From: xanthian@well.com (Kent Paul Dolan)
Subject: Writing better software was: Design by Contract (was Re: Interesting thread in comp.lang.eiffel)
Date: 2000/07/29
Date: 2000-07-29T00:00:00+00:00 [thread overview]
Message-ID: <tavg5.2713$ED.161171@news.wenet.net> (raw)
In-Reply-To: i4k95.7512$7%3.571616@n <397D8CC3.BB0C9001@ix.netcom.com
For those interested in how to write better software, the language is
not the issue. Arguably the best software ever written was in some
language "HAL" of which I never heard until reading the case study in
CMU SEI's "The Capability Maturity Model". Driest thing I've read
since falling to sleep once per page over the OSI seven level
communications model standard years ago, but somewhere in every
software practitioner's workspace should be a sign reading "It's the
_process_, stupid!".
In fact, use mine:
http://www.well.com/user/xanthian/public/rants/process.html
Humans are fallible, the best programming language with the spiffiest
constructs doesn't change that, you need a process that takes human
fallability into account and produces error free software despite it.
The case study in the above book of necessity only follows the project
studied up to the book's publication date. Later breaking news is the
delivery of a suite of software for space shuttle control with one bug
detected ever in the delivered product. Not "one bug per KLOC",
_one_bug_.
They got to that point with management science, not computer science.
So should we all. W. Edwards Demming told us how long ago, and
finally, someone on this side of the Pacific listened.
Cheers!
xanthian.
===== random archival quality quote =====
Self Test for Paranoia:
You know you have it when you can't think of anything that's
your own fault.
-- from a fortune() program greeting
--
Kent Paul Dolan.
<xanthian@well.com> <xanthian@aztec.asu.edu> <kdolan@ebay.com>
next prev parent reply other threads:[~2000-07-29 0:00 UTC|newest]
Thread overview: 102+ messages / expand[flat|nested] mbox.gz Atom feed top
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2000-07-13 0:00 ` Interresting thread in comp.lang.eiffel Joachim Durchholz
2000-07-13 0:00 ` Marin D. Condic
2000-07-14 0:00 ` Ken Garlington
2000-07-16 0:00 ` Joachim Durchholz
2000-07-16 0:00 ` Ken Garlington
2000-07-19 0:00 ` Joachim Durchholz
2000-07-19 0:00 ` Ken Garlington
2000-07-14 0:00 ` Ken Garlington
2000-07-14 0:00 ` Marin D. Condic
2000-07-14 0:00 ` Ken Garlington
[not found] ` <3963DEBF.79C40BF1@eiffel.com>
[not found] ` <2LS85.6100$7%3.493920@news.flash.net>
[not found] ` <8k5aru$1odtq$1@ID-9852.news.cis.dfn.de>
[not found] ` <Rnt95.7826$7%3.596208@news.flash.net>
[not found] ` <8k8pk2$20cab$1@ID-9852.news.cis.dfn.de>
[not found] ` <_dS95.9945$7%3.666180@news.flash.net>
2000-07-12 0:00 ` David K Allen
2000-07-12 0:00 ` Bob Allen
2000-07-12 0:00 ` Ken Garlington
2000-07-13 0:00 ` Bob Allen
2000-07-14 0:00 ` Ken Garlington
2000-07-14 0:00 ` carr_tom
2000-07-18 0:00 ` Veli-Pekka Nousiainen
2000-07-14 0:00 ` Marin D. Condic
2000-07-12 0:00 ` David Gillon
2000-07-13 0:00 ` David Gillon
2000-07-13 0:00 ` David K Allen
2000-07-13 0:00 ` Bob Allen
2000-07-13 0:00 ` Joachim Durchholz
2000-07-18 0:00 ` Veli-Pekka Nousiainen
2000-07-19 0:00 ` Joachim Durchholz
2000-07-14 0:00 ` Ken Garlington
2000-07-13 0:00 ` Joachim Durchholz
2000-07-18 0:00 ` Veli-Pekka Nousiainen
2000-07-19 0:00 ` David Gillon
2000-07-12 0:00 ` Ken Garlington
2000-07-12 0:00 ` David K Allen
2000-07-12 0:00 ` David K Allen
2000-07-13 0:00 ` Howard W. LUDWIG
2000-07-13 0:00 ` Joachim Durchholz
2000-07-14 0:00 ` Ken Garlington
2000-07-14 0:00 ` Ken Garlington
2000-07-18 0:00 ` Veli-Pekka Nousiainen
2000-07-19 0:00 ` Ken Garlington
2000-07-19 0:00 ` Bob Allen
[not found] ` <Rnt95.78 <L6vb5.16117$7%3.988701@news.flash.net>
2000-07-14 0:00 ` Nick Williams
[not found] ` <396502D2.BD8A42E7@earthlink.net>
[not found] ` <RSsa5.11075$7%3.784507@news.flash.net>
[not found] ` <6aHa5.113$6E.23141@ptah.visi.com>
[not found] ` <396B4A68.458FA3BC@maths.unine.ch>
[not found] ` <u6hp4i16$GA.283@cpmsnbbsa07>
2000-07-11 0:00 ` Ken Garlington
2000-07-12 0:00 ` Peter Amey
2000-07-12 0:00 ` Peter Amey
2000-07-13 0:00 ` Joachim Durchholz
2000-07-12 0:00 ` Bob Allen
2000-07-12 0:00 ` Ken Garlington
2000-07-12 0:00 ` David Starner
2000-07-11 0:00 ` cropt
[not found] ` <39654639.B3760EF2@eiffel.com>
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[not found] ` <oqog45g1j0.fsf@premise.demon.co.uk>
[not found] ` <85Fa5.11419$7%3.818927@news.flash.net>
2000-07-11 0:00 ` Aspects (Re: Interesting thread in comp.lang.eiffel) tom
2000-07-12 0:00 ` Steve Merrick
2000-07-12 0:00 ` Frank Mitchell
2000-07-14 0:00 ` Jubilation
2000-07-14 0:00 ` Frank Mitchell
2000-07-15 0:00 ` Jubilation
2000-07-12 0:00 ` Veli-Pekka Nousiainen
2000-07-12 0:00 ` tom
2000-07-12 0:00 ` Design by Contract (was " David Kristola
2000-07-12 0:00 ` Greg
2000-07-12 0:00 ` Matthew J Heaney
2000-07-13 0:00 ` Eirik Mangseth
2000-07-12 0:00 ` Howard W. LUDWIG
2000-07-12 0:00 ` Greg
2000-07-12 0:00 ` Eirik Mangseth
2000-07-13 0:00 ` Joachim Durchholz
2000-07-14 0:00 ` David Kristola
2000-07-14 0:00 ` Matthew J Heaney
2000-07-16 0:00 ` Joachim Durchholz
2000-07-17 0:00 ` David Kristola
2000-07-19 0:00 ` Joachim Durchholz
2000-07-25 0:00 ` Richard Riehle
2000-07-18 0:00 ` Interesting thread in comp.lang.eiffel Veli-Pekka Nousiainen
2000-07-19 0:00 ` Ken Garlington
[not found] ` <i4k95.7512$7%3.571616@n <397D8CC3.BB0C9001@ix.netcom.com>
2000-07-29 0:00 ` Kent Paul Dolan [this message]
2000-07-29 0:00 ` Writing better software was: Design by Contract (was Re: Interesting thread in comp.lang.eiffel) Ken Garlington
2000-07-31 0:00 ` Stefan Skoglund
2000-08-01 0:00 ` Ken Garlington
2000-08-01 0:00 ` Kent Paul Dolan
2000-08-01 0:00 ` Ken Garlington
2000-07-31 0:00 ` Simon Brady
2000-07-30 0:00 ` John Magness
2000-08-01 0:00 ` Simon Brady
2000-08-01 0:00 ` Ken Garlington
2000-08-01 0:00 ` Simon Brady
2000-08-04 0:00 ` Robert I. Eachus
2000-08-04 0:00 ` Simon Brady
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[not found] ` <A5J95.9237$7%3.638838@news.flash.net>
2000-07-12 0:00 ` Interresting thread in comp.lang.eiffel Robert I. Eachus
2000-07-13 0:00 ` Ken Garlington
2000-07-23 0:00 ` Robert I. Eachus
2000-07-23 0:00 ` Ken Garlington
2000-07-24 0:00 ` David Gillon
2000-07-24 0:00 ` Ken Garlington
2000-07-24 0:00 ` swhalen
2000-07-24 0:00 ` David Gillon
[not found] ` <39688CA2.31B2A7EF@acm.com>
2000-07-13 0:00 ` Joachim Durchholz
2000-07-13 0:00 ` Marin D. Condic
[not found] ` <8k8p8m$1upjk$1@ID-9852.news.cis.dfn.de>
[not found] ` <0cS95.9944$7%3.667682@news.flash.net>
2000-07-13 0:00 ` Joachim Durchholz
2000-07-14 0:00 ` Ken Garlington
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2000-07-13 0:00 ` Joachim Durchholz
2000-07-14 0:00 ` Ken Garlington
2000-07-16 0:00 ` Joachim Durchholz
2000-07-16 0:00 ` Ken Garlington
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2000-07-18 0:00 ` Interesting " Veli-Pekka Nousiainen
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