Users are putting Band-Aids on software, says new federal research chief

Patrick Thibodeau   Today’s Top Stories   or  Other IT in Government Stories  

The Secure Web Gateway. Mission Critical For Business Get a Grip on Storage Growth and Reduce Costs What's Next? Real Answers for Tough Times Go Green with Webroot® Perimeter Security SaaS! Enterprise Findability Without the Complexity Security Trends Overview: Targeted Phishing Attack Computerworld Report- Large Enterprises Pay More for IPAM An Apple for Your Enterprise? Six Questions To Ask About Information And Competition Sign up to receive IT in Government Resource Alerts

March 8, 2007 (Computerworld) -- WASHINGTON -- Jeannette Wing is focused on the future -- and later this year she will be the person responsible for shaping it as the new head of the computer and information science and engineering directorate at the National Science Foundation.

But Wing, who heads the computer science department at Carnegie Mellon University, sees big trouble for the U.S., private industry and users unless fundamental changes are made in the way research is done.

When Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates testified this week before a U.S. Senate committee with recommendations on improving U.S. competitiveness, he called for increases in basic research funding. It was a rare moment for basic science, which can elicit the same glazed-eye reaction from the media and lawmakers that one sees in an end-of-the-day high school science class.

Wing's concerns come at a time when basic scientific research has an image problem. It isn't seen as sexy, like a new Web 2.0 mashup or some speedy processor. Instead, Wing said, it may mean something as esoteric as development of an algorithm that has no immediate use because it's ahead of the technology that can utilize it.

Wing is passionate about the subject and says people like Gates need to talk it up and urge Congress to increase research funding. "We cannot say it enough; we can't say it loud enough," she said.

The National Science Foundation funds 87% of all federally funded research in computer science out of a budget that is now about $530 million. That budget, beginning July 1, will be managed under Wing's leadership. The NSF pays for research that private industry doesn't -- namely basic, long-range research without any immediate payback.

Wing sees her job as making esoteric research issues real, immediate and relevant to users. "Today in security, we are patching systems and fighting viruses and worms and doing source code analysis using techniques that the basic research community invented 20 years ago, or even longer than that," she said.

Consequently, users "are basically putting Band-Aids on our software and trying to build better intrusion-detection systems," said Wing, while the basic research needed to protect against future threats isn't being done.

The advanced programming languages now used, such as Java and C+, all evolved from basic programming language research in the late 1970s, said Wing. "That's where we are now."

To understand how research can create new things, Wing points to Google Inc. Its stems from development of a page rank algorithm, which "is just an instance of basic research."

There are many fundamental areas that need to be addressed, according to Wing. For instance, software code today has bugs and vulnerabilities that make it susceptible to attacks and crashes. Rebooting an operating system is one thing, but she points to embedded systems, such as those surgically implanted in people to help with heart function. "Why should we be putting up with such unreliable systems," said Wing.

"We need this (research effort) because we need to retain society's trust in the computing system that touches us on a daily life," said Wing.

Even so, the NSF only approves about 18% of the funding requests its gets; many computer scientists are turned away. "There is a lot of science that's just not being done," said Wing. Meanwhile, India and China are investing in basic research. China, in particular, has the money, power and hunger "to do whatever they want," she said.

Print this Story

Send Us Feedback

E-mail this Story

Digg this Story

Slashdot this Story

"Welcome to a special..." Read more... "Your tax dollars are not only saving billionaire bankers from their own bad habits, they're also helping to bail out..." Read more... Read more Government & Regulation posts or See all Blogs

Microsoft moves to quash 'Vista Capable' case, end flood of embarrassing e-mails BlackBerry Storm buyers brave the cold in Boston to be first with the new smart phone Microsoft purges phony security software from 1 million PCs More top stories...

Bush's exit to put new e-records system to the test Apple patches 12 iPhone bugs, adds Street View, podcast downloads Obama's choice for DHS could flame tech visa battle

2008 Salary Survey: IT pay takes tiny leaps If you're like our 7,000 survey respondents, your paycheck this year has been flattened and your bonus obliterated. We offer 12 ways to plump up your paycheck. Windows 7 in-depth review and video: This time Microsoft gets it right Microsoft's next OS might more accurately be called Windows 6.5: It's essentially a better version of Vista. Twitter for business: 5 ways to tap the power of the tweet Twitter can be a valuable business tool -- if you know what you're doing. Here's how to juice it for all it's worth. Microsoft's 'Vista Capable' changes outraged HP, insider e-mails show By helping Intel with loosened 'Vista Capable' requirements, Microsoft 'severely damaged' its credibility, said an HP exec in a newly unsealed Feb. 2006 e-mail. Windows 7 Get the latest news, reviews and more about Microsoft's newest desktop operating system More Continuing Coverage Windows 7 Voting Technology Google's Chrome browser Economy in turmoil: Latest news and tips iPhone 3G Bill Gates moves on Windows Vista A to Z Mac A to Z 2008 Salary Survey Find wage data for 50 IT job titles. More Special Reports 2008 Premier 100 IT Leaders 2007 Premier 100 IT Leaders 2008 Best Places to Work in IT 2007 Best Places to Work in IT 2008 Salary Survey 2007 Salary Survey 2006 Salary Survey 2008 IT Forecast 2007 IT Forecast 40 Years of Computerworld Top 12 Green-IT Users The FAQs About Going Green IT Schools to Watch iPhone: One Year Later Global Mobile Your Next Data Center Management: Reinventing IT Stop Data Leaks Web 2.0 Security Surviving Disasters Managing Storage Virtualization The Lean Storage Machine Storage on Trial Can Web 2.0 Save BI? Bypass These BI Potholes All Zones Business Continuity Zone The File Data Management Zone Security Management Zone The SAS Zone Business Intelligence and Analytics Zone The Enterprise Search Zone Software as a Service Zone The Security Zone See your link here

Computerworld Executive Briefing: The Compliance Era Get this briefing free (a $195 value), for a limited time, courtesy of VeriSign. The new Computerworld report, The Compliance Era, explains why regulatory compliance has zoomed to the top of the IT agenda and shows how real-world IT executives are dealing with the storage, security and privacy challenges. Get this briefing free (a $195 value), for a limited time, courtesy of VeriSign. Download this executive briefing  From Laggard to Leader: Transforming the Data Center From Laggard to Leader: Transforming the Data Center Register for this complimentary webcast today! Go to the webcast  Success Story: U.S. Intelligence Agency Download this white paper, free for a limited time, compliments of Novell! (Source: Novell) A large intelligence agency in the U.S. Federal Government was struggling with managing the vast volume of security information that crossed its networks, as well as managing this data to ensure security at all times. Using Sentinel" from Novell?, the agency now has centralized security knowledge management and can better comply with regulatory standards. Download this white paper  White Papers Read up on the latest ideas and technologies from companies that sell hardware, software and services. Infoblox IP Address Management Solutions Brief 2008 Internet Malware Trends Report Enterprise Findability Without the Complexity View more whitepapers

• Microsoft moves to quash 'Vista Capable' case, end flood of embarrassing e-mails
• Bush's exit to put new e-records system to the test
• BlackBerry Storm buyers brave the cold in Boston to be first with the new smart phone
• More top stories 

The Spy Files For Congress to do anything that helps protect consumers and the critical Internet infrastructure as a whole, it must pass laws that require proactive processes to protect computers, not that tell people how to deal with the resulting mess, says Ira Winkler. Click here to read the latest column by Ira Winkler

Fired up about IT? Join Sharkbait and share your true tales of IT. SharkBait is the place for you to sound off about everything IT – the good, the bad, and the rest of the weird stuff you deal with every day. New baits