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When Bad Software Can Kill

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the downside-of-source-secrecy dept.

bhoman writes "A wrist computer that tracks and calculates safe diving times and limits for SCUBA divers had a dangerous software bug that may have been covered up by company executives. This SF Chronicle Article details the problem, product, company, and some of the lawsuits. According to the Chron article, company execs tried to cover up and deny the problem for years, but their official website makes it look like they did a voluntary recall."

5 of 354 comments (clear)

  1. MOD PARENT DOWN! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    This is slashdot... you have to be an anti-capitalist über-left cynical jaded moron to be here.

  2. tiny little blue screens of death! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    tiny little blue screens of death!

  3. Missing Dive Equipment: A HyperIntelligent Dolphin by Nova+Express · · Score: 5, Funny

    Of course they died, because they were missing the single most important piece of dive safety equipment: A hyperintelligent dolphin with miraculous capabilities of interspecies communication.

    Flipper: Ennnhhhhhh! Ennnhhhhhh! (backs up)

    Diver: What's that Flipper? There's a software bug in my wrist diving computer that could lead to my grisly death?

    Flipper: Ennnhhhhhh! Ennnhhhhhh! (backs up)

    Diver: Well thank God you told me! Otherwise I never would have known!

    Flipper: Ennnhhhhhh! Ennnhhhhhh! (back up)

    Diver: What? There's a Russian sub off the coast?

    In short, never go diving without your near-omniscient dolphin.

    --
    Lawrence Person (lawrencepersonh@gmailh.com (remove all "h"s to mail)

    http://www.lawrenceperson.com/

  4. hmmm reminds me of a sun ad by minus_273 · · Score: 2, Funny

    where the diver gets a blue screen on one of those :-p

    --
    The war with islam is a war on the beast
    The war on terror is a war for peace
  5. Re:This is not lethal but ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    oh jesus! I had LASIK surgery and didn't even think to check the software running the machine.

    Don't worry. We at Microsoft would never take advantage of our customers to fit a retinal spy camera into your eyes. No sir!