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From: Craig Franck <clfranck@worldnet.att.net>
Subject: Re: Any research putting c above ada?
Date: 1997/04/14
Message-ID: <5iru4l$ft1@mtinsc05.worldnet.att.net>#1/1
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References: <5ih6i9$oct$1@waldorf.csc.calpoly.edu>
 <2senchydgk.fsf@hpodid2.eurocontrol.fr> <5im3an$3dv@bcrkh13.bnr.ca>
 <01bc46be$fb54cae0$3f6700cf@default> <5irh5n$j88@bcrkh13.bnr.ca>
Organization: AT&T WorldNet Services
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c++,comp.lang.c,comp.lang.ada
Date: 1997-04-14T00:00:00+00:00
List-Id: <comp.lang.ada>


kaz@vision.crest.nt.com (Kaz Kylheku) wrote:
>In article <01bc46be$fb54cae0$3f6700cf@default>,
>Larry J. Elmore <ljelmore@montana.campus.mci.net> wrote:

>>I take it you never fly? Nor do you live near an airport? Or have a modern
>>car?
>
>Nope. Well, I have a modern car, but it's unlikely that its computer is very
>large and complex. It's probably programmed in assembly language. Also,
>the car is not ``drive by wire'' even if a computer is involved. If the
>computer fails, the car will not seriously malfunction or crash! At worst, it
>will exhibit poor performance. Hence I'm not trusting my life to the
>computer in any way.

Well, actually, most modern cars have microcontrollers at least 
as complex as an 8088. Also, the engine will not run at all on
most if the controller for the fuel injection system becomes 
disabled. If this happens when you are driving (as it did 
recently to me) the vehicle will stall. Stearing and brakes are
mostly mechanical, but you may lose power assist or antilock.

Anyway, Kaz, the odds of you dying do to another motorist's poor
judgement or weather conditions are far greater than that do
to computer malfunction. (It is interesting how some people
assess risk. I have a friend who drinks excessively, never 
exercises, eats junk, and drives his snowmobile like a complete
lunatic after having six or eight beers. You know what he worries
about dying from? Getting AIDS from a mosquito bite!)

-- 
Craig
clfranck@worldnet.att.net
Manchester, NH
Man is the only animal for whom his own existence is
a problem which he has to solve. -- Erich Fromm