Fixing C's Biggest Mistake

[Don Allen]

On Wednesday, 11 January 2023 at 23:28:15 UTC, Walter Bright 
wrote:
> On 1/11/2023 5:43 AM, Don Allen wrote:
>> True. But it doesn't work perfectly, which was my point. The 
>> jammed 737 rudder actuator problem killed a lot of people and 
>> it took years for the NTSB and Boeing to figure it out. Need I 
>> mention the DC-10 cargo door latches? You can have ATC errors, 
>> pilot errors, etc. that get people killed. So flying is not a 
>> zero-risk proposition, just like everything else we've been 
>> talking about, including password managers.
>
> The difference is, Boeing fixed that single point of failure 
> problem as soon as they could. The rudder now has no known 
> single point of failure problems.
>
> The password manager remains a known, unfixed, single point of 
> failure.

There is no difference whatsoever. The airplane (including pilots 
and ATC) remains a "known, unfixed, single point of failure" when 
you fly. Yes, the 737 is a safer airplane now that the rudder 
actuator has been fixed. The 737 Max has that fix, I'm sure. And 
346 people died in  Max crashes because of a badly designed 
software change, a failed angle-of-attack sensor, (MCAS used only 
one of the two angle-of-attack sensors, which was crazy), pilots 
who weren't told about the software change and how to disable it 
in case of trouble, etc.

You persist in missing my point. I'll try once more. The use of 
everything we've talked about -- password managers, cellphones, 
airplanes, cars, etc. -- carries risks. Those risks may change 
over time but they are never zero. We either accept those risks 
in return for the benefits or we don't. That's a personal 
decision. You won't use a password manager, but you do use a 
cellphone. I'm guessing that you fly, especially given your 
interest in aviation. I'm also guessing you drive a car. I'm not 
trying to argue that I think this is unreasonable, because you 
have made subjective decisions about risks vs. benefits.

But you keep focusing on your perceived risks of password 
managers, implying that I'm making a huge mistake by using one -- 
you haven't said it, but the implication is clear -- losing sight 
of the fact that this is a personal risk-benefit decision just 
like your decision to use a cellphone or a car or an airplane. 
You are also losing sight of the fact that I understand security 
issues quite well, having dealt with them professionally for many 
years, and I am satisfied that the measures taken by the manager 
I am using bring the risk into line -- for me -- with the 
benefits.