms

See also

References