Through the Looking Glass into Digital Space

Abstract

The question of how to make computer science more of a science was a recurring theme at the Challenges in Computing symposium. Martin Shepperd addressed that question in the context of machine learning and fault detection and Paola Inverardi talked about it in the context of software architecture. While Shepperd looked at reliability from the viewpoint of the software producer, Inverardi argued that the digital world is already moving to a new paradigm where the producer no longer plays the role of a guarantor of quality. In this world, a piece of code is simply an artefact that may work in the way it is intended or not. It is incumbent on the user to determine, by experimentation and observation, how the software behaves and whether (and how much) it can be trusted.