ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE

The thesis of this paper is that there are very important differences between hardware and software, but that - despite these differences-so ftware continues to be developed using a process model based on that c reated for hardware. The paper examines how we develop both hardware a nd software and identifies some of the unique properties of software, which are not exploited in a hardware-based approach. Experience with a system that employs a software-specific process model is presented t o illustrate the benefits that can result from a shift to a new paradi gm.