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=0.6 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_20,INVALID_MSGID
	autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4
X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit
X-Google-Thread: 103376,a48e5b99425d742a
X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public
From: "Marin David Condic, 561.796.8997, M/S 731-93" <condicma@PWFL.COM>
Subject: Re: Papers on the Ariane-5 crash and Design by Contract
Date: 1997/03/17
Message-ID: <97031714564256@psavax.pwfl.com>#1/1
X-Deja-AN: 226248578
Sender: Ada programming language <INFO-ADA@LISTSERV.NODAK.EDU>
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU
X-Vms-To: SMTP%"INFO-ADA@VM1.NODAK.EDU"
Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada
X-Vms-Cc: CONDIC
Date: 1997-03-17T00:00:00+00:00
List-Id: <comp.lang.ada>


    Will this subject never die? Will there always be someone posting
    here with the claim that if only language XYZ were used instead of
    Ada that the whole thing would have worked fine???

    I thought it had been very well documented that there was a
    deliberate design decision to *remove* all the language safety
    checks and operate "at risk". On Ariane 4, this turned out to be
    the correct engineering decision. (or at least "one of many
    possible" correct decisions.)

    Absolutely *no* programming language is going to prevent this sort
    of decision because even if the language won't let you turn off
    checks, you'll just circumvent the language to get what you want
    anyway. (And there's no way that programmer "X" raised on a steady
    diet of language "Y" would never make such a disasterous decision
    because there's always Manager "A" with big stick "B" to
    re-educate programmer "X" until he becomes a team player, sees the
    big picture and gets with the program.)

    There is no programming language ever invented which can stop you
    from putting a round into the chamber, pointing the muzzle at your
    toe and squeezing the trigger. (Not even PL-1 - just in case we
    want to bring *that* one up again ;-)

    MDC

Marin David Condic, Senior Computer Engineer    ATT:        561.796.8997
M/S 731-96                                      Technet:    796.8997
Pratt & Whitney, GESP                           Fax:        561.796.4669
P.O. Box 109600                                 Internet:   CONDICMA@PWFL.COM
West Palm Beach, FL 33410-9600                  Internet:   CONDIC@FLINET.COM
===============================================================================
        In Vegas, I got into a long argument with the man at the
        roulette wheel over what I considered to be an odd number.

            --  Steven Wright
===============================================================================