Having been an embedded/realtime programmer myself at one time, I can
attest that otherwise proven software can iterate billions, even
trillions of times then encounter a problem--deadlock, or a race
condition--that will create havoc and completely escape replication or
diagnosis. It has been alleged that some of the early Airbuses--the
first commercial fly-by-wire aircraft--had a nasty habit of trying to
fly themselves into the ground. We may yet find out that the one lost
over the Atlantic recently had a sensor and/or computer glitch as
contributing factor.
I think the point is that as the vehicles become complex the potential
for esoteric problems will increase. Of course, the most complex
component--the pilot or driver--has repeatedly been proven highly
fallible already.
bs
Guy R Day wrote:
> Well, it was said in a General Motors 2006 Vauxhall Vectra there were
> 21 ECM/ECU's and that car wasn't over-endowed with smarts. Start
> looking at today's quality cars and I think you'll find 50 is exceeded
> already.
>
> Guy R Day
>
>
>
>
>> That article is so full of errors, it is a prime example of why
>> computers
>> are better at some tasks than people
>> 50 to 100 control units in a luxury car? Name the year, make and model.
>> 10M lines of code in a car, 1/4 of what Windows has? With no video,
>> and the
>> audio limited to the key chime, the same request, year, make and model.
>> Three mile island a computer problem? Not according to Wiki "The
>> mechanical
>> failures were compounded by the initial failure of plant operators to
>> recognize the situation as a loss of coolant
>> accident<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loss_of_coolant_accident>due to
>> inadequate training"
>> bottom line, while the computers in cars are no where near perfect,
>> they are
>> no where near as bad as this idiot is making them out to be.
>>
>> On Sun, May 16, 2010 at 8:54 AM, Bob Spidell <> wrote:
>>
>>> Not a problem in our Healeys:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2010/05/techview_cars_and_software_bugs
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> *******************************************************************
>
>
--
*******************************************************************
Bob Spidell San Jose, CA bspidell@comcast.net
*******************************************************************
_______________________________________________
Healeys@autox.team.net
Donate: http://www.team.net/donate.html
Suggested annual donation $12.75
Archive: http://www.team.net/archive
Forums: http://www.team.net/forums
|