[SystemSafety] A Fire Code for Software?

[C. Michael Holloway]

On 2018-03-06 (15.41.49), Steve.Tockey at construx.com wrote:
> “Model based software development, accountancy packages, stress 
> analysis packages, etc. - all contribute to the diminution of 
> understanding in the user base.”
>
> What is your definition of “model based software development”? 
> According to my definition, exactly the opposite is true: “Lack of 
> model based software development contributes to the diminution of 
> understanding in the user base”
Over the many years I've been a subscriber to this list and its 
predecessors, I've read many statements with which I disagree, usually 
without responding. To the best of my memory there's ever been a 
statement with which I have disagreed more than the last sentence above. 
To the extent that there exist good ideas in "model based software 
development" they are nothing more than renaming of ideas that are 
almost as old as I am. To the extent that it does differ from 
established practices, it differs in ways that are detrimental to 
understanding, coherence, and competency.

Consider for example, DO-331 "Model-Based Development and Verification 
Supplement to DO-178C and DO-278A". It is 136 pages long, some 126 
longer than it needed to be to provide adequate guidance for the 
subject. It is, being charitable, often incoherent. Of several regrets 
about my actions during SC-180/WG-71, the biggest is not trying even 
harder to prevent the approval of this document by the committee. Having 
an anti-MBDV supplement text message displayed on the Staples Center 
scoreboard during a Lakers game was cool, but not enough. :-)

-- 
All the best,
*C. Michael Holloway* (cMh)
Senior Research Computer Engineer
NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton VA USA
bit.ly/cmhpubs <http://bit.ly/cmhpubs>

Verba volant, scripta manent
spoken words fly away, written words remain

(The words in this message are mine alone;
neither blame nor credit NASA for them.)

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