From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: ** X-Spam-Status: No, score=2.1 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_20,INVALID_MSGID, REPLYTO_WITHOUT_TO_CC autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,ee2d0c749295630e X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public From: Marin David Condic Subject: Re: Ft.W. jobs was Re: Ada/ Career Position/ Exceptional Opportunity Date: 1999/08/18 Message-ID: <37BABDC5.F12A8105@pwfl.com>#1/1 X-Deja-AN: 514215764 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Sender: condicma@bogon.pwfl.com References: <7omctt$jqo$0@192.153.35.30> <37AEE768.8C7C0A9B@pwfl.com> <37AF6504.A959B615@apci.net> <7opbkk$bfn$1@nnrp1.deja.com> <37B88BD7.2A3EF832@soli.inav.net> <37B9991C.24F21F58@pwfl.com> <7pd78g$60q$1@ins20.netins.net> X-Accept-Language: en Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Organization: Pratt & Whitney Mime-Version: 1.0 Reply-To: e108678@pwflcom Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Date: 1999-08-18T00:00:00+00:00 List-Id: Brian Collins wrote: > Make the cell phone that is software upgradeable and > that you can install new features into and you will double > your bazillion cell phone sales. Have it done over the > air waves and not have to bring the phone into a delear > and your sales would double again. Now that would do the > ledger some good. Sure. But that's a product strategy. One that would have to be evaluated against the cost of adding the required hardware, etc. But just because a product is upgradable doesn't mean that you can't have a bug which requires a recall. If the software that does the loading has a bug, you can obviously break the device in the load process and incur some warranty cost. I am reminded of an HP programmable calculator which allowed the user to put in a sequence of commands to be executed at power-up. A friend of mine had one and thought one day "Gee. I wonder what would happen if I put the 'off' instruction into the power-up sequence?" The answer to that question was: "You get to send your calculator back to Hewlet Packard to have them reset the EEPROMs so you can once again turn on your calculator." HP was apparently quite familiar with the problem so there must have been more than a few people who thought to try this out. Now granted, this is not exactly a "software error" but it shows how a design flaw can lead to higher than expected warranty costs. I don't remember the exact details, but I remember hearing a story where Pitney Bowes built a postage meter which turned out to have a software error that caused a recall. The recall was so extensive that it very nearly drove them into bankruptcy. Caveat Emptor - or more properly, it's opposite: "Let the seller beware!" (Whatever that turns out to be in Latin. ;-) MDC -- Marin David Condic Real Time & Embedded Systems, Propulsion Systems Analysis United Technologies, Pratt & Whitney, Large Military Engines M/S 731-95, P.O.B. 109600, West Palm Beach, FL, 33410-9600 ***To reply, remove "bogon" from the domain name.*** Visit my web page at: http://www.mcondic.com/