Research
A Better Way to Beta
Prof’s program is helping software designers work the bugs out.
Ben Liblit offers a bold prediction regarding every software program churning away in your computer: They have bugs. All of them. Guaranteed.
“Software bugs are part of the mathematical fabric of the universe,” says Liblit, an assistant professor of computer science. “It is impossible, with a capital ‘I,’ to detect or anticipate all bugs.”
The problem isn’t just in the staggering complexity of today’s computer software. Multiple points of interaction — with hardware, with networks, with other software, and, mostly, with humans — leave ample opportunity for things to go wrong. Typically, even the best programmers have to wait for people to discover the unforeseen problems, which can be frustrating for both software makers and users.
“Software developers deploy their programs and rarely hear directly from users, but the poor guy in tech support gets an earful,” says Liblit.
“That’s the only kind of feedback you get; you lob it over the wall and hope it works.”
Ben Liblit offers a bold prediction regarding every software program churning away in your computer: They have bugs. All of them. Guaranteed.
“Software bugs are part of the mathematical fabric of the universe,” says Liblit, an assistant professor of computer science. “It is impossible, with a capital ‘I,’ to detect or anticipate all bugs.”
The problem isn’t just in the staggering complexity of today’s computer software. Multiple points of interaction — with hardware, with networks, with other software, and, mostly, with humans — leave ample opportunity for things to go wrong. Typically, even the best programmers have to wait for people to discover the unforeseen problems, which can be frustrating for both software makers and users.
“Software developers deploy their programs and rarely hear directly from users, but the poor guy in tech support gets an earful,” says Liblit.
“That’s the only kind of feedback you get; you lob it over the wall and hope it works.”
Liblit believes there may be another way. Using statistical analysis, he says he can identify trends in how software behaves in real use, which in turn can point to problems that users may not even know exist. His idea, called the Comparative Bug Isolation Project, is already spotting and “killing” bugs — and drawing industry attention. The process uses lightweight instrumentation that is added into the binary language of software, which produces regular feedback reports across the thousands of software programs that are in use. Those reports get fed into a powerful database that pinpoints recurring problems, which Liblit then identifies and reports to software engineers.
The project works because it relies on statistical analysis of software operation, not user feedback, which can be unreliable. “The problem is consumers are not very good beta testers,” says Liblit. “They’re not very disciplined, they don’t keep good records, they never do the same thing twice. My solution is to make them better beta testers.”
Liblit developed the program for his doctoral dissertation, which the Association for Computing Machinery tabbed as the field’s best in 2005. Open-source software programmers are already using the system, and Liblit has interest from IBM and Microsoft. In three years of active use, the program has recorded some eleven thousand errors in dozens of software applications.
“We’re trusting our software more than ever before,” Liblit says. “We’re also hating our software more than ever before. And when the software fails, it’s more damaging than it ever was before. But with the right technology, the users themselves can help make software better for everyone.”
— Brian Mattmiller ‘86
The project works because it relies on statistical analysis of software operation, not user feedback, which can be unreliable. “The problem is consumers are not very good beta testers,” says Liblit. “They’re not very disciplined, they don’t keep good records, they never do the same thing twice. My solution is to make them better beta testers.”
Liblit developed the program for his doctoral dissertation, which the Association for Computing Machinery tabbed as the field’s best in 2005. Open-source software programmers are already using the system, and Liblit has interest from IBM and Microsoft. In three years of active use, the program has recorded some eleven thousand errors in dozens of software applications.
“We’re trusting our software more than ever before,” Liblit says. “We’re also hating our software more than ever before. And when the software fails, it’s more damaging than it ever was before. But with the right technology, the users themselves can help make software better for everyone.”
— Brian Mattmiller ‘86
COOL TOOL: Dog Jogger
No, the new underwater treadmill in the UW-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine is not meant to help dogs to shed a few pounds. Instead, it’s a key part of the school’s emerging veterinary rehabilitation program, which helps injured or disabled pups get back on all fours.
The university got its paws on the treadmill in 2004, with the help of donations from patient owners, but could not useit until a physical therapy room designed to house the equipment was renovated. The treadmill was installed in May, and Courtney Arnoldy ‘94, a canine rehabilitator at the school, wasted no time putting its first patient — a beagle named Reupert — through his paces.
For dogs such as Reupert, who was unable to walk after spinal surgery, the treadmill helps retrain muscles and improve strength and coordination. Within two weeks of surgery, Reupert was back on his feet and walking again. “We had a comprehensive program with Reupert, and the [underwater treadmill] made a huge difference with him,” Arnoldy says. “It really speeded his recovery. I think it was motivating for him.”
Although some canines do not tolerate the water or the moving plane, Arnoldy enjoys seeing those that “come into the room and start barking at it because they want to get in.”
— Elli Thompson x’08
The university got its paws on the treadmill in 2004, with the help of donations from patient owners, but could not useit until a physical therapy room designed to house the equipment was renovated. The treadmill was installed in May, and Courtney Arnoldy ‘94, a canine rehabilitator at the school, wasted no time putting its first patient — a beagle named Reupert — through his paces.
For dogs such as Reupert, who was unable to walk after spinal surgery, the treadmill helps retrain muscles and improve strength and coordination. Within two weeks of surgery, Reupert was back on his feet and walking again. “We had a comprehensive program with Reupert, and the [underwater treadmill] made a huge difference with him,” Arnoldy says. “It really speeded his recovery. I think it was motivating for him.”
Although some canines do not tolerate the water or the moving plane, Arnoldy enjoys seeing those that “come into the room and start barking at it because they want to get in.”
— Elli Thompson x’08
Zapping the Blues
New depression treatment acts like a pacemaker for emotions.
A new method for treating chronic depression is giving patients a charge — literally. UW psychiatrists have begun performing vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) therapy, a process that relies on sending electricity directly into one of the major nerve pathways that connect to the patient’s brain.
Think of it as a pacemaker for the emotions. In VNS, surgeons implant a device in the patient’s chest and attach it to the vagus nerve — one of the longest nerves in the body — in his or her neck. The device sends electrical pulses over regular intervals into an area of the brain that appears to affect mood.
VNS differs from electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), commonly known as shock therapy, which delivers a higher-current shock across the entire brain and can cause memory loss or confusion. But while VNS is easier on the body, it can also take longer — sometimes four to six months — to have an effect, and even then
only one-third to one-half of patients show improvement, says Jerry Halverson ‘94, MD’99, an assistant professor of psychiatry who heads the treatment-resistant depression program at the Wisconsin Psychiatric Institute and Clinics. “But what’s exciting is that, for the patients who do respond, 70 to 80 percent of them are still feeling well years after the implant,” Halverson says
The Food and Drug Administration only approved VNS as a depression treatment in July 2005, and it continues to be controversial. Science remains somewhat mystified about why it works at all, and currently, it’s approved only as a last resort. Patients must have tried at least four other interventions — medications, psychotherapy, ECT, or some combination of them — and failed to show sustained improvement before Halverson will approve them for VNS.
A new method for treating chronic depression is giving patients a charge — literally. UW psychiatrists have begun performing vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) therapy, a process that relies on sending electricity directly into one of the major nerve pathways that connect to the patient’s brain.
Think of it as a pacemaker for the emotions. In VNS, surgeons implant a device in the patient’s chest and attach it to the vagus nerve — one of the longest nerves in the body — in his or her neck. The device sends electrical pulses over regular intervals into an area of the brain that appears to affect mood.
VNS differs from electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), commonly known as shock therapy, which delivers a higher-current shock across the entire brain and can cause memory loss or confusion. But while VNS is easier on the body, it can also take longer — sometimes four to six months — to have an effect, and even then
only one-third to one-half of patients show improvement, says Jerry Halverson ‘94, MD’99, an assistant professor of psychiatry who heads the treatment-resistant depression program at the Wisconsin Psychiatric Institute and Clinics. “But what’s exciting is that, for the patients who do respond, 70 to 80 percent of them are still feeling well years after the implant,” Halverson says
The Food and Drug Administration only approved VNS as a depression treatment in July 2005, and it continues to be controversial. Science remains somewhat mystified about why it works at all, and currently, it’s approved only as a last resort. Patients must have tried at least four other interventions — medications, psychotherapy, ECT, or some combination of them — and failed to show sustained improvement before Halverson will approve them for VNS.
“This isn’t for those who are upset because Brett Favre might retire,” Halverson says. “It’s for people who have refractory depression, people who have literally been suffering for twenty or thirty years. Really, we have very little else to offer them.”
— John Allen
— John Allen
Lion Heart
UW student fights for dying species in Kenya.
In Africa, the reign of the king of cats is in serious jeopardy. Lion prides, which once roamed the arid African plains freely, have been hunted to the brink of extinction, and by some estimates, the majestic creatures will be wiped out of existence in the wild within the next few years.
But not if Leela Hazzah has anything to say about it.
A master’s student at the UW’s Gaylord Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, Hazzah has spent the past six years studying the alarming disappearance of lions in Kenya. At the heart of the problem — and of her fieldwork — are the ritual lion slayings carried out by the Masai, a nomadic tribe of cattle herders.
Masai warriors engage in traditional hunts called Olamayio to prove their manhood. The slayings take place during the rainy season, when lions follow prey out of the wild and onto lands that the Masai use for cattle grazing. In their search for food, lions sometimes pick off livestock, and tribal warriors hunt them as retaliation.
Although killing lions is illegal in Kenya, the law is loosely enforced, and those responsible for the slayings are often let off with little more than a slap on the wrist.
In Africa, the reign of the king of cats is in serious jeopardy. Lion prides, which once roamed the arid African plains freely, have been hunted to the brink of extinction, and by some estimates, the majestic creatures will be wiped out of existence in the wild within the next few years.
But not if Leela Hazzah has anything to say about it.
A master’s student at the UW’s Gaylord Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, Hazzah has spent the past six years studying the alarming disappearance of lions in Kenya. At the heart of the problem — and of her fieldwork — are the ritual lion slayings carried out by the Masai, a nomadic tribe of cattle herders.
Masai warriors engage in traditional hunts called Olamayio to prove their manhood. The slayings take place during the rainy season, when lions follow prey out of the wild and onto lands that the Masai use for cattle grazing. In their search for food, lions sometimes pick off livestock, and tribal warriors hunt them as retaliation.
Although killing lions is illegal in Kenya, the law is loosely enforced, and those responsible for the slayings are often let off with little more than a slap on the wrist.
In Kenya, Hazzah is identifying practical solutions to ending the carnage, yet respecting tribal customs. “I am not sure if we can change cultural attitudes, as this has been tried before,” she says. “Instead, if we can incorporate their tradition and culture, we may find a solution that appeases the Masai while also halting lion killings.”
She points out that the livelihoods of many Masai depend solely on their herds. “If they do not receive any reparations for living with wildlife, then they cannot be expected to silently cope with continual livestock loss,” she says.
Hazzah is working with the Kilimanjaro Lion Conservation Project, an organization that seeks to forge a truce between people and predators. The group has developed an innovative compensation program that encourages locals to corral their herds and repays them when a lion kills a cow.
Meanwhile, the project is monitoring lions outfitted with radio collars to understand their movements and identify persistent run-ins with ranch animals.
“We are fighting daily to keep these few remaining lions alive,” says Hazzah. “Awareness will hopefully make a difference, maybe not for this lion population, but at least for the overall conservation of the species.”
Although she hopes that her work in Kenya will help save lions in the wild, Hazzah knows that might not be realistic. “I think I would be satisfied with a thorough understanding of Masai attitudes toward carnivores and how they envision a sustainable future living alongside them,” she says.
— Erin Hueffner ‘00
She points out that the livelihoods of many Masai depend solely on their herds. “If they do not receive any reparations for living with wildlife, then they cannot be expected to silently cope with continual livestock loss,” she says.
Hazzah is working with the Kilimanjaro Lion Conservation Project, an organization that seeks to forge a truce between people and predators. The group has developed an innovative compensation program that encourages locals to corral their herds and repays them when a lion kills a cow.
Meanwhile, the project is monitoring lions outfitted with radio collars to understand their movements and identify persistent run-ins with ranch animals.
“We are fighting daily to keep these few remaining lions alive,” says Hazzah. “Awareness will hopefully make a difference, maybe not for this lion population, but at least for the overall conservation of the species.”
Although she hopes that her work in Kenya will help save lions in the wild, Hazzah knows that might not be realistic. “I think I would be satisfied with a thorough understanding of Masai attitudes toward carnivores and how they envision a sustainable future living alongside them,” she says.
— Erin Hueffner ‘00
WISCONSIN IDEAS
One of the strongest voices calling for renewal of the federal Voting Rights Act belongs to UW political science professor David Canon. An expert in racial representation in politics, Canon testified before a U.S. Senate committee in June to urge Congress to extend the 1965 law, which prohibited discriminatory barriers used to block racial minorities from voting. A twenty-five-year extension of the act — which Canon describes as “one of the most important pieces of civil rights legislation in U.S. history” — passed the Senate in July and was awaiting the president’s signature.
UW professor Dale Schoeller and a team of nutritional scientists have found that super-sizing fast-food meals can carry a supersized cost. Although the meals themselves cost only 17 percent more than regular-sized meals, the researchers factored in longterm costs, such as increased energy needs, gasoline prices, and medical-care expenses associated with eating larger meals. According to their data, the actual cost of a super-sized meal can be nearly double the cost of regular portions.
UW-Madison’s Center for Tobacco Research has launched a study involving a new nicotine vaccine intended to help end smokers’ dependence on tobacco. The vaccine is designed to gradually decrease the amount of nicotine that enters the brain, easing smokers off addiction. Forty volunteers will take the vaccine during the yearlong study.
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UW professor Dale Schoeller and a team of nutritional scientists have found that super-sizing fast-food meals can carry a supersized cost. Although the meals themselves cost only 17 percent more than regular-sized meals, the researchers factored in longterm costs, such as increased energy needs, gasoline prices, and medical-care expenses associated with eating larger meals. According to their data, the actual cost of a super-sized meal can be nearly double the cost of regular portions.
UW-Madison’s Center for Tobacco Research has launched a study involving a new nicotine vaccine intended to help end smokers’ dependence on tobacco. The vaccine is designed to gradually decrease the amount of nicotine that enters the brain, easing smokers off addiction. Forty volunteers will take the vaccine during the yearlong study.
For a printer-friendly version of this section, click here [pdf]
