Can We Trust Computers?

Before you start reading this article, let me ask you one thing. Can you trust the computers? It is then so weird upon starting with that question but after reading it, what comes out into your mind. Yes, indeed! Computers really do help us on making our lives easier and a lot more accessible to everything that we do. But just come to think of it, don’t you realize that peop0le nowadays are dependent on computers?

I have read an international article giving information about the reliability and safety usage of computer programs. It is said that it’s virtually impossible to produce a program with no errors for the reason that you must understand the risks and reasons for computer failures. You must understand computer problems from perspective of several roles; A computer user, a computer professional and an educated member of society. The computer problems are found to have three categories; (1) individuals, (2) system failures and (3) safety critical applications.

 It is observed that individual problems originated from database accuracy problems. If the information is not accurate, we do harm. It is said that even the Medical Information Bureau estimates that 3-4% of its records contain errors. The factors causing severity of problems that result from errors in databases are; large population with identical or similar names, fact that most of our financial interactions are with strangers, auto processing without human common sense or ability to recognize special cases, overconfidence in accuracy of data stored and lack of accountability for failure to update  and correct errors. In addition to that, consumer software and hardware can also be included on individual problems such that several major programs have had serious errors in first releases. Many make trade -offs between additional debugging and getting a product to market sooner.

Next in line is the System failure. In the communications aspect, during January 1990, AT&T was disrupted for 9 hours because of software error. It prevented 50 million calls from getting through. Combination of events led to this problem was unpredictable. Flights at Logan Airport in Boston delayed or cancelled because communication systems used by controllers and pilots were connected to AT&T system that failed. Failure of new communications software was also the reason why the NASDAQ stock exchange virtually shut down for 2 and half hours. The costs of these kinds of errors have been primarily lost business to stock exchange and individual investors. This also did not work at handling system which causes ($193 million). Each bag put into a car bar-coded for its destination. Laser scanner track cars and send info about location to computers. It resulted to car crashed into each other, luggage misrouted, dumped and flung about, cars needed to move luggage were mistakenly routed to waiting pens. It has also happened here in the Philippines where Ninoy International Airport (NAIA) and Philippine Airlines (PAL) cancelled their flights due to shut down of computer systems. Several passengers ended up to wait for the systems to get back for them to proceed with their flights.

Thirdly, safely-critical applications victimized several agencies. Most of the deaths that occurred because of computer related problems were in aviation and medical applications. Pilots’ lack of familiarity with automation equipment cannot override. For medical applications, a software-controlled radiation therapy machine was used to treat cancer patients. Machines at four medical centers gave massive overdoses of radiation to 6 patients. The problems are lapses in good safety design, insufficient testing, bugs in software that controlled machines, inadequate system of reporting and investigating accidents.

Moreover, the common factors in computer errors and system failures were summarized after the incidents happened. (1) Overconfidence or unrealistic or inadequate understanding of the risk in complex computer system core issue. Airline failure was caused from not considering how system interacts with the real users (pilots). Redundant software systems are a safety feature. Unrealistic reliability or safety estimates can come from lack of understanding, carelessness, or intentional misinterpretation. (2) Software engineering and professional responsibility is a must. It is important to use good software engineering techniques at all stages o development. Professionals must have respond to the study and use techniques and tools that are available. They must govern on learning enough about the application field and software systems to understand potential problems and to do a good job. (3) User interphases and human factors; professionals need feedback to understand what automated system is doing at any time. The system should behave as the user expected. (4) Redundancy and self checking; these two techniques are important in systems on which lives and fortunes depend. Complex systems can collect information of their own activity for use in diagnosing and correcting errors.

As of now, many ordinary daily activities are dependent on computer networks. Some misconceptions about dependence on computers come from poor understanding of the role of risk, confusion of  “dependence” with use , and blaming computers  for failures where they \were only innocent bystanders. On the other hand, abdication of responsibility that comes from overconfidence or ignorance is a serious problem. It is valid when a system is designed so that a failure in one component can cause a major breakdown. Even if it is dependence or use, when we have a good tool, we may forget or no longer learn the older method of performing a task. But the negative effects of breakdown are a reminder of the convenience and productivity provided by the tool when it is working. What we take risk is that, we trust our lives to technology every day. Risk is not restricted to technology and machines. Mistakes in software are the same as those to be common in engineering. But important differences between computers and other technologies: computer make decisions; electricity does not, still what it directly entails is that it is all our responsibility to be concerned of.


Source: http://www.ncat.edu/~testa/COMP390/chapters/Chapter4.htm