HIGH-PRESSURE STEAM ENGINES AND COMPUTER SOFTWARE

The introduction of computers into the control of potentially dangerou s systems has led to a growing awareness of the possible contribution of software to serious accidents. This is not the first time a potenti ally dangerous new technology has been introduced; risk induced by tec hnological innovation existed long before computers. Instead of repeat ing the mistakes of the past, we can learn from them. This article des cribes the problems that arose from the introduction of high-pressure steam engines in the 19th century and draws parallels with today's sof tware engineering problems. The author proposes how to accelerate prog ress in software engineering and software engineering research, how to cope in the present, and how to limit unnecessary risk until that pro gress is achieved.