Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!ut-sally!utah-cs!defun.utah.edu!shebs
From: shebs%defun.utah.edu.uucp@utah-cs.UUCP (Stanley T. Shebs)
Newsgroups: comp.software-eng
Subject: Re: A Cynic's Guide, part 1
Message-ID: <5321@utah-cs.UUCP>
Date: 7 Mar 88 00:04:44 GMT
References: <2541@Shasta.STANFORD.EDU> <5313@utah-cs.UUCP> <302@buckaroo.SW.MCC.COM>
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Reply-To: shebs%defun.utah.edu.UUCP@utah-cs.UUCP (Stanley T. Shebs)
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Organization: PASS Research Group
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In article <302@buckaroo.SW.MCC.COM> marks@buckaroo.SW.MCC.COM (Peter) writes:

>> The solution?  Software engineers have to stand up for what they know is
>> right, [...]
>
>It seems to me that the *solution* proposed here can be paraphrased as 
>"people have to will themselves to change." If hoping for a silver bullet
>is futile, how well does wishing for the magic potion called "will power"
>stand up to scrutiny?

Willpower is greatly aided by the changing of old institutions and the
establishment of new ones (people love to be ordered about by "the system",
whatever they might say).  An equivalent of Underwriter's Labs for legal
software has been mentioned recently, and it's already gained considerable
power.  A Ralph Nader type could do lots to get consumer protection outfits
set up.  I'm not real keen on forming another government agency to monitor
computing, but that may be what it takes.  Unfortunately, it will probably
happen *after* the first software-caused disaster killing >100 people...

>Or perhaps this is a call to the Lone Ranger himself
>to rid the world of evil-doers?

Heh-heh, there are a few computer companies where I'd like to don my Rambo
outfit and put a few HE rounds through certain people (they know who they
are).  Seriously, I do support licensing of software engineers along with
civil and maybe even criminal penalties for misdeeds.  Nothing like the
law to instill a little willpower, when you're trying to decide whether or
not to add that bit of type-checking code!

							stan shebs
							shebs@cs.utah.edu