It's been a quiet week in Lake Wobegon

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.chips (More info?)

And I'm waiting for my super-duper PC (my other PC), which has gotten
bogged down, to reboot, so I thought I'd post something for laughs.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/06/ [...] 6AUTO.html

The article is about the increasing reliance of cars on
microprocessors and about the problems that arise as a result.

It's hard to pick anything short of the whole article to quote, so
I'll pick this particular howler:

"Mr. Koslowski said the auto industry was not yet very good at
integrating software, so buyers inherit systems that can interfere
with one another - just as installing incompatible programs can make a
personal computer malfunction. He said a niche might soon emerge for
companies that integrate various software systems before they go into
a vehicle, in the way that companies like Dell sell PC's with the
operating system and programs already working in harmony."

Gack. Gasp. Giggle. A PC that actually *works*? All the time? No
bugs? No calls to tech support?

The difference, of course, is that a car is a *car*--hundreds of kilos
of metal hurtling along at 100km/hr. No problem, just reboot.

Now, Boeing and Airbus do manage to build airplanes with lots of
microprocessors, and they do seem to work, but different world from
Dell's (or GM's) software department.

And this is only the beginning. Houses are next. I can hardly wait.

RM

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.chips (More info?)

Robert Myers <rmyers1400@comcast.net> wrote in
news:n4fa0112n7usk8suu8830d7orqr5n2pfi4@4ax.com:


> Now, Boeing and Airbus do manage to build airplanes with lots of
> microprocessors, and they do seem to work, but different world from
> Dell's (or GM's) software department.
>
> And this is only the beginning. Houses are next. I can hardly wait.


Heh.. And people wonder why I drive a 74 bmw tii and a 70 ford f150 4x4.
Got enough headaches with computers at work and home -- last thing I need
on the road