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COMPUTINGRESEARCHNEWS

TheNewsJournaloftheComputingResearchAssociation

January1993

Vol. 5/No. 1

MembershipofCongresschangessignificantly

alsowasre-elected.Hehasproven tobe an effectiveandwell-informedchair, but given theturnoverin theHouse andhisrisingpoliticalstar,hemaynot remain activein R&Dpolicy.Boucher alsoservedon theEnergyandCommerceSubcommitteeon TelecommunicationsandFinance,whereheexpressedagreat dealofinterest in stimulatingthecreation ofabroadband, digitalnationalinformation infrastructure.Thisinterest hasbeen reflectedin hisongoingscrutinyoftheNational ScienceFoundation’smanagement of theNationalResearch andEducation Network(NREN). attention on high-technology,the committeepossiblywillattract more members.But it willneverhavethe attraction orpoliticalpowerofthe EnergyandCommerceCommittee,the WaysandMeansCommitteeorthe AppropriationsCommittee,which also willhaveopenings.Unlesstheyhave specificinterestsandexpertisein scienceandtechnology,memberswith seniorityandinfluencetendtogravitate towardthosemajorcommittees, particularlyiftheyhavean opportunity tochairasubcommittee.
Rep.BobTraxler(D-MI),chairof
HouseAppropriationsVA,HUDand Independent AgenciesSubcommittee, retiredthisyearandRep.BillGreen (R- NY),therankingminoritymemberof that subcommittee,lost hisseat. Although that subcommitteemade largecutsin NSF’sbudget request, TraxlerandGreen wereconsideredto beunderstandingfriendsofresearch. Rep.LouisStokes(D-OH) isnext in seniorityforchairofthat subcommittee.Hisattitudetowardscienceand technologyisnot well-known.

BY Fred W. Weingarten

CRAStaff

Although incumbentsfaredbetterin theNovemberelectionsthan was expected,themembershipofCongress haschangedsignificantly.Congresshas 118newmembers,andsomekey membersweredefeatedorretired,so there will be quite a bit of change in the membershipofcommitteesand subcommitteesconcernedwith research.

Senate

TheSenateisstablebecausethere waslessturn-overandscienceisunder theCommerceCommittee,which isa plum.VicePresident-elect AlGorewill bereplacedaschairofthescience subcommittee.Sen.JayRockefeller(D- WV) isthenext-rankingmemberon thesubcommitteeandreportedlyis readytotakeoveraschair.Hisinterests aredescribedas“moretechnologythan science,”but heisseen asopen-minded andinformed.Rockefellerwasastrong supporterandacosponsorofthe HPCC Act.Hemost likelywill

HouseofRepresentatives

Rep.GeorgeBrown (D-CA),chair oftheHouseCommitteeon Science, SpaceandTechnology,whonarrowly won a racemanyexpected himtolose, most likelywillcontinuetochairthe sciencecommittee.Formanyyearshe hasbeen consideredoneofthemost knowledgeablemembersoftheHouse on sciencepolicy.Hiscallsforpriority setting,increasedaccountabilityand demonstratedsocialbenefit from research investmentshavealarmed somemembersofthebasicresearch community.However,thecommunity considershimastrongcongressional supporterofscienceandhiswarnings an attempt toimprovesciencepolicy. Brown alsohasled,with mixedsuccess, thefight against “pork”in science appropriations.
Actionstaken thisyearby
Boucher’ssubcommitteewillbe particularlycriticalforthecomputing research community.Thesubcommittee willconsiderNSF’sreauthorization,a processthat willhelpdefinethe agency’smission andorganization for thenext severalyears.Thesubcommitteewillcontinueitsoversight ofthe High-PerformanceComputingand CommunicationsAct andconduct hearingson thefutureofUSR&D policy, as a follow up tothe full introducesomeformofthedigital infrastructurebillintroducedlast fallby GoreandcosponsoredbyRockefeller. Hissubcommitteealsowillconsider NSFreauthorization.

Continued on page 5

InsideCRN

PAGE 2: CS community reacts

to NRC report

PAGE 6: Workshop attendees

tackle CS research problems

committee’sTaskForceReport on the Health oftheUSResearch Enterprise releasedlast year[NovemberCRN, Page1].

PAGE 3: Women, childcare

andconferences

PAGE 7: SIGACT trying to get

children more excited about CS

TheHousesciencecommittee

PAGE 4: Commission on NSF

issues report to NSB

PAGE8:Professional

Opportunities

often hasaheavyturnoverin members becauseit isnot viewed asa “major” committee.Thisyear,with allthe
Rep.RickBoucher(D-VA),chair oftheHouseScience,Spaceand TechnologySubcommitteeon Science

PAGE 4: NSF committee has

directoratewideresponsibility

PAGE 12: FCRC ’93 will be

held in May

News Analysis

HowwillS&Tpolicyfareinnewadministration?

emphasizedandrestructuredoverthe next fewyears,both forreasonsdetailed in recent issuesofCRN andbecause scienceandtechnologywasaserious focusfortheClinton/Gorecampaign. Theresearch communitywillbe responsibleforhelpingcreatepublicand politicalsupport forS&T initiatives, andactivelyparticipatingin the politicaldebatesoawell-informedand sensibleset ofpoliciesisdeveloped. Let’slookat fourdimensionsofthis responsibility. funding,that support isthin,at best. Sciencepolicy-makershavesaidthat thecomputingresearch community needstoprepareacarefulcaseexplainingthenatureofresearch andthe benefitstothenation,then communicateit in clearandunderstandable termstothepublicandthepoliticians.

BY Fred W. Weingarten

CRAStaff

Politicaltransitions,particularlyones reflectingamajorpoliticalshift,are timeswhen great hopes—andfears— areraisedabout possiblechangesin all areasofpublicpolicy,rangingfromthe most fundamental,such asnational prosperityandsecurity,tothemost arcane.Thistransition hasbeen no different.BecausePresident-elect Bill Clinton’scampaign emphasizedchange, expectationsseemtobeeven higher. (Somereportsestimatedthat theLittle Rocktransition officereceivednearly 30,000lettersperdayaftertheelection.)

Consensus

S&T policywillemphasize consensus,which alsoisexpectedtobe thebasicstyleofthenewadministration. S&T policyisnot an area in which politiciansliketospendpoliticalcapital toresolveconflicts,andpoliticians seldomareeffectivewhen theydotry. On most scienceandtechnologyissues, politicianswant expertstoidentifyareas wherethereisagreement in the community.Theyhavetoomanyother thingstofight about,andtheyunderstandthat theylackthenecessary expertisetomakeajudgment call. (Politicalcontroversydoesexist—there havebeen debatesovertheStrategic DefenseInitiativeandfloorfightsover fundingforthesupercollider.)

Publicandpoliticalsupport

Anymajorpolicyinitiativerequires broadpublicsupport andtheunderstandingandsupport ofthepolitical leadership.Nearlyone-quarterof Congressisnewthisyear.Thesenew membersdidnot votefortheHighPerformanceComputingandCommunicationsAct,norweretheypartyto the“agreement”madein 1987to doubletheresearch budget ofthe NationalScienceFoundation.Fewof thenewmembers,even iftheywere activein localpolitics,haveanyS&T policyexperience.
Thepublic,in general,hasapoor andsimplisticunderstandingofscience and technologyand howit islinked to economicgrowth.Although thepublic seemstoaccept that thegovernment shouldsupport somelevelofR&D
Most ofthesehopesandexpectationsdiminish asthenewpresident startsfocusingon hardpriorities, decidingwheretoexpendpolitical capitaland wheretowait forabetter opportunityorabetterideaofthereal cost ofsomeproposedprograms. Although DemocratscontrolCongress andtheWhiteHouse,politicalpower stillisdiffuse,andtherearemany conflictingpressures.In thepast, scienceandtechnology(S&T) policy almost immediatelywasrelegatedtothe backseat in transition politics.
TheHigh-PerformanceComputing andCommunicationsAct passed unanimouslyin theHouseandSenate. It wasclearthat,ifunanimitydidnot exist,thebillwouldnot havebeen taken tothefloor.
Thispasthistoryshouldbeawarning totheresearchcommunity.Thereisgood reasontoexpectthatS&T policywillbe

Continued on page 5

January 1993

COMPUTING RESEARCH NEWS

Opinions

ComputingResearch
Association

CScommunityreactstoNRCreport

BoardOfficers

John R. Rice

Chair

Effective CS researchers must compute for the future

disciplinedskillin socialanalysis, computerscientists’claimsabout the usabilityandsocialvalueofspecific technologiesismereopinion,andbears an exceptionalriskofbeingself-serving opinion. computing,such asnetworkingand microcomputing,changedthedistribution ofapplications.Whiletheysupport traditionalnumericalcomputation, albeit in newerformatssuch asspreadsheets,theyalsohaveexpandedthe diversityofnon-numericalcomputations.Thesemodesofcomputinghave madedigitallyrepresentedtext and graphicsaccessibletotensofmillionsof people.

BY Rob Kling

TheNational Research Council’sComput-

ingtheFuture:A BroaderAgendafor ComputerScience andEngineeringis

awelcomereport

PurdueUniversity

PeterFreeman

Vice Chair Georgia Institute of Technology

Gregory R.Andrews

Secretary

Computerscientistswhodonot haverefinedsocialanalyticalskillshave sometimesconceivedandpromoted technologiesthat werefarlessusefulor farmorecostlythan theyclaimed. EffectiveCSpractitionerswho“computeforthefuture”in manyorganizationsneedsomeskillsin socialanalysis tohelpunderstandappropriatesystems requirementsandtheconditionswhich transformhigh-performancecomputing intohigh-performanceorganizations. Becausethereport doesnot spellout thesetacit implications,Iwouldliketo explain themhere.

University of Arizona

Michael R. Garey

Treasurer

that arguesthat academiccomputer scientistsmust acknowledgethedriving forcesbehindthegenerallygoodfederal support forthediscipline.Theexplosive growth ofcomputinganddemandfor computersciencein thelast decadehas been driven byadiversearrayof applicationsandnewmodesofcomputingin diversesocialcontexts.The report takesastrongandusefulposition in encouragingallcomputerscientists tobroaden ourconceptionsofthe discipline.
Thereport’sauthorsencourage computerscientiststoenvision new technologiesin thesocialcontextsin which theywillbeused.Thenumerous examplesofcomputerapplicationsthat theauthorsidentifyashavingsignificant socialvaluerest on socialanalyses ofthesetechnologies.Further,the report tacitlyrequiresthat theCS communitydevelopreliableknowledge, basedin systematicresearch,tosupport effectivesocialanalysis.Andit requires an abilitytoteach such skillsto practitionersandstudents.Without a

AT&T Bell Laboratories

Noneoftheseadvancesare

BoardMembers

W. RichardsAdrion

inconsistent with“mathematical foundations”in computersciencesuch asTuringmachineformulations.But theyarenot well-conceptualizedbythe foundationalmathematicalmodelsof computation.Nordoourfoundational mathematicalmodelsprovideuseful waysofconceptualizingadvancesin even moretraditionalelementsof computerssystemssuch asoperating systemsanddatabasesystems.Mathematicalanalysiscan playacentralrole in someareasofcomputerscienceand an important rolein manyareas.But we cannot understandimportant aspectsof usabilityifwelimit ourselvesto

UniversityofMassachusetts, Amherst

VictorBasili

University of Maryland

Ashok K. Chandra

IBM Almaden Research Center

FernandoCorbató

MIT

Systemusability

Dorothy E. Denning

GeorgetownUniversity

Becausetheusabilityofsystems and software isa keytheme in the historyofcomputerscience,wemust expandbeyondmathematicsforour conceptionsof“theory”forthediscipline.Someapplications,such as supercomputingandcomputational science,areevolutionaryextensionsof traditionalscientificcomputation,even though theyhavetaken anewdirection with rich graphicalfront-endsfor visualizingenormousamountsofdata. But someother,newermodesof

C. William Gear

NEC Research Institute Inc.

JurisHartmanis

CornellUniversity

mathematicaltheories.

PatrickHayes

StanfordUniversity

Ofthediversetrendsin computing, thegrowingemphasisofusabilityisone ofthemost dominant.Theusability tradition hasdeeprootsin computer science,andextendsbackintothe design ofprogramminglanguagesand

Mary Jane Irwin

PennsylvaniaStateUniversity

LennartJohnsson

ThinkingMachinesCorp.

MariaKlawe

Continued on page 5

University of British Columbia

H.T. Kung

HarvardUniversity

Merging CS and CE disciplines is not a good idea

BY John McCarthy

computerengineeringencourages research that isnot reallybasicandhas onlyametaphoricalrelation toapplications. quiteusefulin someunderdeveloped countries.

Edward D. Lazowska

University of Washington

McCarthywas

Criteriaforwhat constitutes

Nancy G. Leveson

University of California, Irvine

involvedina petitionthatcalled forthewithdrawal

ofComputingthe Future.Manyof

thepetitioners’

scientificprogressin variouscomputer sciencedisciplinesneedtobediscussed andclarified.Ibelievemuch oftoday’s workin computersciencewillnot meet thesecriteria.
• Thereport recommendstying computerscienceandengineeringto limited-duration giant projectslikethe High-PerformanceComputingand Communication(HPCC)initiative.
Thisenlargesandformalizesalayer ofbureaucracyintotheproposal mechanism.Whileresearch proposals arepeer-reviewed,whethertheyfit into theHPCCprogramisan administrative decision.
When HPCCends,thelong-term research in scienceorengineering supportedunderitsumbrellagoesinto limbo.Thereisnoreason tosuppose that manyareasofcomputerscienceor computerengineeringwillbesynchronized with HPCC. IfHPCC wasnot regardedasasuccess—liketheJapanese fifth-generation project—then thebasic research it supportedisin additional bureaucratictrouble.HPCCmight end upregarded asa failurefor a varietyof reasons:foreignersdobetter;US companiesunsupportedbythegovernment programdobetter(ashappened in theearly1960swith thedevelopment ofintegratedcircuits);andthe supposedbeneficiariesofthegigabit communication might decidethat what
• Artificialintelligencehasboth engineeringandscientificaspects,but it isamistaketoidentifythem.Scientifically,artificialintelligenceinvolves understandinghowtoachievegoalsin open-ended,informationallycomplex situations.BecausetheAIfielddoesnot yet understandsomedifficult conceptualproblems,it isnot known when human-levelintelligencewillbe achieved.It isnecessarytomeasure progressin thescientificsideofAIby scientificcriteria—what isunderstood nowthat wasnot understoodbefore.In myopinion,thediscoveryofformalized non-monotonicreasoningwasamajor advance.

Steven S. Muchnick

Sun Microsystems Inc.

DavidA. Patterson

University of California, Berkeley

problemswiththereportwereresolvedina jointstatementbythesponsorsofthe petitionandNRC.

Robert W. Ritchie

Hewlett-PackardCo.

John E. Savage

BrownUniversity

Ihavesomeotherproblemswith theNRCreport.Thesecommentsare mineand maynot reflect theviewsof thepetitioners.Someofmycomments donot addressthereport itself.
Mergingthetwodisciplinesof computerscienceandcomputer engineeringintoasinglediscipline called CS&Eisnot a good idea.
• Scienceisconcernedwith findingout about phenomena,and engineeringisconcernedwith making usefulartifacts.Whilescienceand engineeringareclosertogetherin computersciencethan in otherfields, thedistinction isimportant.For example,thescientificproblemofthe relation between specificationsofa programanditstext needstobestudied independentlyofprogramverification systems.

AnthonyI. Wasserman

InteractiveDevelopmentEnvironments

MarkWeiser

Xerox Palo Alto Research Center

JohnWerth

University of Texas, Austin

David S. Wise

IndianaUniversity

Theappliedaspect ofartificial intelligenceisexpert systems,which has somebasictechnologicalproblems,such ascreatingtools.But thecriteriafor evaluatingmost ofitsworkarepractical.Areexpert systemsuseful?

WilliamA. Wulf

ExecutiveDirector

Fred W. Weingarten

• Itisamistaketoidentifybasic researchwiththeory,andwritingprograms withapplications.Artificialintelligence, forexample,hasalargecomponent of experimentalbasicresearch,where experimentalprogramsarewritten for what theywillteach usratherthan for theirdirect useful.Advisingsomeoneto alwaysdoprogrammingin connection with applicationsislikeadvising

CRN welcomes letters from its readers. Letters may be edited for space and clarity. Send them to Joan Bass, Managing Editor, CRN, 1875 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite 718, Washington, DC 20009. E-mail: [email protected]. Letters must include your name, address and telephone number or E-mail address.

Theengineeringproblemof makingchangesin systemsofprograms that are too big for any one person to fullyunderstandneedstobestudied apart fromformalmethods—and shouldmakeuseofformalmethods,as well.Mergingcomputerscienceand geneticiststouseelephantsinsteadof fruit flies,becausenooneneedsabetter fruit fly,andsmallerelephantsmight be

Continued on page 3

Page 2
January 1993

COMPUTING RESEARCH NEWS

ExpandingthePipeline

Childcareanissueforconferenceattendees

thejuniorlevelcan affordanysuch trips? childforthenecessarydays?Ifnot, couldtheyasktheircaregiverfora recommendation?Ifthisdoesnot produceleads,Ilookforfaculty valuablemembersofourprofessional community.Possiblesolutionsinclude:
• Professionalsocietiescan adopt thepolicythat allsponsoredconferencesshouldbeheldat hotelsthat providechildcarefacilities.Hotels,like otherbusinesses,areresponsivetowhat theyperceiveastheireconomicselfinterest.Ifmajororganizations,such as ACMandIEEE,demandon-site childcare,changeismuch morelikelyto occurthan ifindividualssimplyrequest it orindividualconferencesrequireit.
Although Ibelievethereisa reasonableargument that thecost of thischildcareshouldbebornebyall since it is for the common good of the professionalcommunity,Iamnot proposingthat.Iamonlysuggesting that ourprofessionalsocietiesrequire that afee-for-servicesfacilitybe

BY Elaine J. Weyuker

Given that theparent somehow managestohandletheexpense,thereal challengestilllooms.Howdoyou arrangeforchildcarein an unfamiliar, distant place?Ifyou can locatea caregiver,howcan youfeelsecureabout leavingachildwith acaregiveryou havenevermet?
Childcare,orthe lackthereof,isan issue for allofus. It affectsus, at least tangentially, whetherweare femaleormale, membersneartheconferenceandask themtoaskstudentsiftheywouldlike toearn extramoneybabysitting.Iask colleagueswhethertheirteenage children willbeattendingandmight be interestedin babysitting.It isalot of work,andit isnot forthefaint-hearted. Ihavehad somewonderfulluck, but on otheroccasions,Ihavecomeupemptyhandedandsimplydecidedtherewas nosolution,andthat Iwouldjust have tomisstheconference.
The bottom line is that I am a fairly seniorresearcherandmuch betterable toabsorbthecoststhan manyother people.Beingsenior,Iknowlotsof peoplearoundthecountryand oldoryoung,parentsornot.There havebeen manyarticlesdecryingthe lackofhigh-quality,affordablechildcare,andavarietyofsuggestionsabout what employersandthegovernment shoulddotoalleviatetheproblems.
In thisarticle, Iwillfocuson one narrowaspect ofthisbroadand complextopic:howchildcareissues affect theabilityofaresearcherwith youngchildren toattendandparticipatein conferences,andconsequently howcareeradvancement isaffected.As a mother who has no option but to travelwith her4-year-olddaughter,I writefromfirst-handexperience.
Thefirst issuetoconsider,andone that frequentlyisthedecidingfactor,is thetravelingexpensesofachild. Expensesinclude:
• airfare(fullfarestartsat age2), • childcare(in addition tonormal childcareexpensesat home,which must bepaid whetherornot thechild attends),
• carrental(cabsrarelyhave seatbelts,thereforechildsafetyseats cannot beused),
• meals(forlogisticalreasons, theseoften must bebought in the notoriouslyexpensivehotelrestaurant) and
Frequently,largehotelslist babysittingasan availableservice. However,mypersonalexperienceis that thebabysittersrarelyexist.My daughterwas5monthsold when Itook her with me for the first time. It was the most important conferencein myfield.I wason theprogramcommittee,andI had apaperin theconference. Iwould not have missed it for the world. I phonedthehotelandwastoldtheyhad ababysittingserviceandthat no reservationswereneeded.When we arrived,Ilearnedthereality—maybe theycouldthinkofsomeoneIcould phoneand askiftheywanted tocome tothehotelandbabysit.Aftersome discussion,theyconcludedtheycould not thinkofanyone.Mydaughter thereforeattendedherfirst conference. Needlesstosay,it affectedmyabilityto participate.
Similarsituationshappenedat the next severalconferencesweattended. Finally, IrealizedIwasnot likelytofind childcareat ahotel,andhadbetter makeotherarrangements.Ihave devisedmanycreativewaystoarrange forchildcarewhen Iattendaconference.When Icannot locatewhat seems tobehigh-quality,safechildcare,I simplydonot attendthemeeting.
Severalmonthsbeforethe thereforehavegoodcontacts.Still, traveltoacountrywhereEnglish isnot theprimarylanguageseemsimpossible to me now. I simply do not submit paperstoconferencesoverseas,andIdo not attendthoseconferences. availableat theconferencesite.
• Rulesofgrantingagenciescould bechangedtopermit additional expensestobecharged,when necessary, forthegranteetotravel.Ifranklyhave mixedemotionsabout thissuggestion. Theregenerallyisafixed,finiteamount oftravelmoneyavailable,andfunds used topayfora child’stravelcould not beused bya student orgrantee. However, ifthisistheonlywayfor someonetoattend,then perhapsit is worth thetradeoff.
It iscertainlytruethat thereare men whoaresingleparentsorthe primarycaregiversfortheirchildren, andwhofacetheseproblems.And therearewomen whosepersonal situation allowsthemtotravelwithout theirchildren.Still,at thepresent time, childcareresponsibilities,especiallyfor youngchildren,falldisproportionately on women,andthereforewomen suffer most often andmost directly.
Anotherpossibilityisthat ifthe granteecan obtain anothersourceof travelfundsforthemselves,thegrant travel money can be spent to pay for a child’stravel.It issometimespossibleto arrangetogiveacolloquiumat an industryoruniversitysitenearthe conference.Ifthat sourcepaysthe grantee’sexpenses,then thegrant moneycouldbeusedinsteadforthe child,therebyallowingthegranteeto attend.
Whateversolutionswesettleon,it meanschangingpublicpolicy.Weare not likelytoaccomplish thisin thenear future. Aslongasit isnot perceived by ourcommunityasaseriousproblem requiringaction,nothingwillchange.
Howmanywomen facethese situationsandfindtheminsurmountable?Howdoesthisaffect theircareers? Aretheytaken lessseriouslybecause theycannot attendmeetings,and thereforepublish lessthan theirmale colleagues?Aretheyconsidered unprofessionaliftheyattendwith a youngchildbecausethat istheonlyway theycan attend?Even ifaparent managestoattendandarrange childcare,it isdifficult,ifnot impossible, toattendthesocialeventssurrounding theconference.What contactsare missedasaresult?
Weneedcreativesolutions,orwe willcontinuetolosetheparticipation of
• additionalhotelcosts. Usually,noneofthesecostsare reimbursablebyaresearch grant or employer.Thesecostsarenot even taxdeductible,although theyaremandatoryfortheemployeetoattendthe conference.It isnot unusualforit to cost $1,000 to take my child to a conference.Howmanyconferencescan aparent affordtoattendwith thistype offinancialburden?Howmanypeopleat conference,Ibegin phoningeveryoneI knowwholivesand worksin the conferencearea.Iaskiftheyhave colleagueswith children mydaughter’s age.Ithen phonethose“leads”andask about theirchildcarearrangements. Couldtheyfindout whethertheir caregiverwouldtakean extra(wonderfullybright,easy-going,ever-cheerful)

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    Software Analytics Harlan D. Mills Award Acceptance Speech Nachi Nagappan © Microsoft Corporation About Me • My name is Nachiappan. I also go by Nachi. • https://nachinagappan.github.io/ • Graduated with a PhD with Laurie Williams. • I read a lot of Franco-Belgian comics (Bande dessinées) • Attend Comic conventions • Miniature railroad modeling (HO and G). © Microsoft Corporation 3 © Microsoft Corporation 4 © Microsoft Corporation Courtney Miller Jenna Butler Danielle Gonzalez Rangeet Pan Yu Huang Jazette Johnson Paige Rodeghero Rini Chattopadhyay 5 © Microsoft Corporation Courtney Miller Jenna Butler Danielle Gonzalez Rangeet Pan Yu Huang Jazette Johnson Paige Rodeghero Rini Chattopadhyay 6 © Microsoft Corporation What metrics are the If I increase test coverage, will that best predictors of failures? actually increase software quality? What is the data quality level Are there any metrics that are indicators of used in empirical studies and failures in both Open Source and Commercial how much does it actually domains? matter? I just submitted a bug report. Will it be fixed? Should I be writing unit tests in my software How can I tell if a piece of software will have vulnerabilities? project? Is strong code ownership good or Do cross-cutting concerns bad for software quality? cause defects? Does Distributed/Global software Does Test Driven Development (TDD) development affect quality? produce better code in shorter time? 7 © Microsoft Corporation History of Software Analytics 1976: Thomas McCabe code complexity 1971: Fumio Akiyama 1981:
  • Software Systems Engineering Programmes a Capability Approach

    Software Systems Engineering Programmes a Capability Approach

    The Journal of Systems and Software 125 (2017) 354–364 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect The Journal of Systems and Software journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jss R Software Systems Engineering programmes a capability approach ∗ Carl Landwehr a, Jochen Ludewig b, Robert Meersman c, David Lorge Parnas d, , Peretz Shoval e, Yair Wand f, David Weiss g, Elaine Weyuker h a Cyber Security Policy and Research Institute, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA b Institut für Software, Universität Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany c Institut für Informationssysteme und Computer Medien (IICM), Fakultät für Informatik, TU Graz, Graz, Austria d Middle Road Software, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada e Ben-Gurion University, Be’er-Sheva, Israel f Sauder School of Business, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada g Iowa State University, Ames Iowa, USA h Mälardalen University, Västerås, Sweden and University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL USA a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t Article history: This paper discusses third-level educational programmes that are intended to prepare their graduates for Received 24 May 2016 a career building systems in which software plays a major role. Such programmes are modelled on tradi- Revised 22 November 2016 tional Engineering programmes but have been tailored to applications that depend heavily on software. Accepted 19 December 2016 Rather than describe knowledge that should be taught, we describe capabilities that students should Available online 23 December 2016 acquire in these programmes. The paper begins with some historical observations about the software Keywords: development field. Engineering ©2016 Elsevier Inc.
  • Interim Report of a Review of the Next Generation Air Transportation System Enterprise Architecture, Software, Safety, and Human Factors

    Interim Report of a Review of the Next Generation Air Transportation System Enterprise Architecture, Software, Safety, and Human Factors

    This PDF is available from The National Academies Press at http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=18618 Interim Report of a Review of the Next Generation Air Transportation System Enterprise Architecture, Software, Safety, and Human Factors ISBN Committee to Review the Enterprise Architecture, Software Development 978-0-309-29831-5 Approach, and Safety and Human Factor Design of the Next Generation Air Transportation System; Computer Science and Telecommunications 40 pages Board; Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences; National Research 8.5 x 11 2014 Council Visit the National Academies Press online and register for... Instant access to free PDF downloads of titles from the NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES NATIONAL ACADEMY OF ENGINEERING INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL 10% off print titles Custom notification of new releases in your field of interest Special offers and discounts Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the National Academies Press. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Request reprint permission for this book Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Interim Report of a Review of the Next Generation Air Transportation System Enterprise Architecture, Software, Safety, and Human Factors Interim Report of a Review of the Next Generation Air Transportation System Enterprise Architecture, Software, Safety, and Human Factors Committee to Review the Enterprise Architecture, Software Development Approach, and Safety and Human Factor Design of the Next Generation Air Transportation System Computer Science and Telecommunications Board Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences Copyright © National Academy of Sciences.
  • Shenkar College Report 2013.Pages

    Shenkar College Report 2013.Pages

    ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Committee for the Evaluation of Software Engineering and Information Systems Engineering Study Programmes! ! ! ! Shenkar College ! Department of Software Engineering ! Evaluation Report! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 13.04.14 !1/!33 ! ! ! Contents! ! Chapter 1: Background 3 Chapter 2: Committee Procedures 4 Chapter 3: Executive Summary 5 Chapter 4: Evaluation Criteria for System Software Engineering Programmes 7 Chapter 5: Evaluation of Software Engineering Study Programme at Shenkar College 27 Chapter 6: Summary of Recommendations and Timetable 33 Appendices Appendix 1 – Letter of Appointment !Appendix 2 - Schedule of the visit 13.04.14 !2/!33 Chapter 1: Background The Council for Higher Education (CHE) decided to evaluate the study programmes in Software Engineering and Information Systems Engineering during the 2013 academic year. Following the decision of the CHE, the Minister of Education, who serves ex officio as Chairperson of the CHE, appointed a review committee consisting of: • Prof. David Parnas (Emeritus) – Engineering, McMaster University, Canada - Committee chair • Prof. Carl Landwehr - Cyber Security Policy and Research Institute, George Washington University, USA • Prof. Jochen Ludewig - Chair of Software Engineering, Stuttgart University, Germany • Prof. Robert Meersman, Department of Computer Science, The Vrije University - Brussels, Belgium • Prof. Peretz Shoval – Department of Information Systems Engineering, Ben Gurion University, Israel • Prof. Yair Wand1 - Sauder School of Business, The University of British
  • A Specification-Based Coverage Metric to Evaluate Test Sets

    A Specification-Based Coverage Metric to Evaluate Test Sets

    NISTIR 6403 A Specification-Based Coverage Metric to Evaluate Test Sets Paul E. Ammann George Mason University Information & Software Engineering Dept. Fairfax, VA 22033 Paul E. Black U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Technology Administration National Institute of Standards and Technology 100 Bureau Drive Gaithersburg, MD 20899 (£ 100 NIST A Specification-Based Coverage Metric to Evaluate Test Sets Paul E. Ammann George Mason University Information & Software Engineering Dept. Fairfax, VA 22033 Paul E. Black U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Technology Administration National Institute of Standards and Technology 100 Bureau Drive Gaithersburg, MD 20899 October 1999 /iT OF U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE William M. Daley, Secretary TECHNOLOGY ADMINISTRATION Gary R. Bachula, Acting Under Secretary for Technology NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY Raymond G. Hammer, Director A Specification-Based Coverage Metric to Evaluate Test Sets Paul E. Ammann* Paul E. Black George Mason University NIST pammann@gmu. edu paul. [email protected] Abstract Software developers use a variety of methods, including both formal methods and testing, to argue that their systems are suitable for building high as- surance applications. In this paper, we develop another connection between formal methods and testing by defining a specification-based coverage metric to evaluate test sets. Formal methods in the form of a model checker supply the necessary automation to make the metric practical. The metric gives the software developer assurance that a given test set is sufficiently sensitive to the structure of an application’s specification. In this paper, we develop the necessary foundation for the metric and then illustrate the metric on an example.
  • Software Testing by Statistical Methods Preliminary Success Estimates for Approaches Based on Binomial Models, Coverage Designs

    Software Testing by Statistical Methods Preliminary Success Estimates for Approaches Based on Binomial Models, Coverage Designs

    Software Testing by Statistical Methods Preliminary Success Estimates for Approaches based on Binomial Models, Coverage Designs, Mutation Testing, and Usage Models by David Banks, Div 898 William Dashiell, Div 897 Leonard Gallagher, Div 897, Editor Charles Hagwood, Div 898 Raghu Kacker, Div 898 Lynne Rosenthal, Div 897, PI A Task Deliverable under a Collaboration between ITL’s Statistical Engineering (898) and Software Diagnostics and Conformance Testing (897) Divisions to pursue Statistical Methods that may be applicable to Software Testing National Institute of Standards and Technology Information Technology Laboratory Gaithersburg, MD 20899, USA March 12, 1998 -ii- - Abstract - Software conformance testing is the process of determining the correctness of an implementation built to the requirements of a functional specification. Exhaustive conformance testing of software is not practical because variable input values and variable sequencing of inputs result in too many possible combinations to test. This paper addresses alternatives for exhaustive testing based on statistical methods, including experimental designs of tests, statistical selection of representative test cases, quantification of test results, and provision of statistical levels of confidence or probability that a program implements its functional specification correctly. The goal of this work is to ensure software quality and to develop methods for software conformance testing based on known statistical techniques, including multivariable analysis, design of experiments,