Comment Re:Margin of Scale (Score 1) 587
Exactly. Joe Lousy Programmer makes a utility to generate form letters for the city. It has bugs, but it only results in a wrong letter being sent out occasionally, and usually people don't notice the mistake.
Eventually the city gas company decides to use this utility. They generate form letters for people asking if it's safe to dig at specific locations. It sends out a letter saying a location has no pipes nearby when it does, and a gas leak results.
There's a way for a lot more software than you would think on first consideration to become safety-critical.
Eventually the city gas company decides to use this utility. They generate form letters for people asking if it's safe to dig at specific locations. It sends out a letter saying a location has no pipes nearby when it does, and a gas leak results.
There's a way for a lot more software than you would think on first consideration to become safety-critical.
