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Re: gcc 3.5 integration branch proposal
Paul Koning <pkoning@equallogic.com> writes:
> >> * Correct code generation * Fewer ICEs * Standards conformance *
> >> Compilation speed * Performance * Features * Release frequency *
> >> Release timeliness
> >>
> >> We need to figure out how to balance those goals better without
> >> losing ground in areas where we recently have been improving.
>
> I can see why some of this ordering would be subject to disagreement,
> but I would hope that there also are partial orderings that are NOT
> debatable.
>
> The general rule of software engineering is that correctness comes
> first, performance and schedule after that.
I don't believe that statement is correct as an absolute.
For instance, a product that never ships is *not* better than a
product that ships with bugs. It is significantly worse.
Likewise, a product that is guaranteed to produce the correct answer,
but will take 400 years, is much worse than a product that has a 99%
chance of producing the correct answer in 10 minutes.
--
- Geoffrey Keating <geoffk@geoffk.org>