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=-1.9 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00 autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Thread: 103376,ac9405996d0dcb7f X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit From: Brian May Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Subject: Re: Would You Fly an Airplane with a Linux-Based Control System? References: <0UCrFDGa5NAr@eisner.encompasserve.org> Date: Tue, 23 Nov 2004 09:36:19 +1100 Message-ID: User-Agent: Gnus/5.1007 (Gnus v5.10.7) Emacs/21.3 (gnu/linux) Cancel-Lock: sha1:oauHrTbEX96IBsnOUjJDQstt6mA= MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii NNTP-Posting-Host: snoopy.microcomaustralia.com.au X-Trace: news.melbourne.pipenetworks.com 1101162958 202.173.153.89 (23 Nov 2004 08:35:58 +1000) X-Complaints-To: abuse@pipenetworks.com X-Abuse-Info: Please forward all headers to enable your complaint to be properly processed. Path: g2news1.google.com!news3.google.com!news.glorb.com!newsfeed-east.nntpserver.com!nntpserver.com!news1.optus.net.au!optus!news.mel.connect.com.au!news-north.connect.com.au!news.alphalink.com.au!news.melbourne.pipenetworks.com!not-for-mail Xref: g2news1.google.com comp.lang.ada:6343 Date: 2004-11-23T09:36:19+11:00 List-Id: >>>>> "Simon" == Simon Clubley 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