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Military Grade Laptops

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the when-cpu-comes-second dept.

bllb writes "Slate has an article about the "waterproof, vaporproof, shockproof" laptops the military is using. It's not at the cutting edge of performance, but it's nice to see some bombproof hardware." Most of the laptops I've owned over the years died through dropping or drowning, so maybe I should look into something a little more sturdy ;)

13 of 284 comments (clear)

  1. crazy price... by hatrisc · · Score: 3, Insightful

    the fact that you can buy 4 new laptops equivalent in speed, ram, hdd space, etc almost makes it not worth while. i think i'd take 4 new notebooks than one that's heavy clunky and extremely well designed.

    but hey, what do i know, my laptop weighs 9 lbs and never leaves my house.

    --
    I write code.
    1. Re:crazy price... by pbranes · · Score: 5, Insightful
      Well, if you believe that, then the laptop isn't for you. They say in the article that it is meant for people who work in hazardous areas and need a working laptop that can stand up to whatever they can throw at it, not a fast & cheap laptop.

      I don't think I'd buy one of these laptops either because I'm not likely to be fighting a chemical spill or a fire while working on my laptop.

    2. Re:crazy price... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      That is because your data is 100% worthless. Even to you by your own admission.

      The panasonic toughbook and the military units contain priceless data and in the military people will DIE if it fails.

      you are a consumer with absolutely useless and value-less data.

      it is not for you.

    3. Re:crazy price... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      If they've done nothing to him they'll either be civilians or prisoners. If he kills them (deliberately) it will be because they were trying to kill him or his fellow soldiers.

      Have a little respect for people willing to fight and die for your security and way of life. Your issue is with the leadership and its decisions -- if you criticize the led you will find yourself in deep trouble when you really need them.

  2. Re:Be more careful! by MyGirlFriendsBroken · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Some of us are just clumsy though, and live in clumsy households. I have been known to break bits of my flat such as doorframes with my flailing limbs so I'm sure my iBook has a MTBA (Mean Time Between Accidents) of about 24 months, even without butter!

    --
    If you read a speed reading book, does it take you less time to read the second half?
  3. Reliable Hardware Platforms Deserve Solid Software by n9fzx · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Reliable hardware is of course a Good Thing, but without some improvements in software reliability, you're buying a HumVee when a Yugo would do. The old Bell Labs standard called for 1/3 of system faults to be ascribed to hardware, 1/3 to software, and 1/3 to operator error. Most available operating systems clearly aren't there yet, and can't even match the reliability of existing off-the-shelf motherboards and power supplies.

    Having said that, it's also clear that some operating systems, owing to their monlithic architecture, will never improve. At least with Unix, you can discard what you don't need, reducing the volume of code that has to be checked. That's a major reason why Microsoft's "Trustworthy Computing" initiative is such a joke -- you can't get rid of the crapola, heck you can't even see the crapola!

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    ...-.-
  4. Clearly you don't understand by Gekko · · Score: 4, Insightful

    You obviously don't understand the NEED for rugadized computers. What good is 4 crappy comercial laptops when your on a ship that is torpedoed or a plane that crashes? Those four laptops will be toast, but a properly rugadized computer has a good choice of still running. This is important when your LIFE may depend on that laptop.

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    I mod down any one who says "I'm sure I will get modded down for this"
  5. Re:iBooks... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Good for you. Most laptops can survive a 3 foot drop. Try doing a google search for laptop + 3 + feet + drop and see all the people talking about all their laptops that they dropped 3 feet and had them survive.

    All your ibook has to do now is survive being baked in an oven, chilled in a freezer, vibrated, and submitted to a shower of hurricane proportions, and then it is relevant to this article.

    Disclaimer: I own an ibook and am, in fact, typing on it now.

  6. Could they make a faster version? by Len · · Score: 3, Insightful
    Its 700 MHz CPU isn't the fastest...

    I wonder if it's even possible to put a P4 in one of these things. If they're sealed ("waterproof, vaporproof") then I don't think they could cool a fast CPU. Even the new Pentium M laptops need fans and air vents.

  7. I think you mean 'open' by dan+g · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I'm not sure what you meant by the term, but if you are talking about operating systems and kernels, Unix systems are generally monolithic whereas windows (nt and on) are microkernel(ish) architectures.

    You say that on Unix you can throw away what you don't need but that on Windows you "can't even see the crapola". You certainly can't open up Solaris, cut out what you don't need, and recompile for a leaner version so I assume you meant Linux or BSD. But obviously you can only do that with those OSes because they are open source, it really has nothing to do with their architecture.

    dan.

    1. Re:I think you mean 'open' by n9fzx · · Score: 2, Insightful
      Actually I was primarily referring to all of the cruft that usually sits outside the kernel. Microsoft loves to tout the interdependence of all of its OS components, but this often means that in order to load a feature I need, I have to load 15 modules that I don't want around.

      As for the kernel, I guess that depends on what you mean by "microkernel". The basic BSD kernel is less that a thousand lines of code, which seems pretty micro to me. And it seems to me that the vast majority of BSODs I've encountered have been in the Windows Kernel.

      Solaris isn't really Unix (and not exactly "Open" either). I guess I come from a generation of low level hardware-software hacks who see Unix as Open by definition, and anything not Open is not Unix. -=N9FZX

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      ...-.-
  8. But is it EMP-proof? by ChefPsyconaut · · Score: 3, Insightful

    And is anyone else surprised that there have been no EMP 'terrorist' attacks yet? Cheap, simple, minimal training, incredibly effective...

    1. Re:But is it EMP-proof? by iggymanz · · Score: 2, Insightful

      EMP devices are all theoretical

      Naw, anyone can make a coil of large gauge wire and a fast switched capacitor bank to make a high amperage pulse through it.....the question is, will it really be effective at damaging electronic equipment at a hundred yards or more away on a consistent basis? And even if it did, what if that equipment was in rugged military chassis, or more usually inside tank, armored transport, ship, concrete (with rebar) bunker, etc.

      I can only conclude the military has tried this stuff & found it not up to promise.