Evaluating the effectiveness of software verification

From the point of view of the user, a reliable computer program is one which performs satisfactorily according to the computer program's specifications. The ability to determine if a computer program does indeed satisfy its specifications is most often based upon accumulated experience in using the software. This is due in part to general agreement that the quality of computer software increases as the software is extensively used and failures are discovered and corrected. In keeping with this philosphy, increasing emphasis has been placed on exhaustive testing of computer programs as the principal means of assuring sufficient quality.