John Vincent A.
Flores
4.1 CAUSES OF COMPUTER FAILURE
Answers:
1. The possible errors in the sentence that the word processor may detect
are numerous. One of the common possible case that an individual
may perform is a lack of including punctuation marks within the
sentence. Punctuation mark is one of the most important tool to make
each sentence or statement clearly and complete. This is to divide a
piece of writing into sentences, statements, clauses, etc.
2. The automated teller machine or ATM sometimes or often commit
errors due to technical errors or difficulties towards their hardware or
software, specifically in the machine. Sometimes the machine fails or
denies access despite providing correct information. Most of the
common problem happen mostly late night or on holidays such as
Christmas day, New Years Eve, etc., due to numbers of people who
are trying to access or withdraw cash using the machine all at once.
3. I often encounter same cases of errors in our schools online
enrollment, where the system provides effective instructions such as
each student can enroll any subject in their curriculum regardless of
the prerequisite of a certain subject. This error in the system affects
some of my class schedule at the schools registrar, the subjects that I
have registered online are not effective nor included.
4.2 CASE: ARIANES FLIGHT 501
Answers:
1. I would personally hold who is responsible for the accident, because
that person has to learn more in decision making especially when it
comes to serious situation.
2. Both the superior and the programmers should be responsible for the
accident because in the first place they both know there was a problem
but still the programmers took orders from their superiors who lead
the whole plan to a disaster.
3. In my opinion, those people should not be considered guilty of
criminal negligence because somehow it was an accident and the
failure from the hardware, but the people behind the accident has to
undergo consequences such as suspension from work.
4. Reusing software is a good idea for me and especially for every
programmer. Reuse software has an advantage of providing effective
features of a certain software. But the disadvantage or reuse software
is some of the features has a particular requirements for each
applications to be upgraded or updated which the reuse software
cannot provide neither approve.
5. The advantages of reuse software are fewer product problems, greater
productivity and easier maintenance. The disadvantages is poor
conceptualization, they sometimes cant provide other features due to
lack of requirements of the reused software.
4.3 CASE: PENTIUM FLOATING POINT DIVIDE
ANSWERS:
1. Intel should let the public know about their issue in their system or
which is known the bug. Because their client has the right to
know every issue or problem towards their company because this
are their respected customers or clients
2. Yes, the intel has an obligation to replace the defective chips due to
the problem of most users encountered
3. Of course, the intel is obligated to return back or pay back the
company, because it is their system who had the problem. The
company is not responsible for any issue or problem that intel
caused.
4. Firmware is a type of software that provides control, monitoring
and data manipulation of engineered products and system. In
computers, firmware is programming that is written to the read-
only memory (ROM) of a computing device.
5. It is an argument, because the chip that Intel sold that has small
errors had to replace and the company should have prevented it
even it does not have the error yet.
6. The ethical issue of Ariane 5 flight failure and Pentium floating
point chip error is that the scientists in Ariane 5 and the people at
Intel should not ignored the little errors that could lead to a big
problem to their company.
4.4 CASE: WHY SOFTWARE FAILS
ANSWERS:
1. Both the conference organizers and the programmer have a moral
responsibility. First is the conference organizers, because they should
have seen the significant errors, beginning with the design of the
registration form and they also gave the programmer the wrong
problem to solve. Second is the programmer, because she should have
not ignored the minor programming bug that caused the wrong name
to be selected under very special circumstances.
I used the Utilitarianism moral theory because every registrants
should be convenient.
2. Both the conference organizers and the programmer have a moral
responsibility. First is the conference organizers, because they should
have seen the significant errors, beginning with the design of the
registration form and they also gave the programmer the wrong
problem to solve. Second is the programmer, because she should have
not ignored the minor programming bug that caused the wrong name
to be selected under very special circumstances.
3. No, because its their responsibility to hire a experienced programmer
to make the system more better and no registrants will not be
inconvenienced.
4. No, because its their responsibility to hire a experienced programmer
to make the system more better and no registrants will not be
inconvenienced.
5. Yes, because she is not yet a professional programmer. She is still a
student programmer.
6. No, because the professional programmer is expected that there will
be no error in her whole system.
