Hey, David, help me out here

Story: High Assurance and FLOSSTotal Replies: 10
Author Content
grouch

May 06, 2006
8:37 PM EDT
>"In particular, it shows that many tools for developing high assurance software are FLOSS by examining the areas of software configuration management, testing, formal methods, analysis implementation, and code generation."

Am I just being dense or should that "are FLOSS" be something else?

[edited to add:]

Look near the end of the section titled "Formal methods: Specification and proof tools":

"For the latter, they generally they use a general-purpose programming language (such as ML) where the theorem proving “tactics” are written."

One of those "they"s is extra.

[2nd edit:]

More typos. Under "Why are high assurance FLOSS components so rare?":

2nd paragraph: "Jeffrey S. Norris and Poul-Henning Kamp’s “Mission-Critical Development with Open Source Software: Lessons Learned” (IEEE Software) clearly shows that people do develop mission-critical systems at for NASA using FLOSS components; they relied heavily on FLOSS components, reporting that they kept the project within budget and resulted in a more robust and flexible tool."

Something wrong with "systems at for NASA".

7th paragraph:

"It’s even more more bizarre when you compare software proofs with the way normal mathematical proofs are made."

More "more"s than needed. :)

"And for good reason; it turns out that many formally published are discovered to have flaws, and must later be corrected or withdrawn. "

Something wrong with "formally published are".

"If those who dedicate their lives to mathematics often make mistakes, it’s only reasonable to suspect that software developers that hide their code and proofs from others are also likely to get it wrong."

Ok, this is a grammar question, I think. Shouldn't "software developers that" be "software developers who"?
dwheeler

May 07, 2006
5:51 PM EDT
The "...software are FLOSS" is correct, I believe. As for the rest of the typos/grammos, I've corrected them on the posted page. Thanks! In a way, this is perhaps an ironic illustration of one of its points -- by making information public, errors can be noted and corrected.
grouch

May 07, 2006
6:11 PM EDT
Ok, after re-reading I think I get it. My initial reading left me wondering how "examining the areas of software configuration management, testing, formal methods, analysis implementation, and code generation" would show the tools to be FLOSS, since the license determines them to be FLOSS. Now, if it has finally gotten through my denseness, I read it as you're examining FLOSS tools in those areas to show they are high assurance tools.

Your comments on mathematicians publishing their work for peer review corrections is what spurred me to go ahead and post the typos here. It's not like it's some short-lived blog note to be tossed in a few days. :)
dinotrac

May 07, 2006
7:53 PM EDT
grouch -

You are wasted on grammar and typos.

Reading these exchanges makes clear to me that you are meant to serve a more important role, a pivotal role, perhaps, in the future direction of FLOSS.

You sir, will be wasting your time on trivialities until you come up with an appropriate phrase whose acronym is TEETH.
grouch

May 07, 2006
8:26 PM EDT
dinotrac:

Free Libre Open Source Software

Yields Open Unrivaled Reviewable

Technological Excellence Evolving Through Humaneness.

Gimme my gold star.
grouch

May 07, 2006
11:31 PM EDT
dinotrac:

A follow-up, no doubt induced by sleep deprivation and straining my feeble mind over problems associated with building a rough-hewn gazebo from cedar saplings --

FLOSS gets the corrupting stuff out!

FLOSS is YOUR software.

The TEETH of the FLOSS community is the ethical treatment of users and developers, which results in the software evolving as many people chew on the code and share the fruits of their labors.

Now I want 2 gold stars and a speckled pup. Or at least another Spinlikeatop tale.

dinotrac

May 08, 2006
3:35 AM EDT
Grouch -

I stand humbled.

Well, maybe not humbled -- but as close as I ever get...

Gold stars and pup are in the mail.
grouch

May 08, 2006
10:26 AM EDT
An anachronism in gloss black and chrome grumbles and glides to a stop in the driveway, the tires on the post-war Caddy looking like glazed doughnuts. A cigar-butt chomping former heavyweight in a pin-striped suit and a black fedora unfolds from the seat, looking like he stepped out of a Dick Tracy comic strip.

"Are you lost?", I ask, innocently, since only the mail carriers routinely find their way this far out and back to civilization again without assistance.

A primordial growl and grunt squeezes out from between a well-chewed chunk of what used to be a cigar and the remains of a nose that is apparently unconcerned about plowing through obstacles. The rumble seems to translate to, "Dino sent me."

"Dino?"

"Yeah. I got a package for ya. You owes me shipping."

"But I didn't order anything, and the only 'Dino' I know of is not into shipping."

"Youse want ta pay da shipping quiet like, or ya want I should re-particulate yer kneecaps."
dinotrac

May 08, 2006
11:57 AM EDT
grouch -

Jus so you'll know, Louie the Hammer did not get his nick by listening to old M.C. Hammer tracks. When he shouts "Hammer time" you will truly appreciate the meaning of particulated kneecaps.

I suggest ya pays da man, or da gimp will not be a reference to graphics.
grouch

May 08, 2006
4:35 PM EDT
Witnesses! Witnesses!

dinotrac:

I think maybe I was a little loose with the specs on the speckled pup. You could've at least house-trained him. He seems to think my new leg brace is a fire hydrant.
dinotrac

May 08, 2006
6:40 PM EDT
Grouch:

The pup was trained. Oh yeah, the pup was well-trained.

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