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I was also confused by it. However I read the last sentence as the author making a meta-point by using purposefully incorrect grammar, a sort of reversal of the first sentence about c++ code compiling but leading to segfault--like an artistic statement. If it was an accident, then all the better!

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:)

English is not my first language, and it is a rare construct. I thought it was correct.

Out of curiosity, how should it read?

I believe the common form is "X is child's play (next to|compared to) Y".

Don't worry too much, I always enjoy little gotcha's like this. It's like your brain has to think twice to understand the meaning, but in the end it does. It's really fun and colourful to read half modified phrases and that's how language evolves.

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