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Journal Editorial + CVu Journal Vol 29, #1 - March 2017
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Title: Editorial: Unnecessary complexity

Author: Martin Moene

Date: 07 March 2017 18:22:15 +00:00 or Tue, 07 March 2017 18:22:15 +00:00

Summary: 

Body: 

In the last issue, I used this space to talk about the Software Crisis of the 1970s and 80s, and how luminaries of the day noted that the solution was the pursuit of simplicity. I also wrote briefly about how that Crisis lives on in the shape of Internet of Things’ security (amongst other problems), and I think the same solution applies. I’m not suggesting that security is simple – far from it! Its complexity is not, however, best managed by more complexity. Simplicity, when applied to computer programs, means two things: removing unnecessary complexity, and containing all necessary complexity so that it doesn’t ‘infect’ the entire system.

Getting rid of un-needed or useless features is one way of removing complexity. Applying unnecessary technology to stuff isn’t even a new idea. Calculator watches, anyone? Perhaps not quite useless, but almost un-usable, and certainly not necessary. The idea of a Smart (tm) baby monitor might seem great until someone uses it to monitor your home network, capture your bank details and steal your money. Is an Internet connection really necessary for a baby monitor? Is it even a convenience? Or just a gimmick?

Smart energy meters are a hot topic in the UK and elsewhere at the moment, and there is some suggestion that having a Smart Meter will become mandatory at some point (it’s not, in the UK, at the time of writing). There are some undeniable conveniences for bill-payers, although the conveniences for the providers seem to me to be more compelling. That’s a distraction from a much more important issue, though: how much can we trust their security as an online device? Some people suggest that being able to inspect the source code running on devices such as meters would help.

And so we come back to Simplicity and the Software Crisis. Even if we are allowed to see the source code running on our IoT devices, that won’t help if it’s too complex to understand.

Notes: 

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