Subject: Re: [hackers-il] The Pal-Kal effect in software

From: Uri <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 1 Apr 2008 22:24:19 +0200

On 4/1/08, Shlomi Fish <[email-masked]> wrote:
> Regarding "victims of Pal-Kal" you may wish to consult this:
>
> http://shlomif.livejournal.com/37841.html

My father works in the construction business and knows Eli Ron
(founder of "Fall-Kal" a.k.a. Easy-Fall).  Actually I think more
Pal-Kal buildings fell before the wedding tragedy, and my father knew
Eli Ron as an engineer who's buildings fall even before the famous
tragedy.  The issue is SECURITY.  My father told me you can build good
buildings with Pal-Kal, but you have to keep strict rules which most
constructors don't, and then the ceiling becomes dangerous and easy to
fall (Easy-Fall ceiling a.k.a. "Fall-Kal").  I understand the court
convicted Eli Ron for being personally responsible for building
dangerous buildings (or ceilings) who fall.  It doesn't mean that
EVERY Pal-Kal ceiling will fall.

The Pal-Kal effect exists also in software.  When companies compete in
time-to-market, nobody cares about code documenting, bug-free code
etc. and the results are known to all of us as BLUE SCREENS.  (I
probably don't have to explain to you what a blue screen is).  It is
possible to write software which doesn't collapse - or at least with
much less chances to collapse often.  But then you have to invest much
more time coding (read what I wrote yesterday).  It's much easier and
cheaper to write the code as fast as you can, with all the features,
maybe outsourcing or maybe insourcing - and then check the software to
see if it works, fix any visual bug and sell it to your customers.
Security costs money - both in construction, software and also in
building cars, trains and roads.  Many people want to buy cheap and
save the cost of security.  That's why many airplanes fall in Africa -
they buy old airplanes and don't spend too much money to fix them.

Anyway, I think not only MS-Windows but ANY closed source software may
be similar to Pal-Kal.  I wouldn't risk my life on it working.  But if
I use a PC and it stops working - I will survive.  Actually my PC at
home isn't working for at least two months - I use a public PC.
People want to buy cheap - even public institutions who use public
money buy cheap software from MS instead of investing (a little more)
in open source software.  If they invested in open source software,
the whole public would benefit in the long term.  But they don't care
about the long term - they want cheap software now and working.  In
the long term they are committing suicide - they are poisoning the
water they drink from.

Anyway, I stopped working in the company I started working on Sunday.
I decided it's not a suitable job for me.  I just can't lie to myself
and do bad job just because my boss wants me to.  And also my former
boss wanted me to do the bad job much more quickly.  I can do a good
job, but it takes time.  This company doesn't have time.  They want
the website now and working.  It's like building with Pal-Kal - we
don't care how secure it is, as long as you build it quickly (and most
important - cheaply).  By the way, most of the Pal-Kal ceilings have
been tested for security after the famous tragedy, and that's one of
the reasons they don't fall.  Even if columns were removed from that
famous graveyard (oops - former wedding hall) it still doesn't mean
that building with Pal-Kal is safe.

By the way, I use Gmail's automatic spelling checker before I actually
send the mail.  Since I have automatic spelling checker, I spend less
time in manually checking what I write.  If I didn't have an automatic
spelling checker, I would spend more time checking manually.  It's the
same with software.  I believe preventing bugs manually during coding
is the best way to prevent bugs in the future.  Unfortunately, most
people and companies tend to rely on bug checking only AFTER the code
is written, not DURING the coding.  I believe at least most of the
bugs in software can be prevented if coding is done right.  When you
drive on the right side you usually have less accidents than when you
just drive as fast as you can without caring which side of the road
you are...  Of course the right side depends on where you are.  In
some countries the right side to drive is not the same side as here.

Uri Even-Chen
Mobile Phone: +972-50-9007559
E-mail: [email-masked]
My website: http://www.speedy.net/uri/