A great read. It makes me think about the software I write on a daily basis and how it's effects may be felt much further than the end user I am providing it directly to. Interestingly, I currently write software (admittedly much less complex) for a mortgage company, so the article hit home.

Regarding the author - should he be "blamed" or feel ashamed of his work somehow? I don't think so, and I'm glad to see that he doesn't think so, either. The software he was commissioned to create worked and performed well for it's intended purpose.

What if a software engineer lands a job working for a defense contractor to create programs for missiles, bombs, or other weapons? Are they to blame for the world war? Of course not, but that seems to be what some people are thinking. [I'm not sure if that comparison is fair, but it makes sense to me.] Could they have turned down the job based on principal? Sure, but sometimes a job can be very tough to come by. Besides, who would think a simple programming job could possibly lead to such catastrophe, especially in the business world? Maybe that's a take away, or at least something to think about when looking for your next gig.