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Volvo's "Safety Car" Runs Windows 98
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."
...when the space shuttle works on 486-era technology?
uJust because it's old tech deosn't make it bad. But I admit, the fact that Win98 crashed on me often makes it kind scary...
If you don't like the anti-MS bias, go back to ZD with the rest of the low IQ beings!
Computer Science is Applied Philosophy
just to add to what i said above, slashbots are never original. after all, they idolise people whose sole purpose in life is to imitate (as best they can) microsoft and apple usability innovations on a 30 year old dead horse.
Your right. It's not funny that Win98 BSOD's every 10 minutes. It's also not funny that an auto mfr would choose to use such an unstable OS for use in a car. The consequences of losing all sorts of functionality in your car or causing undesirable operation when (not if) it crashes is very "not funny."
The most "not funny" part of this would be if we had to pay the MS tax 5 extra times (one for each "system") to buy a volvo.
Oh, OK. So, like that's any better.
Ever used a Pocket PC? I had one at the office once. Damn thing crashed more often than my Win98 desktop! I went out and bought with my own money a Handspring instead to replace the Pocket PC.
I've been a user and promoter of Linux since late '94. Pushed it for the first time (quite successfully, BTW) at NASA Dryden in 95 for use in their mission control rooms.
.02--have a nice day/life :)
And I've been pushing Linux ever since--in 1998 I'm sure that I had several boxes with uptimes (I know--who cares) over 200 days.
While linux was harder to install back then (no fancy wizards or GUI installers) it was still a fully functional and full featured O/S.
just my
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I'm the head development manager for NTFS. What do you do at RedHat? Oh wait, that's right, you're unemployed!
Friends don't let friends use multiple inheritance.
It'd be funny if a car ran Windows 98 as it's operating system. Man, wouldn't that be hilarious?
Got friends?
Someone oughtta mod this fucker down. He doesn't get "it". The interface doesn't matter when compared to the OS. You can write as many interfaces to abstract as much as you want. The reason why Win98's bad as a "carOS" is that it has no real preventive measures against mal-soft. Who knows if that car has memory leaks, and it probably matter now. I'd feel better if they used a real kernel (such as NT, Linux, or bsd). AT least those can recover from errors
It's 2002 and they've chosen win98 for their new model.
Linux's usability in 98 doesn't matter. It's more than capable of running a car today...
ITS A FUCKING PROTOTYPE. In prototypes, they'll constantly be changing the software, in the real thing they'll probably have a custom made chip with the software burnt on.
FOR FUCKS SAKE, does everything need to be explained to you people?
- The version with the automatic transmission would have 4 drive gears that all work differently, that way you can pick one from an individual that you like.
Be minimally dexterous, get a standard shift.
- Instead of intuitive buttons on the steering column to turn on windshield wipers and so on, you have a patch board complete with a very nice array of differing lengths of cable.
Better than buttons. You'll be able to tell if the cable is plugged in. The cables are also labelled with WORDS, not "guess-what-I-do" inkblots.
- The driver of the car has to understand how the internal combustion engine works before he can go anywhere in it.
Easier than understanding how you click START to shut down.
- More than one steering wheel can be added to the car, afterall it is a multi-user OS.
Sounds like a Drivers Ed car. They have multiple brake pedals, too.
- The gas door would be located underneath the car so that gas doesn't have to go as far to reach the tank. A bottleneck is removed that way.
Been there, done that. Under the plate, bottom of the bumper.
- The key to get into the door can only fit one right side up, afterall it is case sensitive.
As it should be. If you put it in upside down and try to turn it, it'll break.
- The 'ding ding' noise when you start the car without the seatbelt fastened won't go off because the sound drivers don't work.
Thank God!! Much easier than dicking with fuses and rewiring to shut that fucking beeper off.
- The car wouldn't come with headlights because only newbs need to be able to see where they're going.
Only people who can install the lights properly should be allowed to drive. If you can't plug a lightbulb in, you're too stupid to drive.
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