The Syntax Error Fairy has caused innumerable cries of frustration from weary coders over the years. Initial sighting date right back to the 1960’s, although there was talk of strange glitches generated by the machines a Bletchley Park.
Psychology/Protection
There are many programmers that would say a well written piece of code is a thing of beauty and the Syntax Error fairy would be the first to agree with you.
Unfortunately, it can’t code and instead views the code purely for its aesthetic value.
Seeing the effort that has gone into the stunning artwork, these fairies feel an overwhelming urge to contribute in their own small way. Whether it’s the addition of an apparently random character or the removal of a particular semicolon from the code, the fairy is driven to add their own little flourish.
Coders have long realised the problems created by the infamous Syntax Error, so have created debuggers and other methods for locating problems. The best way to avoid problems is to ensure you don’t leave your code loaded an unattended.
Habitat
The syntax error is closer to a parasite than a hunter gatherer. Normally it will latch onto a coder and follow them around until they next working on a piece of code.
Appearance
The distinctive enlarged head and single Cyclopes like eye makes this fairy relatively easy to identify. Although they come in a range of colours you can usually tell by the location whether the spotted fairy is a Syntax Error.
