Re: [OFFICIAL] Some FT background stuff (guidelines for writers) - LONG POST!

On Fri, 13 Feb 1998 00:27:50 -0500, Jerry Han <jhan@canoe.ca> wrote:

>I'm a programmer, and I will say that programming is still more art
than
>science.  We can't take a measure of a program the way we take a
measure
>of a bridge or a starship and say it's going to work or not.  

I'm also a programmer (as well as systems analyst and technical
writer) and we can do a much better job than we are doing. I do know
what you are saying. It's the unknowns that kill programs. You can
overcompensate with a bridge by building it to 3 times it's necessary
limits. It's hard to do that with a computer. However, it can be done.
NASA does it by having three versions of the computer/software onboard
the shuttle, and requiring two of the software versions be written by
two different teams independently. It can be done.

Allan Goodall	     agoodall@sympatico.ca

"Once again, the half time score, 
 Alien Overlords: 142,000. Scotland: zip."
  - This Hour Has 22 Minutes