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From: cmb@castle.ed.ac.uk (Colin Brough)
Newsgroups: comp.software-eng
Subject: Provocative statement
Message-ID: <9776@castle.ed.ac.uk>
Date: 23 Apr 91 08:29:23 GMT
Sender: news@castle.ed.ac.uk
Organization: Edinburgh Parallel Computing Centre
Lines: 37

The following is quoted from an article I saw in comp.parallel this
morning.  It does, however, raise some very interesting points.  (The
discussion is on the difference in approach in developing an
understanding of parallel processing between Europe and the US.)

In article 2355 of comp.parallel, Steven Ericsson Zenith
<zenith@ensmp.fr> writes:

> So what's the point? Fact is the USA has a wealth of systems experience
> that Europe doesn't have. Yes, there are a few innovative thinkers in
> concurrency (in particular those I mentioned in my earlier mail) in
> Europe. In the USA computer architecture is better understood (mostly in
> the Bay Area). I fear whilst Europe is still staring into it's navel,
> the USA will have built the machines and we'll find air traffic control
> systems still programmed in C with sockets. Ok, one or two might fall
> out of the air every so often .. but the odds are probably tolerable.
> 
> And that's the point most Europeans don't understand. Engineer's don't
> build bridges to fine tolerances - as suggested by the Computer Science
> formal methods community. They use over-kill in the main. Materials and
> designs proven to work from experience and then some!! Very few bridges
> fall down. The number that do is a tolerable expediency.

The interesting point is not so much the difference between Europe and
the US, but rather the 'over-kill' approach.  Do people think this is
one way in which 'software engineering' will progress in the future?

I await the discussion with interest...

__________________________________________________________________________
Colin Brough                           Edinburgh Parallel Computing Centre
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