Week 4: Reliability of
Critical Software Systems
Readings:
Software Reliability Issues, Baase,
chapt. 8
Notes on Reliable Software
Notes
on Science Fiction
Sample
Software
License 1
Sample
Software
License 2
Deliverables:
Learning Activities:
A. Full-Class Discussions: Computer
Control of Socially Critical Systems
- Do you think that complex computer
systems can ever be 100% debugged?
- If we know that a complex computer
system may have bugs, how can we safeguard that system from
catastrophic failure?
- Based upon our discussion of
computer ethics, do you think that the reliability of computer
software is an ethical issue or a technical issue?
- The sample software licenses are
from real products,
and are typical. They are contracts between software companies
and users. What are the responsibilities of the user? What are
the responsibilities of the software company? Do you think the
company is sufficiently acountable? If not, what would you
prefer to see in the contract?
- For some software product on your
own computer, find the license (it may be in the folder on
disk, or the distribution CD). Comment on it -- how does it
compare wih the examples?
B. Full-Class Discussions: Science Fiction
Report.