[Info-vax] Rust as a HS language, was: Re: Quiet?

[chris]

On 04/07/22 17:03, plugh wrote:
>
> On 4/7/22 08:46, chris wrote:
>>
>> Many years ago, worked on an avionics project where all the code
>> was written in micro assembler. That and other products
>> typically had a set of documents describing every aspect and stage
>> of the project. The was no concept ef mathematical provability,
>> and this was a safety critical system.
>
> I can't fix The Olden Times. I consider software engineering to be a process, not an art. Art is that spontaneous flash of cultural creation.
> Engineering is the slow process of putting an observatory into solar orbit at L2.
>
>> Each module was individually
>> tested, where every line of the code was exercised to verify what
>> was in most cases, the obvious, but done anyway. At a higher level,
>> the whole system was subjected to rigorous testing with valid and
>> invalid data, stress testing,  to confirm that it was doing as
>> expected.
>
> And how repeatable was that process?
>
>> What i's saying is that code integrity can be improved by various
>> means, but the main factor is always the process involved.
>
> I'm glad we agree on that point!
>
>> Full documentation at every stage of development, audit trail, peer
>> group code reviews, and a thorough test program to verify operation
>> to spec and reliability under extreme conditions. Problem is
>> that such a process is very expensive to do right and most companies
>> are not prepared to invest in that,
> Full stop. Matter not do the following predicates
>> especially with short product lifetimes and pressure to get the product to market.
>
> It's Dilbert cartoons all the way down
>
>> So the typical process these days is rapid development, which skimps
>> on process and testing and debugs the product at the customer. I
>> don't think any language can cure that, as it's the process and
>> attention to detail that are missing and no fault of the language
>> involved. To suggest that sort of thing can be fixed by the
>> current language fashion of the month is fantasy and ignores
>> the main problem...
>
> With all respect, your confirmation bias is showing.
>
> cheers,
> jec

Not sure abut confirmation bias. Probably worked in over a dozen
companies, freelance over the decades and becomes easy to see which
are the well managed ones, and those who prioritise cost over quality.
You may learn the basics at uni, but really need to be at
the sharp end in industry to understand the endless conflict trying
to maintain professional standards. That's not bias, just hard won
experience...

Chris