TDD, the EOS 5D Mark II and black dots

For almost 8 weeks I have had a queued order at a large Swedish camera dealer waiting for the delivery of a Canon EOS 5D Mark II (easier model names are welcome!).
Rumors go wild on the internet about two software issues called Black dot and banding issues on the newly released EOS 5D II. Users seems be concerned by the bug despite it appears under very special circumstances.
Canon has acknowledged the problem and announced that a firmware update will correct it.

Since I have been working as software developer for many years I know how difficult it is to test all possible combinations in a complex system such as a modern SLR camera. It is not very clear to me that Test Driven Development would have revealed that issue even when I suspect Canon has very strong testing routines. Today we live surrounded by systems that rely on software: airplanes, nuclear plants, train control systems and SLR cameras are a few examples. There is a very substantial difference between the first three and the last one: the target groups that operate those systems and the security and reliability requirements they must meet. Higher reliability requirements will definitly have an impact on the final price. And who will pay for that?

So, SLR users, we have to be patient and accept that these "issues" occur and will occur. They are one of the results of the very hard competition between camera manufacturers that want to be first on the market with models that perform on the top of the line. Both as a professional and customer I have much respect for Canon as a hi-tech company who has solutions for a number of segments.

As we can see below, Canon is not alone facing criticism from photographers. Relax and enjoy.