IP: Software Engineering, Dijkstra, and Hippocrates: [risks] Risks Digest 21.42

[David Farber <dave@farber.net>]

>ate: Mon, 14 May 2001 17:58:35 -0500
>From: "Michael L. Cook" <MLCook@collins.rockwell.com>
>Subject: Software Engineering, Dijkstra, and Hippocrates
>
>The March 2001 issue of the *Communications of the ACM* contains an
>article by Edsger Dijkstra called "The End of Computing Science?"
>
>In it, he states "I would therefore like to posit that computing's central
>challenge 'How not to make a mess of it,' has *not* been met."
>
>As many of the RISKS entries have shown, application and other developers
>have certainly made a mess of things at times, often of Laurel and Hardy
>proportions ("That's another fine mess you've got us into."), and worse.
>
>If/when Software Engineering becomes a fully licensed profession, perhaps
>part of the code of ethics should be similar to the intent of part of the
>Hippocratic Oath, "First, do no harm".  This is a paraphrase of the statement
>"The health and life of my patient will be my first consideration" which
>is from the World Medical Association's "Declaration of Geneva" of 1948.
>
>Or, as colleague Glen McCort once said in a meeting, "Don't do anything
>really stupid."
>
>Michael Cook
>
>   [There is a big difference between Hippocrates and Hypocrites.
>   In particularly, there are quite a few Hypocrites who claim they are
>   "Software Engineers" but nonetheless write extremely riskful 
> software.  PGN]



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