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Questions and Answers
What can catastrophic software errors lead to?
Software monitoring is often viewed as an optional extra by businesses.
True
What was the cost of the British Passport System failure?
$14 million
What caused the Mariner 1 spacecraft to divert from its intended path?
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Mydoom is a computer worm first seen on ______.
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The Mariner 1 spacecraft mission was successful.
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Which of the following is NOT a reason behind software failure?
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How did the British Passport System failure impact the citizens?
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Study Notes
Risks of Software Errors
- Serious software errors can induce fear among developers and project leaders due to their potential for high costs and public embarrassment.
- While catastrophic software errors are becoming rarer, the potential for chaos, financial disaster, and reputational harm remains significant.
- Error monitoring solutions are increasingly essential, yet many businesses still treat them as optional, risking high costs from poor software quality.
- Financial repercussions of software errors include direct costs of fixing the issue, downtime, lost data, and reputational damage, affecting customer trust and brand credibility.
Broader Implications of Software Failures
- Besides monetary losses, software errors can negatively affect personal privacy, data integrity, and people's safety.
- Even with extensive testing, errors may still lead to complete system failures, undermining the efforts of engineers and developers.
Common Causes of Software Failures (According to Kumar)
- Incorrect architecture definitions and low-level design choices.
- Rushed schedules lacking sufficient data and analysis.
- Failure to accommodate requirement growth over time.
- Overloading personnel to meet unrealistic deadlines.
- Emotional or intuition-based negotiations among stakeholders.
- Miscommunication and negative team dynamics.
Notable Software Failures and Their Impacts
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British Passport System (1999)
- Over half a million citizens did not receive passports on time.
- Financial Costs: $14 million due to compensation, overtime, and managing customer queues.
- Root Cause: Poor testing and inadequate employee training, coupled with an unexpected surge in passport demand due to new legislation.
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Mariner 1 (1962)
- The spacecraft veered off course just 293 seconds post-launch.
- Financial Costs: $19 million was lost as the mission was completed by Mariner 2 five weeks later.
- Root Cause: Combined hardware and guidance system failures, exacerbated by a programming error involving a miswritten formula.
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Mydoom (2004)
- A computer worm that emerged on January 26, 2004, rapidly infecting emails.
- The SCO Group offered a $250,000 reward for information about its creator.
- It was known for launching denial-of-service attacks and spread through email attachments and infected downloads, impacting countless users.
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Description
This quiz assesses your understanding of the social and professional risks associated with software errors as outlined by Martin (2022). Learn about the implications of catastrophic software errors and the importance of error monitoring in software development. Test your knowledge on preventing chaos and managing costs in tech projects.
