[SystemSafety] State of the art for "safe Linux"

[andy at the-ashworths.org]

Sorry, but…

-  “admin” and “paperwork” are important elements of engineering. By ignoring these, the task is simply coding;
-  in signing off a safety critical review, the engineer is accepting responsibility for their work and is demonstrating accountability, another important element of engineering.

I propose therefore that you list be modified to a single item as follows:

Could it be that…
- most “software engineers” are not actually engineers?!

In saying this, I’m not trying to diminish the importance of developers and coders; I’m trying to identify that software development should sit within an established engineering framework with appropriate checks and balances commensurate with the level of safety of the product. Sadly, there seems to have been a steady decline in the recognition of engineering over the last 20+ years (and its not just in the software field) and that has contributed to the current environment where we have situations like Ottawa Light Rail Transit, Boeing, Tesla self-driving mode, OceanGate’s submersible, etc. Not all of these are safety related, but I feel that in all cases, management hubris has over-ridden sound engineering principles.

I am really not sure what the answer is… somehow we need to move away from the “shareholder value” model of projects and get back to understanding we’re delivering a product that not only has to work but has to ensure that it doesn’t kill its userbase.

Andy

—
EurIng Andy Ashworth PEng CEng MIET
Yeoman Information Systems
On Aug 9, 2024 at 11:00 -0400, Paul Sherwood <paul.sherwood at codethink.co.uk>, wrote:
>
> Could it be that...
>
> - most software engineers are put off by what they see as "admin" and
> "paperwork"
> - most software engineers are learning on the job, and may be worried
> about the possibility of being exposed for not knowing enough
> - most software engineers would be reluctant to personally sign off on a
> 'safety critical' review
> - most software production for the last decade or so has been "Agile" or
> open source or both, whereas safety seems to be still "V model" or
> nothing
> - most safety is still under NDA
>
> br
> Paul
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