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=-1.2 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,FROM_LOCAL_HEX, FROM_STARTS_WITH_NUMS autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Thread: 103376,c9d5fc258548b22a X-Google-NewGroupId: yes X-Google-Attributes: gida07f3367d7,domainid0,public,usenet X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit Path: g2news1.google.com!news3.google.com!fu-berlin.de!uni-berlin.de!individual.net!not-for-mail From: "Vinzent Hoefler" <0439279208b62c95f1880bf0f8776eeb@t-domaingrabbing.de> Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Subject: Re: How do I write directly to a memory address? Date: Thu, 03 Mar 2011 00:18:44 +0100 Message-ID: References: <67063a5b-f588-45ea-bf22-ca4ba0196ee6@l11g2000yqb.googlegroups.com> <31c357bd-c8dc-4583-a454-86d9c579e5f4@m13g2000yqb.googlegroups.com> <05a3673e-fb97-449c-94ed-1139eb085c32@x1g2000yqb.googlegroups.com> <4d4c232a$0$28967$882e7ee2@usenet-news.net> <4D4D6506.50909@obry.net> <4d50095f$0$22393$882e7ee2@usenet-news.net> <4d6d56c4$0$11509$882e7ee2@usenet-news.net> <16u9ka51wbukr$.1fj2sb73j9rv6.dlg@40tude.net> <4d6d627b$0$11509$882e7ee2@usenet-news.net> <74986d0a-0d5b-4396-8c77-adff72e870a2@d26g2000prn.googlegroups.com> <4d6eafc7$0$17913$a8266bb1@postbox2.readnews.com> <4d6eb309$0$17913$a8266bb1@postbox2.readnews.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed; delsp=yes Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Trace: individual.net /tP/468kczMSycgCZr3s0wLQgMrwZNzJhqvJsRUJrVejCpXync Cancel-Lock: sha1:BvYnHIZ+43sRh8hLFdf16N5N3tk= User-Agent: Opera Mail/11.01 (Win32) Xref: g2news1.google.com comp.lang.ada:17747 Date: 2011-03-03T00:18:44+01:00 List-Id: Hyman Rosen wrote: > On 3/2/2011 4:03 PM, Vinzent Hoefler wrote: >> Actually, no. While "lost due to piracy" are pure virtual numbers, because >> they are based on something that could have happened, the cost of recalls, >> bug-fix cycles etc. are quite real and measurable. Because they did happen. > > The recalls and problems may have happened, but I have serious doubts > whether their costs were, or even can be, measured accurately. Well, we may debate the accuracy of the number of $350 billion. But I still think the magnitude is about right. The 1:10 rule of thumb of the cost of error removal still applies. > Also, > what is not measured is the opportunity cost of applying error prevention > developmental methodologies to all produced software. I might speculate > that this would cost substantially more than remediation in case of error. As always, it depends on the domain. I tend to think embedded (call it occupational hazard) - and that often means either really expensive hardware (like jumbo or fighter jets) or /a lot/ (think millions) of relatively cheap hardware, like that's the case in the automotive industry. Now do the math. According to wikipedia, a B-2 stealth bomber costs about $1 billion. That's a lot of bucks to spend in error prevention before you'd hit a break-even for a crash due to buggy software. Same if you have 10 million devices which need to be recalled. The device I wrote the program for was planned to be installed into about four and a half million cars with an option for another series - summing up to a potential seven million devices (and that would be just one device of many in a single car). Flashing one MCU took about 10 seconds, now multiply with seven million - that's about two years of time just to give those devices a software update, not to mention the cost of informing all the car owners and ordering them back to the shop. ;) Or take banking software for example. What's the cost of a minor slip-through there? IIRC, it wasn't too long ago where some rogue program crashed the stock market. How do you count the cost of such incidents? Vinzent. -- A C program is like a fast dance on a newly waxed dance floor by people carrying razors. -- Waldi Ravens