Adverse Quote by Wietse Venema
“However, writing software without defects is not sufficient. In my experience, it is at least as difficult to write software that is safe - that is, software that behaves reasonably under adverse conditions.”
About This Quote
Source Conference: Software Safety Keynote, 2018
Software must be resilient, not just bug‑free; it should handle unexpected conditions safely.
In simple terms: Bug‑free isn’t enough; safety matters.
Key Takeaway
Design for adverse scenarios.
Themes
software engineering
safety
reliability
risk management
defect prevention
Mood
cautious
analytical
Type
technical
pragmatic
When to use this quote
- critical infrastructure
- medical devices
- autonomous systems
- financial services
Key Concepts
fault tolerance
robustness
adversarial testing
Questions to Reflect On
- What trade‑offs are acceptable for safety?
- How can teams embed safety early?
A Different Perspective
Safety adds complexity and may increase development cost and time.
