The
Severi-Harris theorem says that any plane nodal curve can be
degenerated into a line arrangement in general position, and vice verse
(i.e. prescribed nodes of a line arrangement can be smoothed out
while keeping the rest of singularities). We discuss a similar problem
for surfaces with ordinary singularities in P^3, i.e. their possible
degenerations into plane arrangements in general position, and vice
verse.
