Word of the Day - Kludge

[StarSong]

Kludge - noun (also spelled kluge)

1. A system, especially a computer system, that is constituted of poorly matched elements or of elements originally intended for other applications.
2. A clumsy or inelegant solution to a problem.

A kludge or kluge is a workaround or makeshift solution that is clumsy, inelegant, inefficient, difficult to extend, and hard to maintain. Its only benefit is that it rapidly solves an important problem using available resources. A famous example is the improvised CO2 scrubber that kept the astronauts alive on Apollo 13.

Everyone I know has fashioned numerous household kludges, with most "fixes" involving duct tape.

Edited to add, kludge is pronounced so it rhymes with sludge.

 

[Ruthanne]

I'm glad my computer isn't kludgey!

 

[David777]

As someone using the term "kluge" where it began decades ago in electronic engineering groups, it has never rhymed with sludge nor spelled with a dg. The u is vocalized like "ooge". It was a slang before there were ever any personal computers. And was one of my top skills in creating test fixtures from available materials from industrial zone hole in the wall parts and materials shops in the Silicon Valley region.

When electronic semiconductor equipment is designed, there is a prototype stage where small numbers of early design printed circuit boards that are expected to have changes and unexpected design issues, are expensively built so various types of development engineers (ie firmware engineer) on a project team can develop their part of the system. An engineering electronic technician is given a task of maintaining, repairing, reworking, such prototypes. Usually that is a senior person that needs little assistance from busy design engineers.

 

[StarSong]

As someone using the term "kluge" where it began decades ago in electronic engineering groups, it has never rhymed with sludge nor spelled with a dg. The u is vocalized like "ooge". It was a slang before there were ever any personal computers. And was one of my top skills in creating test fixtures from available materials from industrial zone hole in the wall parts and materials shops in the Silicon Valley region.

When electronic semiconductor equipment is designed, there is a prototype stage where small numbers of early design printed circuit boards that are expected to have changes and unexpected design issues, are expensively built so various types of development engineers (ie firmware engineer) on a project team can develop their part of the system. An engineering electronic technician is given a task of maintaining, repairing, reworking, such prototypes. Usually that is a senior person that needs little assistance from busy design engineers.

Thank you for the correction. I apologize for providing a mispronunciation of the word. I looked it up Friday, and the first source pronounced it that way. After checking further, I found other sources do indeed say it's pronounced, "kloooodge."

According to the dictionaries I consulted, kludge is the preferred spelling, with kluge offered as a variant. It may be different within the computer industry.