I’ve just written my first .net program! (Using mono) It seems very similar to Java, I’m going to grab a book and have a play with it some more over the next few days. Of course, I’m really trying to learn Lisp, but since the books I bought have been stranded in Vienna it seems like I may have to wait a few weeks for that.

From an article in the New York Times:

The security flaws Mr. Kean’s team is scrambling to catch and patch are part of the larger problem with software today. The programs that people rely on for all manner of tasks — from writing reports and sending e-mail, to monitoring factory floors and managing electric power grids — are becoming increasingly large, complex and, all but inevitably, filled with bugs.

I just don’t agree about the inevitability of it, software is filled with bugs because people like it that way. I’m serious. If people wanted software that was virtually bug free they could have it. Right now. It’s a matter of cost though. In real mission critical systems (e.g. flight computers, life support systems, the controls for nuclear reactors, etc.) I would expect to find a very low level of bugs. I’d also expect to have to pay somewhat more than $500 for it.

There’s a fascinating article by Paul Graham about how computer languages evolve, and what a language would look like one hundred years from now. Interesting stuff.