Increasing complexity of systems and software – Critical software and its production process

For decades, the complexity of systems and software has increased for a variety of reasons: on the one hand, because of the ever-increasing power of computers (both in terms of speed and memory capacity), but also because of the growing demands of manufacturers and customers who, in general, are asking for ever more functionality, because software seems to have no limits, being immaterial (it's enough to write code, only ideas might be lacking, and costs are only significant for design and realization, and increasingly low when it comes to multiplying copies). The majority of sensors, actuators and interfaces today contain software. Another important aspect is the use of IT in the industrial world (automation, control stations, processes), the development of telecommunications, the use of networks with distributed computers and information systems requiring high availability. This requires...