Re: No call for Ada

["Dmitry A. Kazakov" <mailbox@dmitry-kazakov.de>]

chris wrote:

> Dmitry A. Kazakov wrote:
>> Andrew Carroll wrote:
>>>
>>>I'm not sure if your saying that governments need to verify all software
>>>that goes to market, sort of like the FDA approves medications
>> 
>> There are different ways. Don't you agree that the software which fault
>> may lead to loss of human life shall be approved? For the rest it would
>> be enough to require some level of liability for commercial software
>> depending on its price and application area.
> 
> I sort of agree, however we all know any significant software will
> contain bugs no matter what you do so liability may not be the best way
> with respect to commercial software, unless it's in terms of negligance,
> for the foreseeable future.

There are different kinds of bugs. When I buy shoes I do not expect to use
them for the rest of my life. One could specify which kinds of software
defects are admissible and which are not.

> Perhaps the licensing of software engineers
> is the way to go on this.  i.e. if the software engineer is licensed
> they meet certain standards they are fit to work on projects.

I think that more important would be to license software firms. ISO-2000 is
a rubbish, but the idea was right.

> The problem is deciding who sets the criteria and who enforces it.

Law-makers prepare a legal basis, the government creates a body, judges send
Billy to jail. (:-))

> I wouldn't mind being licensed, infact it's probably one of the few ways
> you could make software without making it too risky for companies to
> develop it.

You mean to push the responsibility down to software engineers. No I think
that companies have to be liable for what they sell. Whether they choose to
employ licensed engineers to minimise risk, it is their business. Though in
some application areas it might be required by law.

> Lots of people won't like it though, especially programmers
> because everybody knows programming is a bit of witchcraft and art, that
> it's their god given right to code and it all just 'works'. ;)

We have an excellent field for those who want to apply their skills without
being responsible for the results. It's the free software movement.

-- 
Regards,
Dmitry A. Kazakov
www.dmitry-kazakov.de