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 sh*t 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.