Foolproof Systems Don't Exist, Say Users

http://informationweek.com/707/07iufoo.htm

This article starts by saying that traders milled about for an hour the previous week on the New York Stock Exchange floor, unable to work because a card in an Ethernet hub had gone haywire. It goes on to report the frustration of IT managers in not being able to create 100% reliable computer networks.

Questions:

1. You have probably had some experience with computers going down just as you have had experience with cars not starting or having other problems. Why does 100% reliability seem so important to the people mentioned in this article, and how is that related to your experience with reliability of computers and other machines?

2. How should people make decisions about how much extra money to spend to get more reliability? Describe economic tradeoffs related to reliability by relating your answer to your personal experience or other familiar examples to describe economic tradeoffs related to reliability.

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