Re: Would You Fly an Airplane with a Linux-Based Control System?

[Brian May <bam@snoopy.apana.org.au>]

>>>>> "Simon" == Simon Clubley <clubley@remove_me.eisner.decus.org-Earth.UFP> writes:

    Simon> randhol@bacchus.pvv.ntnu.no (Preben Randhol) writes:
    >> See:
    >> http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/blog.asp?blogID=1654&trk=blog

Interesting article.

Linux was never designed for mission critical, life dependant
applications. Nor was it designed to be easy to audit for such
purposes. Linux has other design criteria. I don't think this is any
secret.

However, the article seems to be getting various issues confused. For
example:

* yes, the kernel has a huge number of lines in total. Now delete all
  the lines for other architectures, delete all lines for drivers not
  required, and count again; I think you will end up with a
  significantly smaller number.

* number of switches to "ls" seems irrelevant, I don't think any of
  these systems would need ls. Even if ls was required, it would be
  easy to write a cut down version that just has the required
  operations.

* IMHO if open source software was designed from the ground up to be
  used in mission critical applications, by people who know what they
  are doing, then just because these people may be volunteers doesn't
  mean it cannot be trusted.

* security issues can be related to bugs that are life threatening,
  but not always. Security issues are when somebody deliberately and
  intensionally attempts to break something. On the other hands,
  people involved with aircraft, generally speaking, want the aircraft
  to stay in the air. I would be kind of alarmed if any Fly-By-Wire
  computer system had an Internet connection... There are lots of ways
  of sabotaging an aircraft, you don't have to use software for that.

    Simon> I recommend that Ada advocates with high blood pressure not
    Simon> read page 21 of the PDF, especially the last line. :-)

"Pilot (driver, walker) asserts intent"?

Did I get the wrong page?
-- 
Brian May <bam@snoopy.apana.org.au>