In this article, writer Elaine Ackerman writes up the age old plaint that complex software gets shipped with bugs still remaining. Well gee. Slow news day? Writing more politely, I sent the following letter:
Ms. Ackerman,
Your article is correct in saying that the immensely complex software programs like Windows XP are nearly impossible to test completely with current methods. However, software could be significantly better tomorrow, though still imperfect, if the executives of the publishing companies implemented and enforced good coding practices. The example of buffer overflows is a good example; if the programmers had checked the return
values prior to using them there would be no error. Since the pressure is on programmers to deliver too quickly and on managers to keep costs down, simple things like code reviews and mentoring don’t happen, much less more complex improvements such as the SEI processes implemented are just not going to happen. I was amused after finishing your article to note that while a corporate shill like the Gartner vice president was quoted, there was no working programmer interviewed.
Regards…
BillSaysThis 