problems/risks due to programming language

[Robert Munck]

I wonder if others have noticed that there's a single strong divisor
in this thread, separating it into two warring groups.  It corresponds
roughly to the C/Ada division, also C/anti-C and anti-Ada/Ada.

Basically, it's the "world view" that programming is a solitary activity
or a communal one.  That is, that programming is done by one person, with
little or no contact with others, or that it's done by a group of some
size, in constant close contact and also spread out in time and space.

That dicotomy obviously splits the university crowd from the military-
industrial crowd; universities have the problem that cooperative work
is called "cheating" in most other areas, so it's difficult for them to
take any other approach to s/w eng.  The m-i complex people have the
problem that they cannot take the risk of entrusting a project to a
single or small number of people because of the possibilities that they
will be hit by a bus, poisoned at the local Chinese restaurant, or leave
the company.

I don't know how the differences can be reconciled.
                          -- Bob Munck, MITRE ==> Unisys (STARS)
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