The Coming Software Apocalypse

A small group of programmers wants to change how we code — before catastrophe strikes.

By James Somers

Illustration: Lynn Scurfield

There were six hours during the night of April 10, 2014, when the entire population of Washington State had no 911 service. People who called for help got a busy signal. One Seattle woman dialed 911 at least 37 times while a…