
Software is a Long Con - celerity
https://www.emptywheel.net/2017/09/14/software-is-a-long-con/
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tomcam
Tells an entertaining parable about a conversation with a civil engineer who
insists that bridges fall, period, and everyone knows it. Then turns to the
timeworn (but understandable) observation that software engineering standards
are absurdly weak compared to civil engineering standards.

It's all true! And should be taken seriously for mission-critical jobs (that's
why I, a fan of Microsoft, would still not trust Windows running my autonomous
vehicle).

But one can't help observe that their spiffy website could not possibly exist
in this timeframe if consumer computer software had to be verifiably safe. It
would be grotesquely behind where it stands today--people love features more
than fixed software. We'd still be running browsers using, what, 1990
technology?

~~~
nrb
Even if it could exist in this timeframe, how much would it cost?

The issue I have with their viewpoint is that there doesn't seem to be any
baseline for "good enough" that is short of absolute perfection forever
(assuming adversaries that will attack with perpetually increasing
sophistication.)

~~~
tomcam
You said it way better than I did!

