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From: franka@mmintl.UUCP (Frank Adams)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.misc,comp.software-eng
Subject: Re: Software Technology is NOT Primitive
Message-ID: <2528@mmintl.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 28-Oct-87 20:33:36 EST
Article-I.D.: mmintl.2528
Posted: Wed Oct 28 20:33:36 1987
Date-Received: Thu, 5-Nov-87 07:19:10 EST
References: <3405@ece-csc.UUCP> <638@its63b.ed.ac.uk> <1811@watcgl.waterloo.edu> <3471@sol.ARPA> <590@ihopa.ATT.COM>
Reply-To: franka@mmintl.UUCP (Frank Adams)
Organization: Multimate International, E. Hartford, CT.
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Xref: mnetor comp.lang.misc:846 comp.software-eng:51

In article <590@ihopa.ATT.COM> jdu@ihopa.ATT.COM (John Unruh) writes:
>    The second area is in the
>    theoretical basis for computing in general.  In my mind, this area
>    covers many basic problems such as the halting problem and proof of
>    correctness.  ...  I don't know
>    of any theoretical basis that supports software like circuit analysis
>    supports circuits (both digitial and analog) or like boolean algebra
>    supports digital circuits.

In fact, the theory of things like the halting problem tells us that such a
theoretical support is not possible.  One might come up with a good
approximation, but it will sometimes fail.

Another point worth making: if hardware design is advancing so much faster
than software design, why does the latest trend in hardware design (RISC)
involve putting more of the burden on software?
-- 

Frank Adams                           ihnp4!philabs!pwa-b!mmintl!franka
Ashton-Tate          52 Oakland Ave North         E. Hartford, CT 06108