Re: Software Quality in Science

[Martin <martin.dowie@btopenworld.com>]

On Feb 10, 2:34 pm, Stephen Leake <stephen_le...@stephe-leake.org>
wrote:
> Georg Bauhaus <rm.tsoh.plus-bug.bauh...@maps.futureapps.de> writes:
> > Robert A Duff wrote:
> >> Jerry <lancebo...@qwest.net> writes:
>
> >>> ...The net result of changing languages appears
> >>> to be that the overall defect density appears to be about the same,
> >>> (Hatton 1997). In other words, when a language corrects one
> >>> deficiency, it appears to add one of its own."
>
> >> That assertion requires evidence, and I don't see it here!
>
> > Indeed, looking at some of the things that Les Hatton suggests
> > to be doing for a living, there might be an incentive not to
> > perform a comparative study of the effects of using statically
> > checked C (with Safer C (TM)) versus statically "checked" Ada
> > (Spark, or SofCheck Inspector (TM)). IOW, language choice does not
> > matter as long as you use our tools and participate in our training
> > courses.
>
> That has almost always been my reaction when I attend a software tools
> sales pitch; "I don't need that tool, the Ada compiler already does
> all of it".
>
> Adacontrol and SPARK are tools I would consider using (they add real
> value beyond the Ada compiler), but I've never been to a sales pitch
> for those :).
>
> > His arguments still seem based on studies from the mid 1990s.
> > A study is something at least. Is there anything in the Tokeneer
> > data that could serve as a basis for a comparison?
> > What failure modes might Spark add?
>
> Brain pain, for one. Understanding how to use Ada well is an order of
> magnitude harder than understanding how to use C; I suspect SPARK is
> another large increase (I've only looked into it lightly, never tried
> to seriously use it).
>
> I suspect this is one reason Ada has failed to take over the
> programming space; you have to be a really good programmer to fully
> benefit from it, and it's just not worth it for a mediocre programmer.
>
> --
> -- Stephe

No, no!! I've worked with guys I won't trust to programme my VCR...but
with an Ada compiler they were able to generate something that worked
(and met timing/space requirements). If they'd been let loose with a C
compiler (or worse a C++ one) they'd still be at now (10 years on)...

I'd add a smiley but it's sad really...

Cheers
-- Martin