So it moves from both "my implementation and specification is incorrect", to just "my specification is incorrect".
I don't understand this type of thinking. Proving what you can is still better. Don't let perfect be the enemy of good.
So it moves from both "my implementation and specification is incorrect", to just "my specification is incorrect".
I don't understand this type of thinking. Proving what you can is still better. Don't let perfect be the enemy of good.
>> Don't let perfect be the enemy of good.
I feel like the exact same line could be used to argue the opposite point against formal verification.
I'm not saying that proof is inherently bad. If it was free, then I agree it would be good, but my point is that it's not free. Proofs are expensive to produce, maintain, they lock-down flawed implementations, focus on correctness but disregard more important aspects like modularity (I.e. loose coupling, high cohesion). Also; formal proofs discourage change and they create false confidence about reliability because sometimes the bug is in the spec itself, especially as the spec gets more complicated.
I think modularity is a more useful property to aim for in terms of achieving the right degree of correctness over the life of the software, in a practical sense.
Formal proofs can work against modularity if the proof must be rewritten in order to achieve modularity as requirements change over time; which is the reality for most software.