"SVDSD::PETCHER@ti-eg.CSNET".UUCP (03/10/87)
Regarding Ed Berard's comments on software reuseability: There are some aditional roadblocks in the way of reuseability. While electronic engineers have been able to freely obtain integrated circuits without anybody worrying about who has the "rights" to the design, the same has not been true for software. The government tends to demand complete rights not only to embedded operational software, but also to all tools required to maintain it. This tends to prevent software designers from reusing modules from sources who believe they have a vested interested in their software design (as do chip makers in their chip designs.) This is worsened because distribution of source reveals 100% of the design information on a software module, whereas corresponding information (schematic, electrical characteristics, etc) for an integrated circuit reveals virtually nothing about the process technology required to make it. Certainly no company would want to invest money in development of generic reuseable software modules if it means the very first time they use a given module on a contract that module is swept into the public domain. Malcolm