On Thu, 8 Feb 1996 08:50:13 -0800, "Stan Griffiths" <w7ni@teleport.com> wrote:
> I can certainly sympathize with your desire to know how to correctly design
> your tower installation so it won't fail. We had quite a thorough
> discussion here a couple of months ago where it was pretty much concluded
> that all of the engineering design expertise needed to do this job right
> could be put into a software program that could be used by the average ham
> much the same way as antenna design software is used today. The problem is
> that anyone who writes such a program is assuming a massive amount of
> liability in the event that one of the tower systems designed using the
> program fails.
Funny, I remember that thread, but I remember the conclusion
a bit differently. As I recall it, the engineers and the
faint-hearted felt that writing a software program would
subject them to liability if the system failed. At least
one lawyer (me) felt that a "waiver of liability" paragraph
embedded in the program would protect the software writer.
Perform the following thought experiment about "outcome
liability" with respect to software. Assume you are Lotus,
and you have written 1-2-3. A dunce in New York City
working for Gimbels uses 1-2-3 to create a spreadsheet
predicting that Gimbels will never go bankrupt, and
therefore its bonds are a good investment. I suggest to you
that Lotus is not liable for the debts of Gimbels.
Free legal advice is worth every penny you paid for it.
--
Fred Hopengarten K1VR
Six Willarch Road * Lincoln, MA 01773-5105
home + office telephone: 617/259-0088 (FAX on demand)
internet: k1vr@k1vr.jjm.com
"Big antennas, high in the sky, are better
than small ones, low."
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