Re:Amazon cargo plane crashes in Texas
by cryptonector on Sunday February 24, 2019 @12:44PM
(#19239575)
> ... software, ... unlike hardware, ...
Everything is software now. So much firmware (which is software), and so much hardware that cannot run without software. Your refrigerator, your dishwasher, your car, airliners -- the trend is for everything to be software now.
Re:Amazon cargo plane crashes in Texas
by seanmcdirmid on Sunday February 24, 2019 @10:55PM
(#19242783)
We can build reliable software when we want to. It just has limited scope and/or undergoes more expensive development procedures.
It is easy to build a finite state machine for a dishwasher that is fairly reliable. Likewise, consumer jet code that hits safety considerations is heavily tested and audited...and the FAA cares about it whenever it causes a plane to crash, leading to a lot of regulations on how the code is vetted.
Sure, software is everywhere, but the physical properties of hardware are fundamentally different when it comes to QA, risk analysis, general testing.
Re:Amazon cargo plane crashes in Texas
by cryptonector on Sunday February 24, 2019 @01:34PM
(#19239837)
But when all your hardware has firmware, you've lost that advantage.
The problem with software, which makes it so unlike hardware, is that we can use so much of it, the diversity is huge.