[nickpsecurity]

I push engineering methods for software. It really is hard for systems of significant complexity. Just a 32-bit adder takes 4 billion tests to know it will always work. The kind of formal methods that can show heap safety took a few decades to develop. They just did an OS kernel and basic app a few years ago. Each project took significant resources for developing the methods then applying them. Many failed where the new methods could handle some things but not others. Hardware is a precautionary tale where it has fewer states plus an automatable logic. They still have errata in CPU's with tons of verification.

So, it's definitely not easy. The people that pull it off are usually quite bright, well paid, have at least one specialist, and are given time to complete the task. The introduction of regulations might make this a baseline with lots of reusable solutions. We'd loose a lot of functionality that's too complex for full verification with slower development and equipment, though. Market would fight that.

[tremon]

Agreed, I never meant to imply that it was easy. I just meant that a "professional" software engineering discipline is neither a pipe dream, nor undesirable.