race condition

Definition

A bug that occurs when two processes compete to access shared resources, and the outcome depends on who wins the race. It's the software equivalent of two people trying to sit in the same chair—somebody's going to have a bad time.

Example Usage

We found a race condition in the checkout process that let users buy items for free if they clicked fast enough.

Origin

Electrical engineering term from the 1950s, adopted by computer science with the rise of concurrent programming

Fun Fact

Race conditions are notoriously difficult to debug because they often disappear when you add logging or slow down execution to investigate them—known as a 'Heisenbug.'

Source: Concurrent programming and operating systems textbooks

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