One thing I would think helps software is Linus's law: "Given enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linus%27s_law As far as I know, this is not something available to other forms of engineering.
Definitely true for my domain, mechanical engineering. Enough reviews and bugs will be found and corrected.
How Did Software Get So Reliable Without Proof? (1996) [pdf]
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Re: How Did Software Get So Reliable Without Proof? (1996) [pdf]
#42Earlier quoted context omitted.
Definitely true for my domain, mechanical engineering. Enough reviews and bugs will be found and corrected.
Reminds me of the old jokes that start with "if cars were like computers". https://www-users.cs.york.ac.uk/susan/joke/crash.htm
Re: How Did Software Get So Reliable Without Proof? (1996) [pdf]
#43One thing I would think helps software is Linus's law: "Given enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linus%27s_law As far as I know, this is not something available to other forms of engineering.
"Given enough projects, all eyeballs are elsewhere."
Re: How Did Software Get So Reliable Without Proof? (1996) [pdf]
#44Re: How Did Software Get So Reliable Without Proof? (1996) [pdf]
#45One thing I would think helps software is Linus's law: "Given enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linus%27s_law As far as I know, this is not something available to other forms of engineering.
"Given enough projects, all eyeballs are elsewhere."
Re: How Did Software Get So Reliable Without Proof? (1996) [pdf]
#46Earlier quoted context omitted.
"Given enough projects, all eyeballs are elsewhere."
But most of them have no critical impact on essential infrastructures. Eyeballs are always their for big projects.
Re: How Did Software Get So Reliable Without Proof? (1996) [pdf]
#47Since the beginning of computer software (and computer hardware) the solutions that were not reliable enough for practical purposes were discarded.
Re: How Did Software Get So Reliable Without Proof? (1996) [pdf]
#48One thing I would think helps software is Linus's law: "Given enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linus%27s_law As far as I know, this is not something available to other forms of engineering.
"Given enough projects, all eyeballs are elsewhere."
Re: How Did Software Get So Reliable Without Proof? (1996) [pdf]
#49http://envisage-project.eu/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/sortin...
Re: How Did Software Get So Reliable Without Proof? (1996) [pdf]
#50Earlier quoted context omitted.
It is also replacing humans most of the time as well, who are prone to making all sorts of errors. Worse, humans can make the same error twice even after being corrected.
Software can also make the same mistake, thousands of times per second or more :)