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Ethical and Secure Computing pp 149–176Cite as

Software Issues: Risks and Liabilities

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Part of the book series: Undergraduate Topics in Computer Science ((UTICS))

Abstract

We focus on the issues that arise out of the relationship between the developer and the buyer, including claims, user expectations, and the legal ramifications that may follow an unhealthy relationship. The discussion touches on standards, reliability, security, safety, quality of software, quality of service of software products, causes of software failures, developer and buyer protection, and techniques for improving software quality. Causes of software failures or poor performance of a software product are discussed attributing the causes to a variety of reasons but most notably human error, the nature of software itself, and the environment in which software is produced and used. Finally, historic examples of software caused accidents are given including the Therac-25, the Space Shuttle Challenger, the Indian Bhopal chemical accident, and the Chernobyl nuclear power accident. Both consumer protection and techniques for improving software quality are also discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Engineering and Computer Science, University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, TN, USA

    Joseph Migga Kizza

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  1. Joseph Migga Kizza
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Correspondence to Joseph Migga Kizza .

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Kizza, J.M. (2019). Software Issues: Risks and Liabilities. In: Ethical and Secure Computing. Undergraduate Topics in Computer Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-03937-0_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-03937-0_7

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-03936-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-03937-0

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

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