Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!purdue!decwrl!nsc!glennw
From: glennw@nsc.nsc.com (Glenn Weinberg)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c
Subject: Re: life critical software
Summary: Boeing has problems too
Keywords: testing, software, aircraft, Boeing
Message-ID: <9598@nsc.nsc.com>
Date: 2 Feb 89 18:34:55 GMT
References: <286@proton.UUCP> <2184@scolex.sco.COM> <1857@dataio.Data-IO.COM>
Reply-To: glennw@nsc.nsc.com.UUCP (Glenn Weinberg)
Distribution: usa
Organization: National Semiconductor, Sunnyvale
Lines: 28

In article <1857@dataio.Data-IO.COM> bright@dataio.Data-IO.COM (Walter Bright) writes:

> Boeing airplanes are a marvel
>of safety and reliability as a result of such attention to detail.

Yes, but...

Not to be snide, but the recent FAA order requiring inspection of
ALL Boeing jetliners made in the last 8 years for crossed wiring must make
one wonder about just how much attention was really being paid to detail.

Please don't get me wrong.  I still think Boeing makes great airplanes.
But this incident really brings into question the test methodologies used
by Boeing.  (They've apparently already discovered at least 4 planes
with crossed wiring, not including the brand new 737-400 that recently
crashed in Britain in which crossed wiring is merely suspected, and which
triggered the FAA's recent concern.)

So what does all this have to do with comp.lang.c?  Just that no matter
what the components of a complex system, be they computer hardware,
software, or some mechanical part, adequate testing of the actual
system is critical to ensuring performance--you can't depend on anything
implicitly.

This discussion should probably be moved to comp.risks.
-- 
Glenn Weinberg					Email: glennw@nsc.nsc.com
National Semiconductor Corporation		Phone: (408) 721-8102
(My opinions are strictly my own, but you can borrow them if you want.)