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From: Ted Dennison <dennison@escmail.orl.mmc.com>
Subject: Is COTS the answer?
Date: 1996/03/19
Message-ID: <314EE805.7135@escmail.orl.mmc.com>#1/1
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references: <DoBuMy.41z@world.std.com> <314e3103.370551677@news.interramp.com>
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organization: Lockheed Martin Marine Systems
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Date: 1996-03-19T00:00:00+00:00
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Robert Munck wrote:
> 
> On Fri, 15 Mar 1996 21:06:34 GMT, srctran@world.std.com (Gregory
> Aharonian) wrote:
> 
> > ... (like that COTS is compatible with the Ada Mandate - what a lie)
> 
> I'm beginning to see indications that the DoD fad for COTS software
> is fading, and I'll go out on a limb to predict that there will be an
> anti-COTS backlash by DoD within five years. Reason: COTS software
> may well require more maintenance than home-grown.  See, those
...
> So your nice DoD application, with two or three COTS packages
> and running on MS Windows 3.0 on a 286, needs a HUGE and
> CONTINUOUS upgrading and re-distribution activity.  If it were
...
> So has anyone else seen this happening?

I haven't seen this happen with the DoD yet, but I have to agree with
you that it will. For instance, suppose someone is replacing an AN/UYK
console on an U.S. Navy vessel with a mostly COTS system consisting of
a WindowsNT PC with at COTS GUI driver and some Ada code. The AN/UYK
console it is replacing has been on these ships for over a decade. The
Navy likes to keep their equipment around for 20 years or more. 

Now you tell me, what are the odds that in 15 years when this thing 
breaks the Navy will be able to go out and buy a new shock-resistant 
486DX PC and get a new copy of Windows NT 3.51 from Microsoft, etc? 

-- 
T.E.D.          
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