This is Fine! A podcast about resilience engineering and software Episode 2 - Does Software Need Safety?
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Nov 21, 2024 John Allspaw, a pioneer in resilience engineering known for his impactful work at Etsy and in the DevOps movement, dives into crucial discussions about safety in software. He addresses how traditional safety concepts clash with software development realities. The conversation highlights the necessity of psychological safety for innovation and explores narrative control's role in software perception. They also examine the dynamics of change management in development, including the risks associated with code freezes and fostering open communication during deployments.
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Software's Societal Impact
- John Allspaw views software as an information transmission medium, no less impactful than print or television.
- He argues software influences perceptions of work and can exert both positive and negative societal influences.
Defining Safety
- Safety is often colloquially understood as the absence of negative events.
- This definition is problematic, as safety can be subjective and context-dependent.
Richard Cook on Software Importance
- Clint shares a story about Richard Cook acknowledging the importance of software operations.
- Cook argued that software failures can have significant financial and societal consequences.
