Abstract :
About a decade ago, in the early days of the microprocessor, it was the custom for logic designers to attend courses to introduce them to the new device. If the subject of topdown design was mentioned at all it was touched upon only briefly. Indeed, the object of the courses was to allow the participants to start producing code as quickly as possible, with a little perfunctory testing if time permitted. It is sobering to consider how much randomly designed code (with its attendant bugs) must exist to this day in assorted control systems around the world.
