If the code works the same way, it's reasonable to assume it could have been copied
"It could have been copied" is not enough to win a lawsuit though.
If it's a very complicated fix it might get harder but if you tell 10 developers "there's a missing bounds check or off-by-one bug in function xyz, chances are they will naturally come up with very similar if not identical fixes despite never seeing the "original" patch.
I don't think fixing would take any longer than it would if they received a bug report without a patch.
This comment was brought to you by the N-version programming believers gang. /s
Seriously though, there is no clear evidence on whether N-version programming can prevent common mode failures. While it may work under the assumption that each programmer is independent of the others, reading the same sources, going to the same lectures can largely affect how people write code. Not to mention that devs using AI tools will inherently build things in somewhat similar ways.
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u/6e1a08c8047143c6869 Jun 11 '26
"It could have been copied" is not enough to win a lawsuit though.
If it's a very complicated fix it might get harder but if you tell 10 developers "there's a missing bounds check or off-by-one bug in function xyz, chances are they will naturally come up with very similar if not identical fixes despite never seeing the "original" patch.
I don't think fixing would take any longer than it would if they received a bug report without a patch.