RE: 5. Any system which depends on human reliability is unreliable

["Dennis E. Hamilton" <de...@acm.org>]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Roberto Galoppini [mailto:roberto.galoppini@gmail.com]
> Sent: Sunday, April 24, 2016 12:41
> To: dev <de...@openoffice.apache.org>; Dennis Hamilton
> <de...@acm.org>
> Subject: Re: 5. Any system which depends on human reliability is
> unreliable
> 
> 2016-04-24 19:20 GMT+02:00 Dennis E. Hamilton <de...@acm.org>:
> 
> > <https://www.gilb.com/p/Principle-Gilbs-Laws-of-Unreliability> (Might
> > require registration.  I cannot determine that as an existing
> subscriber.)
> >
> 
> Available for not registered users as well.
> 
> 
> >
> > An interesting observation about dealing with the human part of
> > human-computer systems.  The position expressed is that this requires
> a
> > systematic, engineered approach to addressing the human factor and
> > continually refining it.  That means human users and human developers
> and
> > other participants.
> 
> 
> > This raises an interesting issue for volunteer-supported open-source
> > software initiatives.  Whatever patterns of operation that arise are
> > evidently not likely to be recognized as engineered.
> >
> 
> I do not see that any different for non open source software
> initiatives,
> though.
> 
> Do you?
[orcmid] 

Good question, Roberto.  I had to think about that.  

I think we notice the absence more than the success of safeguarded human-computer systems.  

From a few inside experiences and mostly as an outside observer, I think there are two qualities that a system will reveal in its operation:
  1. Consistency of Purpose
  2. Coherence of function
  3. Tolerance for errors and remedies

I was wondering how that shows up in products that we have watched evolve through multiple generations.

I'm marveling at how extraordinary motion pictures are produced, including the heavy reliance on digital technology these days.  I also think about computer games in that respect.  I have found a couple that are extensive and superb and must have taken extraordinary cooperative activity to produce.  The latter tend to be closed-source and DRM-protected.

> 
> Roberto
> 
> 
> >
> > Anyone think differently about that?
> >
> >  - Dennis
> >
> >
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> >


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