From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-1.9 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00 autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,e6a2e4a4c0d7d8a6 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-Thread: 101deb,3488d9e5d292649f X-Google-Attributes: gid101deb,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2003-02-22 14:27:06 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!news1.google.com!newsfeed.stanford.edu!logbridge.uoregon.edu!news.maxwell.syr.edu!news.airnews.net!cabal12.airnews.net!usenet From: "John R. Strohm" Newsgroups: comp.lang.pl1,comp.lang.ada Subject: Re: status of PL/I as a viable language Date: Sat, 22 Feb 2003 14:03:42 -0600 Organization: Airnews.net! at Internet America Message-ID: <828DE23B3B00B2F4.378802739B5A1D47.F69B281EC119A34F@lp.airnews.net> X-Orig-Message-ID: References: <1045856952.418085@master.nyc.kbcfp.com> <8C8A06BCD0B3376D.01247F5E9E2652B0.5BB268703A0C3D85@lp.airnews.net> <1045863617.243086@master.nyc.kbcfp.com> <20030222.7982838.ABFA@mojaveg.iwvisp.com> Abuse-Reports-To: abuse at airmail.net to report improper postings NNTP-Proxy-Relay: library2.airnews.net NNTP-Posting-Time: Sat Feb 22 16:26:16 2003 NNTP-Posting-Host: !^ci21k-WfK"l\F (Encoded at Airnews!) X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.50.4522.1200 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.50.4522.1200 Xref: archiver1.google.com comp.lang.pl1:4424 comp.lang.ada:34442 Date: 2003-02-22T14:03:42-06:00 List-Id: "Everett M. Greene" wrote in message news:20030222.7982838.ABFA@mojaveg.iwvisp.com... > Hyman Rosen writes: > > John R. Strohm wrote: > > > And that "simple little limited regular expression matcher" passed the > > > formal customer acceptance test on the first try, with no deviations or > > > waivers or anything. > > > > But it took them *two years* to get it specified, designed, and built. > > Maybe it was a polished piece of perfection, but that's a very long > > time to build a message filter. > > One has to consider the economics of the situation. Is perfection > a requirement or just a target? There is a point of diminishing > returns beyond which it isn't worth the time and expense to ensure > perfection. In this case, perfection was a requirement. The message flow modulator is a filter. Grossly oversimplifying, the data line carried messages with varying security markings. Anything carrying certain marks had to be stopped. You really don't want a previously-undiscovered bug in your security box to hand a Top Secret / compartmented message to someone who is not allowed to receive it. You REALLY don't want to find out that it has been doing that for over a year. In this application, you have to KNOW that there are no bugs in the software. You have to PROVE it. Testing just isn't good enough to get you there.