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That does not mean that software has no real world consequences. Otherwise, why would people be building software ? There's a reason companies which are 100% s

• sb8244 8y ago
  Of course software has consequences. Not the same as infrastructure of countries though. Companies are valued at billions not because of life and death risks but usually because it enables other companies to make money. On the other hand, basically everything done in civil engineering could be seen as having real danger implications. Bridges and tunnels of course, but even roads which can wash out and cause harm.
• sturgill 8y ago
  Also their marginal cost of delivery approaches zero. High fixed costs in creating the software and almost negligible marginal costs. The return on capital can be astronomical. Online services have “real consequences.” But not of the type as goods in the physical world. PCI and HIPAA have tried to mitigate against some of the most egregious crossovers of failed software. GDPR scares me. Not in the “I don’t like the consequences” but in the “I don’t know what this does and how screwed I might be.” I’m very happy to be on the other side of the pond where I can safely observe the fallout. Feels like buying a first generation Apple device: I’ll wait a few years and let the early adopters go through the pain for me...