Benefits and Applications of Cross-Pollination - Guest Editors' Introduction
0 7 4 0 7 4 5 9 / 0 0 / $ 1 0 . 0 0 © 2 0 0 0 I E E E The speed of this evolution is both a challenge and a risk. It’s wonderful to see so many new and never imagined applications, but three decades after the discipline’s emergence, our society heavily depends on software technology. The public and the discipline’s practitioners dramatically underestimated a software product’s lifetime. For example, no one budgeted for Y2K corrections, and the complete cost—probably exceeding tens of billions of dollars—is yet to be calculated. We rely on software without knowing it’s impacts. Occasionally, we stumble across a blue screen when we do not expect it and recognize loopholes that weaken our security. If we drive a car or fly in a plane. We accept that there are certain risks that have been calculated before, allowing us to consciously decide. Software is embedded and hidden from daily life, and in most cases, nobody completely assessed its impacts.