Robustness
From CasGroup
(New page: '''Robustness''' in the context of software systems and applications is defined as the degree to which a system or component can still function in the presence of pertubations:...) |
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| + | ::::People err. That is a fact of life. People are not precision machinery designed for accuracy | ||
| + | ::::In fact, we humans are a different kind of device entirely. Creativity, adaptability, and | ||
| + | ::::flexibility are our strengths. Continual alertness and precision in action or memory are our | ||
| + | ::::weaknesses. We are amazingly error tolerant, even when physically damaged. We are extremely | ||
| + | ::::flexible, robust, creative, and superb at finding explanations and meanings from partial and | ||
| + | ::::noisy evidence. The same properties that lead to such robustness and creativity also produce | ||
| + | ::::errors. The natural tendency to interpret partial information -- although often our prime virtue | ||
| + | :::: -- can cause operators to misinterpret system behavior in such a plausible way that the | ||
| + | ::::misinterpretation can be difficult to discover. - Donald A. Norman | ||
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'''Robustness''' in the context of software systems and applications is defined as the degree | '''Robustness''' in the context of software systems and applications is defined as the degree | ||
to which a [[System|system]] or component can still function in the presence of pertubations: | to which a [[System|system]] or component can still function in the presence of pertubations: | ||
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Reliability, robustness and [[Fault Tolerance|fault tolerance]] can be achieved by | Reliability, robustness and [[Fault Tolerance|fault tolerance]] can be achieved by | ||
[[Redundancy|redundancy]] and [[Replication|replication]]. | [[Redundancy|redundancy]] and [[Replication|replication]]. | ||
| + | In his paper [http://www.institutnicod.org/Reduction/7.OntComplSys.pdf The Ontology of Complex Systems], William Wimsatt gives the following definition of robustness: | ||
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| + | :''Things are robust if they are accessible (detectable, measureable, derivable, defineable, produceable, or the like) in a variety of independent ways.'' | ||
Basically, a system is robust if a certain operation or process can be achieved | Basically, a system is robust if a certain operation or process can be achieved | ||
