45. The false idea that it is possible
to create a faultless system
It is not possible to create a
faultless system unless it is extremely simple. Any system with any kind of
complexity will be put together through the efforts of thousands of people,
people who will occasionally make mistakes. The wrong confluence of mistakes
will produce a catastrophic outcome. Even if the design seems perfect, a
disaster may be caused because the design is not followed to the letter, or followed
to the letter but not in the right spirit.