Re: What databases have taught me

topmind wrote:
> I am just saying that formal software proving has proved (pun) tedious
> and slow so far.
>

[ snippage ]

> Can you provide an example? It is not clear to me what you are
> proposing.
>

[ snippage ]

> Back then the drum probably cost more than the programmer. Scraping for
> every last bit mattered back then. Only in the early 70's did software
> maintanence and management become more important than hardware.
>

[ Aside : it's now the 21st Century - things should have moved along a bit in the last 35 or so years. ]

[ snippage ]

> Again, it is not clear to me what you are proposing. Formal proving is
> not a common industry practice.
>

Maybe, what I'm suggesting is that we, as an industry, grow up and stop "winging it". Here comes dear old uncle Edsger with yet another appropriate quote, from EWD1284 :

"[A]s computing science is not allowed to save the computer industry, we had better see to it that the computer industry does not kill computing science."

but I like this (possibly rather harsh) one too, from EWD512 :

"Don't blame me for the fact that competent programming, as I view it as an intellectual possibility, will be too difficult for "the average programmer" -you must not fall into the trap of rejecting a surgical technique because it is beyond the capabilities of the barber in his shop around the corner." Received on Sun Jul 09 2006 - 17:31:52 CEST