Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
26. Perhaps programs used for business purposes ought to conform to higher standards
of quality than games. With respect to software warranties, would it make sense to
distinguish between software used for entertainment purposes (such as a first-person
shooter game) and software used for business (such as a spreadsheet)?
27. Read the entire end-user license agreement (EULA) from a piece of commercial soft-
ware. Do any of the conditions seem shady or unreasonable? If so, which ones?
28. While waiting for an appointment with your physician, you see a brochure advertising a
new surgical procedure that implants a tiny microprocessor inside your skull just behind
your left ear. The purpose of the chip is to help you associate names with faces. The
procedure for inserting the chip is so simple that your physician is performing it in
his office. Suppose your career takes you into sales, where such a device could help you
earn higher commissions. What questions would you want to have answered before you
agreed to have such a device inserted into your skull?
In-Class Exercises
29. Debate the moral responsibility of three agents associated with the two Therac-25 over-
doses occurring in Tyler, Texas: the radiation technician, the hospital director, and the
programmer who wrote the code controlling the machine. Divide the class into six
groups. Three groups (one for each of the three agents) should give reasons why their
particular party should bear at least some of the moral responsibility for the deaths.
The other three groups (one for each of the three agents) should give reasons why their
particular party should not bear any moral responsibility.
30. California is working on an “intelligent highway” system that would allow computer-
controlled automobiles to travel faster and closer together on freeways than today's
human-controlled cars. What kinds of safety devices would have to be in such a system
in order for you to feel comfortable using an intelligent highway? How many people in
class would be comfortable being one of the first people to use the intelligent highway?
31. The New York Transit Authority is transforming the L line into a partially automated
subway line. A central computer system will control the speed and spacing of all trains
on the line. However, each train will have an operator that starts and stops the train and
has the ability to take control of it in an emergency [62]. How many people in the class
would ride on a computer-controlled subway train that did not have a human operator
on board?
32. Identify people in the class who have been beta testers for new software products. Ask
them to tell the rest of the class about their experiences. What did acting as a beta tester
teach them about software reliability?
33. A start-up company called Medick has been developing an exciting new product for
handheld computers that will revolutionize the way nurses keep track of their hospital-
ized patients. The device will save nurses a great deal of time doing routine paperwork,
reduce their stress levels, and enable them to spend more time with their patients.
Medick's sales force has led hospital administrators to believe the product will be
available next week as originally scheduled. Unfortunately, the package still contains
 
 
Search WWH ::




Custom Search