Re: European train deaths

["Marin David Condic" <marin.condic.auntie.spam@pacemicro.com>]

The problem is that there is so much more that goes into a major system
failure than just the software. Possibly you can only conclude in some cases
that the software may have been the initiating cause of a failure, but its
almost never possible to establish that the software may have been the
critical in the prevention of a failure. If there are more/less accidents on
EU trains, can Ada take blame/credit for it? That's really difficult to
establish.

A more productive (yet still arguable) effort is to try to establish that
Ada (and methods) reduce errors in delivered systems. This you stand a
chance of demonstrating in a quantifiable way. From there you have a case
that Ada contributes to safer systems. Looking at train wrecks and noting
that Ada was involved really doesn't tell you much.

MDC
--
Marin David Condic
Senior Software Engineer
Pace Micro Technology Americas    www.pacemicro.com
Enabling the digital revolution
e-Mail:    marin.condic@pacemicro.com
Web:      http://www.mcondic.com/


"Colin Paul Gloster" <Colin_Paul_Gloster@ACM.org> wrote in message
news:slrn9eiqb9.58t8.Colin_Paul_Gloster@tolka.dcu.ie...
> Something which occured to me only yesterday (unless I cleanly
> forgot before) is that Ada and formal methods are used for
> European train systems and so these may be involved in some
> of the spate of fatal crashes over the last circa two years
> in the U.K.; Norway; and elsewhere in the E.U.. At least one
> in the U.K. had to do with a light signalling error if
> memory serves correctly but I do not recall if this had
> anything to do with software. It may be worthwhile to investigate this --
> would any of ye happen to remember if computers were involved in these
> locomotive incidents?
>
> Thank you,
> Colin Paul Gloster
>
> P.S. I apologise in advance for not promptly replying to any forthcoming
> responses. I will be out of touch for much of the coming month.