Safeware: System Safety and Computers (Paperback)

by Nancy G. Leveson (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Software engineers and system developers need to understand the issues and develop the skills required to prevent destructive accidents before they occur. This book examines what is currently known about building safe electromechanical systems and looks at past accidents to see what lessons can be applied to new computer-controlled systems.

From the Back Cover

Addressing this need in her long-awaited book, Nancy Levenson examines what is currently known about building safe electromagnetic systems and looks at past accidents to see what practical lessons can be applied to new computer-controlled systems.

Software

• Demonstrates the importance of integrating software safety efforts with system safety engineering
• Describes models of accidents and human error that underlie particular approaches to safety problems
• Presents the elements of a software program, including management, hazard analysis, requirements analysis, design for safety, design of the human-machine interface, and verification

0201119722B04062001

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Product Details

• Paperback: 704 pages
• Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional (April 17, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0201119722
• ISBN-13: 978-0201119725
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #119,006 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Software Safety, April 25, 2000

By A Customer

This is an OK book that should have been an excellent book. Frankly, it was a big disappointment. The author is the grand poo-bah of software safety, and so I expected the book to be deep and profound. Instead it is rather shallow with lots of generalities. A lot of what is said is the type of common sense discussion that I would expect from a social scientist, rather than a scientist. I was particularly surprised to see but one page on independent verification and validation. This is a very important topic for ensuring software safety, yet one evidently not on Professor Leveson's radar screen.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent introductory text!, September 1, 2005

By	Oleg Lisagor (UK) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is among seminal works on system safety and safety engineering and should be read by anyone who is entering the field. One may not necessarily agree with Prof. Leveson's views (e.g. her often unfair and unjustified dismissal of european approaches to safety engineering) but her views in the field are simply too important and influential to be ignored!
The book is a good "bed time reading" that gives an overview of the field, major problems and introduction to some major approaches. It is however not a handbook per se - you will not understand any particular method sufficiently to apply it.
Overall, very good introductory text with a good coverage and a very easy and clear language!

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars simplistic story telling, November 14, 2005

By	Griffongate - See all my reviews

Interested in the development of high integrity software? Looking for a system safety engineering text? This is not the one for you.

This book won't describe when to use a sequence number or what size CRC is appropriate for your safety-related communication, or what level of code coverage is appropriate or what level of requirement coverage is appropriate for your identified hazard etc. It won't describe the actual versus perceived issues with OOA/OOD, what aspects of a hard real-time design require attention or how to meet the expectations of an independent assessor or certification agency.

The principles of software design assurance/software integrity can be garnered from the standards such as DO-178B, and DO-248-style discussion papers or from CENELEC 50128 and good old MIL-STD-882B to name but a few. Alternatively a free start can be achieved by downloading the Joint Software system Safety Handbook from the US DoD.

Save your money for the works of Moriarty (executive-level), Ericson (introduction/supervised practitioner), or Dunn (software controlled system safety intro) if you must buy something.

But if you're looking for some stories to put into your slick safety presentation or seminar then it might be just the right book.