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Volvo's "Safety Car" Runs Windows 98

Posted by michael on from the feeling-safer-already dept.

An anonymous submitter writes "MSNBC is carrying a report on Volvo's new "Safety Car." It sounds pretty cool, too, until you get to the part that mentions it runs Windows 98 as its operating system. Yikes! Be sure to reboot your car frequently to avoid crashes."

4 of 564 comments (clear)

  1. Flamebait? by Patik · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Seriously, I think somebody makes this stuff up just to incite Slashdot riots.

  2. Re:ATTN SLASHBOTS! by Malor · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    I dunno, Blue Screen of Dents seems pretty funny to me. :-)

  3. Re:how can anyone complain about this..... by bergeron76 · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    Technically, in this scenario win98 would be "rebooted" every time the car was turned on. By my calculations this would mean that Win98 would outperform linux by a factor of 3 (assuming that the car is used 3 times in a day). The more frequently you reboot a Win98 box the better performance you get from it because the memory is freed from improper malloc(s), the cache is cleared, and the buffers are as pure as the morning dew.

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    Don't think that a small group of dedicated individuals can't change the world. It's the only thing that ever has.
  4. YOU ARE NOT INSIGHTFUL by electricmonk · · Score: 0, Flamebait
    Why is it that everyone automatically assumes that when Windows is used, any of the OS will lead to plane crashes or car crashes, but when Linux is used, it is always on "non-critical" systems that wouldn't do such a thing. Do I sense an inferiority complex?

    Oh, and for those of you wondering, the last time I checked, cars were still steered by the steering wheel, and handbrakes still stopped your wheels.

    --
    Friends don't let friends use multiple inheritance.