rottenray:
I'll throw my $0.02 in. Automation has to go a long, long way to replace the human element in piloting an aircraft. There is a notion amongst smug programmers that all they need is a "concept" and enough "examples" in order to successfully mimic the advanced decision-making process even the least smart of humans use on a daily basis to !!!!! and then wipe the backside.
Such programmers seem akin to statists who would replace the "inefficiency" of the free market with central planners.
The absurdity of this is illustrated by a
common #2 pencil. A slender rod of graphite, encased in a wooden tube, with a natural rubber bit secured by a metal shell. Many technologies combine to form a simple instrument. Is a government factory likely to invent such a complex/simple device?
Did a government invent the violin, or the artificial horizon, or for that matter the airplane?
Don't get me wrong; I've done a lot of programming, mostly for my own applications. I solved a LOT of problems, but realized that solving others would likely cause
more harm than good. Removing the human element was thus unwise.