Unsafe Standardization

Software safety standards should lead the industry to use the best computer science and software engineering possible to make safety claims for which we can provide credible evidence. The computing community has been writing standards for safety-critical software for at least a quarter century. The committee structures have been established, the standardization processes put in place, and the standards drafted, debated, agreed upon, and published. Several standards for safety-critical software have been updated more than once. Two important standards, IEC: 61508 and DO-178, are currently being revised. The standardization processes are well established, run smoothly, and involve many sincere and professional experts.