Xah's Edu Corner: Responsible Software Licensing

[robic0]

On Mon, 19 Dec 2005 10:05:59 GMT, Roedy Green
<my_email_is_posted_on_my_website at munged.invalid> wrote:

>On Sun, 18 Dec 2005 18:42:52 -0800, robic0 wrote, quoted or indirectly
>quoted someone who said :
>
>>If the software opens a file and is in the middle of writing to it,
>>then the user dumps the power to the machine and ends up having to
>>reformat, thereby losing all his data, at what point does the 
>>liability stop? And how is fault proven or dished out? Does the
>>law specifically state "repeatability" in its language?
>
>It would expect it to work much the way a car works.  If you have an
>accident, that is your fault. If the fuel pump is badly designed so it
>catches fire, that in the manufacturers fault.

You'ld have to prove the fuel pump caused your accident wouldn't you?
I'm reversed when it comes to engineering. I always assume defects
when buss loads of people are killed. 
If software ever guards lives that isin't certified then its a 
manufacturing defect. That is imbedded software though. Not the
for public consumption. I know that fly-by-wire military software 
has 100 levels of precaution. Hey but its a 7 million dollar plane
and a 700 billion dollar budget. The written requirements for a
single design is a book 5 inches thick. Ever see that for 
Joe bullshit software designer?