Hacker ApprovedDepartments

The Bug

The Bug by Ellen Ullman

by Ellen Ullman

Shares rank 74 of 122 novels by recommenders

Recommended by three Hacker News commenters as fiction for programmers; no criticism was recorded.

Recommended by three Hacker News commenters as fiction for programmers; no criticism was recorded.

3 people gave an opinion

recommend it
3
criticize it
0
approval share
100%
Each figure is one person. RecommendsCriticizes

Recommended in 1 of 13 months

  1. November 2025: not recommended
  2. December 2025: recommended
  3. January 2026: not recommended
  4. February 2026: not recommended
  5. March 2026: not recommended
  6. April 2026: not recommended
  7. May 2026: not recommended
  8. June 2026: not recommended
  9. July 2026: not recommended
  10. August 2026: not recommended
  11. September 2026: not recommended
  12. October 2026: not recommended
  13. November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)

Why it doesn’t carry the badge

  • 3 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
  • Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
  • Recommended in 1 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.

The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works

Other novels people recommend

The four most recommended other novels, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.

The Bug by Ellen Ullman compared with 4 alternatives
ProductRecommendCriticizeApprovalMonthsOwnedBadge
Crime and Punishmentby Fyodor Dostoevsky39981%6—Approved
The Brothers Karamazovby Fyodor Dostoevsky28878%5—Approved
Infinite Jestby David Foster Wallace26584%910 yrs6 ownersApproved
The Great Gatsbyby F. Scott Fitzgerald24973%6—Approved
The Bugby Ellen UllmanThis page30100%1——
See all 122 novels, ranked

Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.