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From: 4526P@NAVPGS.BITNET ("LT Scott A. Norton, USN")
Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada
Subject: Re: Globals + Texts + Simplicity
Message-ID: <8701060245.AA21390@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>
Date: Fri, 2-Jan-87 19:44:09 EST
Article-I.D.: ucbvax.8701060245.AA21390
Posted: Fri Jan  2 19:44:09 1987
Date-Received: Tue, 6-Jan-87 02:37:22 EST
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----------------------------Original message----------------------------

> I find it sourly ironic that the
> military--supposedly the least foward-looking, "with-it" American
> institution--is the biggest supporter of SW engineering.

It may be ironic, but it should not be suprising.  My last tour of duty was
on the 20 year old cruiser Harry E. Yarnell.  This ship's tactical data system
program was at least ten years old, and had components that were older than the
ship.  In ten years of maintenance, you pay for poorly engineered software over
and over.

Because the military can not live on the cutting edge of technology, but must
use systems that last twenty years or more, we require better engineering in
software, as well as in the supporting hardware.

Lt Scott A. Norton, USN
Naval Postgraduate School
Monterey, CA  93950-5018
<4526P@NAVPGS.BITNET>