Understanding the software problem
John Brooks Slaughter · 1974
In addressing the question of the high cost of software it is essential, first of all, to surround the issue in such a way that it is possible to achieve some understanding of the problem and its causes. The first question to be answered is that of whether or not software costs are, in fact, too high. In order to answer this question requires a definition of software itself. Continuing this vein of questioning obviously can lead to a circuitous path which never leads to anything but tangential conclusions about pseudo problems and pseudo causes.