[PRL] reliability vs market forces

[Dave Herman]

I don't understand everything in this paper but it's interesting:

How the Hidden Hand Shapes the Market for Software Reliability
by Birman, Chandersekaran, Dolev, and van Renesse
http://www.cs.huji.ac.il/~dolev/pubs/MarketFailure.pdf

Abstract:

Since the 17th century, economists have recognized that absent 
government intervention, market forces determine the pricing and 
ultimate fate of technologies. Our contention is that the "hidden hand" 
explains a series of market failures impacting products in the field of 
software reliability. If reliability solutions are to reach mainstream 
developers, greater attention must be paid to market economics and drivers.

Dave