from c.s.y2k:

RE: the 8-track in -bks-'s BMW 850. Of course, you're right. And Dr. Software Engineering, Ed Yourdon himself would spank anyone who did that; as would hard working Dr. Risks, Peter Neumann. ...and even my Computer Security and Risks professor Dr. Lance Hoffman, they'd all spank anyone who did that. But it never happens. no-no, such a thing never happens.

On Thu, 31 Dec 1998 14:21:39, bks@netcom.com (Bradley K. Sherman) wrote:

> Well, that's the way *I* would do it. I think that any engineer > worth his or her salt, would completely separate the theraputic > use of the defribrillator from the logging functions. I really > don't want the brake system on my car to be dependent on the > 8-track player working properly, and I wouldn't say that the > engineers in Detroit had screwed up if these two systems could > fail independently, nor if I found out that they had put > 100 times as much work into testing the brakes as they had in > testing the sound system.

No one ever designs anything like that. It's impossible.

..an 8-track player can affect a life critical system like brakes? It can't happen.

Such a thing never happens; why, it would be as if an in-flight entertainment system malfunctioned, spitzened out some szparken, and the next thing you know, a commercial airliner is spinning into the ocean, hundreds of people are screaming and crying in terror as smoke fills the cabin.

This could never happen, and anyway, if it did, it wouldn't happen in the Atlantic near Boston.

> > My question would be why in the hell are they overcomplicating > these devices with electronic flotsam and jetsam? I don't > want the slightest possiblility of the defribillator failing > because of a flakey and superfluous logging mechanism. > > --bks

Of course, I understand now. Screw ups like that simply don't happen in the real world.

The idea, what hype. The nerve of the doomsters for even considering that just because software is encountering a situation that has never happened before, that software problems will occur.

I'm glad that the denial-ists are here to keep order and expose the hype.

Everyone, have a great time tonight, sing some New Years songs for me. Have a few laughs. We'll have enough time to cry next year.

cory hamasaki 365 Days, 8,769 Hours

-- a (a@a.a), January 01, 1999

Answers

# # # 19990101 That count (at post time) should've been: 364, 8744.866666667 Hours ;-) Regards, Bob Mangus # # #

-- Robert Mangus (rmangus@mail.netquest.com), January 01, 1999.

At risk of appearing to be a smiley-face person, the which is far from the case, I gotta say this.

It's NO USE kvetching about what wasn't done that should have been done, or done wrong that should have been done right. It may not annoy the pig, but it surely wastes your time.

Make a note to avoid all such errors in future. And start from where you are. (You too, Cory.)

-- Tom Carey (tomcarey@mindspring.com), January 01, 1999.