Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!ncar!noao!asuvax!mcdphx!mcdchg!chinet!les
From: les@chinet.chi.il.us (Leslie Mikesell)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c
Subject: Re: gcc vs. commercial C compiler (Sun's)
Message-ID: <7629@chinet.chi.il.us>
Date: 4 Feb 89 21:47:15 GMT
References: <286@proton.UUCP> <2410@psivax.UUCP> <9052@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU>
Reply-To: les@chinet.chi.il.us (Leslie Mikesell)
Distribution: usa
Organization: Chinet - Public Access Unix
Lines: 13

In article <9052@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU> scs@adam.pika.mit.edu (Steve Summit) writes:

>Ideally, hardware (electronic or
>mechanical) interlocks should prevent unsafe operation no matter
>how confused the software gets.

This is an interesting concept (hardware being inherently more reliable
than software) and perhaps true when comparing existing and well tested
hardware to new software controlled devices.  Is there any reason to
believe that the hardware of a totally new device would be more reliable
than the software?

Les Mikesell