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From: Bertrand Meyer <Bertrand.Meyer@eiffel.com>
Subject: Re: Critique of Ariane 5 paper (finally!)
Date: 1997/08/15
Date: 1997-08-15T00:00:00+00:00	[thread overview]
Message-ID: <33F48C0B.41C67EA6@eiffel.com> (raw)
In-Reply-To: 33F4908D.3509@link.com


Samuel Mize wrote as part of his response to Thomas Beale:
 
> The paper claims DBC/Eiffel is THE ONE method that could have
> found the Ariane 5 flaw.

The paper in question (Jean-Marc Jezequel and Bertrand Meyer,
"Design by Contract: The Lessons of Ariane", IEEE Computer,
January 1997, pages 129-130, slightly revised version at
http://www.eiffel.com) says no such thing, which would be silly.
Once you have discovered a bug, you can usually think ex post
facto of many "methods" that "could" have found it --
some technical (such as Design by Contract), some 
organizational (more design/code reviews, more testing
etc.).

What the paper says (going into the details, and drawing
the lessons) is that reuse without a contract is folly,
and that such improper reuse was the direct cause of the
Ariane failure.

I don't see the point of criticizing people for something
else than what they wrote, especially when the text is
available for everyone to read. 
 
-- 
Bertrand Meyer, President, ISE Inc.
ISE Building, 2nd floor, 270 Storke Road, Goleta CA 93117
805-685-1006, fax 805-685-6869, <Bertrand.Meyer@eiffel.com>
http://www.eiffel.com, with downloading instructions
== ISE Eiffel 4: Eiffel from those who invented it ==




  reply	other threads:[~1997-08-15  0:00 UTC|newest]

Thread overview: 66+ messages / expand[flat|nested]  mbox.gz  Atom feed  top
1997-08-03  0:00 Critique of Ariane 5 paper (finally!) Ken Garlington
     [not found] ` <dewar.870870888@merv>
     [not found]   ` <33E8FC54.41C67EA6@eiffel.com>
1997-08-07  0:00     ` Juergen Schlegelmilch
1997-08-07  0:00     ` Ken Garlington
1997-08-07  0:00       ` Ken Garlington
     [not found]         ` <33EB4935.167EB0E7@eiffel.com>
1997-08-08  0:00           ` Bertrand Meyer
1997-08-08  0:00             ` Ken Garlington
1997-08-08  0:00               ` Ken Garlington
1997-08-11  0:00               ` Don Harrison
1997-08-11  0:00               ` Bertrand Meyer
1997-08-12  0:00                 ` Robert Dewar
1997-08-13  0:00                   ` Bertrand Meyer
1997-08-13  0:00                     ` Ken Garlington
1997-08-16  0:00                     ` Robert Dewar
1997-08-16  0:00                     ` Robert Dewar
1997-08-17  0:00                       ` Bertrand Meyer
1997-08-19  0:00                         ` Ken Garlington
1997-08-20  0:00                           ` Robert Dewar
1997-08-21  0:00                             ` Thomas Beale
1997-08-21  0:00                               ` Robert Dewar
     [not found]                                 ` <33FD8685.AAAE3B4F@stratasys.com>
1997-08-22  0:00                                   ` Robert Dewar
     [not found]                                     ` <3401811D.1700E7BE@stratasys.com>
1997-08-25  0:00                                       ` Jon S Anthony
1997-08-29  0:00                                       ` Ken Garlington
1997-08-29  0:00                                         ` Jeff Kotula
1997-09-02  0:00                                           ` Ken Garlington
     [not found]                                   ` <33FE8732.4FBB@invest.amp.com.au>
1997-08-26  0:00                                     ` Nick Leaton
     [not found]                                     ` <33FFA324.4DB9@flash.net>
     [not found]                                       ` <34013F3E.27D4@invest.amp.com.au>
1997-08-29  0:00                                         ` Ken Garlington
1997-08-23  0:00                                 ` Ken Garlington
1997-08-20  0:00                           ` Robert Dewar
     [not found]                             ` <33FB3B29.41C67EA6@eiffel.com>
1997-08-20  0:00                               ` Bertrand Meyer
     [not found]                                 ` <5tv9cs$85q@nntpa.cb.lucent.com>
     [not found]                                   ` <340341CA.2F1CF0FB@eiffel.com>
1997-08-27  0:00                                     ` Samuel Mize
1997-08-29  0:00                                     ` Ken Garlington
1997-08-21  0:00                       ` W. Wesley Groleau x4923
1997-08-22  0:00                         ` Bertrand Meyer
1997-08-22  0:00                           ` W. Wesley Groleau x4923
1997-08-13  0:00                   ` Samuel Mize
1997-08-13  0:00                     ` Ken Garlington
     [not found]                     ` <33F22AD8.41C67EA6@eiffel.com>
1997-08-13  0:00                       ` Bertrand Meyer
1997-08-13  0:00                         ` Ken Garlington
     [not found]                           ` <33F28DBF.794BDF32@eiffel.com>
1997-08-13  0:00                             ` Bertrand Meyer
1997-08-15  0:00                               ` Ken Garlington
1997-08-15  0:00                                 ` Jon S Anthony
1997-08-16  0:00                                   ` Ken Garlington
1997-08-14  0:00                       ` Jon S Anthony
1997-08-14  0:00                         ` geldridg
1997-08-14  0:00                         ` Bertrand Meyer
1997-08-15  0:00                           ` Jon S Anthony
1997-08-14  0:00                         ` Matthew Heaney
1997-08-14  0:00                       ` Samuel Mize
1997-08-15  0:00                         ` Thomas Beale
1997-08-15  0:00                           ` Samuel Mize
1997-08-15  0:00                             ` Bertrand Meyer [this message]
1997-08-15  0:00                               ` Jon S Anthony
1997-08-16  0:00                               ` Ken Garlington
1997-08-14  0:00                       ` Robert S. White
1997-08-15  0:00                         ` Ken Garlington
1997-08-16  0:00                           ` Robert Dewar
1997-08-09  0:00             ` Marinos J. Yannikos
  -- strict thread matches above, loose matches on Subject: below --
1997-08-21  0:00 aek
     [not found] ` <33FC66AD.9A0799D4@calfp.co.uk>
1997-08-22  0:00   ` Robert S. White
1997-08-22  0:00     ` Samuel Mize
1997-08-22  0:00       ` Samuel Mize
1997-08-23  0:00     ` Ken Garlington
     [not found]   ` <33FFA4B1.3543@flash.net>
1997-08-26  0:00     ` Nick Leaton
     [not found]       ` <3406BEF7.2FC3@flash.net>
     [not found]         ` <3406E0F7.6FF7ED99@calfp.co.uk>
1997-09-02  0:00           ` Ken Garlington
1997-08-22  0:00 Marin David Condic, 561.796.8997, M/S 731-96
1997-08-22  0:00 Critique of Ariane 5 paper (finally) AdaWorks
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