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Title

Heedless programming: ignoring detectable error is a widespread hazard
Author

H. Thimbleby
Journal / Anthology

SOFTWARE – PRACTICE AND EXPERIENCE
Year: 2012
Volume: 42
Page range: 1393–1407
Description

Software should be correct and robust. This paper suggests that we need forthright words for the failure of not being robust—heedless and heedlessness—and of recursively creating software (such as a compiler or virtual machine) that itself does not support dependable software development. Heedless programming is common, particularly affecting ‘trivial’ operations such as on numbers, and extends deep into programming language design and into the use of computers more widely, thus making robust, dependable applications of all sorts unnecessarily problematic. The paper defines the problem and presents a call to action to start addressing the problems identified.
Subjects

*Applied Mathematics > Complex Systems
*Applied Mathematics > Computer Science
Keywords

heedless programming, dependability, human error, Excel, FORTRAN, Java, JavaScript, design tradeoffs