This is actually an artifact of the way planes are certified today (DO-178B). The verification process has to be done by hand - you can't verify automatically generated computer code.
The result is that you can't build say, a prolog program which produces a huge switch statement to prioritize errors. As a result, there effectively is no prioritization of errors and warnings at all. They're all treated as the same severity.
The new standard, DO-178C allows for computer models to be used in verification. So we may start seeing automated prioritization and management in the generation of planes after the A380/787.
The result is that you can't build say, a prolog program which produces a huge switch statement to prioritize errors. As a result, there effectively is no prioritization of errors and warnings at all. They're all treated as the same severity.
The new standard, DO-178C allows for computer models to be used in verification. So we may start seeing automated prioritization and management in the generation of planes after the A380/787.