When I’ve been looking for solutions to coding problems and I have found code that hasn’t worked, I have historically moved on and kept searching. I have actually found quite a bit of code on both GitHub and StackExchange that hasn’t worked, but I haven’t taken the time to report anything or comment, respectively.

But, this latest issue is bigger than those. This isn’t just some YouTuber’s code, this is Qiskit. Qiskit is a sizeable Python library with many contributors. So, when their Variational Quantum Eigensolver (VQE) doesn’t work with their own data providers, the problem is too big to ignore.

From now on, I will open issues or comment, respectively, when I find anything that doesn’t work. Doing nothing doesn’t help the next frustrated developer. If I can spare even one developer from unnecessary grief, it’s worth the time to do so.

I fondly remember the good ole days when every programmer I knew had a shelf full of reference books. Whenever you looked up something, it worked. While it is possible to find answers online, the Internet is teeming with non-working code.

As soon as I get back to civilization, I’m going to immediately start ordering some books. I’ve heard good things about many of them, so hopefully they’re as valuable today as they were essential back then. I hope that the publication process means that the information is properly vetted, as opposed to what seems to be the majority of the Internet these days.