I have just been reviewing some papers by Greg Chaitin on Algorithmic
Complexity Theory, in which he boldly states that 


"<fontfamily><param>Times</param><bigger><bigger>Similarly, proving
correctness of software using formal methods is hopeless. Debugging is
done experimentally, by trial and error. And cautious managers insist
on running a new system in parallel with the old one until they
believe that the new system works."


from 


http://www.cs.auckland.ac.nz/CDMTCS/chaitin/omega.html


He goes to great lengths to discuss the halting problem and its
implications for proving correctness of algorithms.


I wonder, as a non-specialist in this area, how the goals of FPL
squares with this result?

</bigger></bigger></fontfamily>

David McClain

Senior Corporate Scientist

Avisere, Inc.


david.mcclain@avisere.com

+1.520.390.7738 (USA)