The new application environment Until recently, software has been a peripheral business. Until recently, the computer center shielded the general public from software problems. This, however, has changed. Software now brakes automobiles, flies airplanes, controls railroads, and manages financial transactions. Daily, software moves over one trillion dollars in the world's financial markets.
Defective software is increasingly expensive, and it can even be dangerous.
In the threatening world of terrorists and hackers, software defects increase our exposure. Software is now the critical component in many products. It is cheaper to use microprocessor chips and software than even simple hardware logic. My Army friends tell me that the trigger mechanisms in advanced side arms fire the guns through software. Artillery shells now have several thousand bytes of code and new military radios are microprocessors with antennae.