Jane Street reconsiders formal methods after 25 years of skepticism
By
eatonphil
4d ago· 7 min readenOpinion
100/100
Golden Brown
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Sesame, salt, and substance. A flagship bake.
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Summary
The author, a representative of Jane Street, reflects on a 25-year stance against formal methods in programming. They acknowledge a shift in perspective, noting that while the organization previously dismissed formal methods (except for niche cases like hardware synthesis), they are now reconsidering this position. The article explores the evolution of their thinking, the role of type systems as lightweight formal methods, and the changing landscape of software reliability tools.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledI've been telling people for the last 25 years that Jane Street as an organization was just not interested in formal methods.
I'm not saying that anymore.
We're strong believers in the power of tools to help us write better and more reliable code.
I’ve been telling people for the last 25 years that Jane Street as an organization was just not interested in formal methods.
