[comp.sw.components] S/W Component Archives

gwishon@blackbird.afit.af.mil (Gordon D. Wishon) (10/24/89)

Forgive me if this topic has been discussed before, but is there an
organization somewhere that serves as a clearinghouse/archive for
public domain, reusable software components?  Should there be?  I know
simtel20 does an admirable job of archiving pd software, but how well
tested is this software, and how suitable is it for critical engineering
applications?

If we are to deal with the "software crisis" by using the precepts of
software engineering (reusability, maintainability, etc.) shouldn't
we have a source we can rely on for fully tested, documented components,
rather than reinventing the wheel?

Is this one of the roles of the Software Engineering Institute?