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Linux And Innovative Simulations

cameronhunt writes "This article (shameless plug alert - I'm quoted in it) presents a growing trend of integrating simulated and live training in the military - often using Linux and Open Source methods, standards, and protocols. This trend isn't just in the military, but increasingly found everywhere from games to everyday life. I'll be talking more about this at LinuxWorld."

59 comments

  1. GNAA! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait
    GNAA (GAY NIGGER ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA) is the first organization which
    gathers GAY NIGGERS from all over America and abroad for one common goal - being GAY NIGGERS.

    Are you GAY ?
    Are you a NIGGER ?
    Are you a GAY NIGGER ?

    If you answered "Yes" to any of the above questions, then GNAA (GAY NIGGER ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA) might be exactly what you've been looking for!
    Join GNAA (GAY NIGGER ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA) today, and enjoy all the benefits of being a full-time GNAA member.
    GNAA (GAY NIGGER ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA) is the fastest-growing GAY NIGGER community with THOUSANDS of members all over United States of America. You, too, can be a part of GNAA if you join today!

    Why not? It's quick and easy - only 3 simple steps!

    First, you have to obtain a copy of GAY NIGGERS FROM OUTER SPACE THE MOVIE and watch it.

    Second, you need to succeed in posting a GNAA "first post" on slashdot.org, a popular "news for trolls" website

    Third, you need to join the official GNAA irc channel #GNAA on EFNet, and apply for membership.
    Talk to one of the ops or any of the other members in the channel to sign up today!

    If you are having trouble locating #GNAA, the official GAY NIGGER ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA irc channel, you might be on a wrong irc network. The correct network is EFNet, and you can connect to irc.secsup.org or irc.isprime.com as one of the EFNet servers.
    If you do not have an IRC client handy, you are free to use the GNAA Java IRC client by clicking here.

    If you have mod points and would like to support GNAA, please moderate this post up.

    This post brought to you by Penisbird , a proud member of the GNAA

    G_____________________________________naann_______ ________G
    N_____________________________nnnaa__nanaaa_______ ________A
    A____________________aanana__nannaa_nna_an________ ________Y
    A_____________annna_nnnnnan_aan_aa__na__aa________ ________*
    G____________nnaana_nnn__nn_aa__nn__na_anaann_MERI CA______N
    N___________ana__nn_an___an_aa_anaaannnanaa_______ ________I
    A___________aa__ana_nn___nn_nnnnaa___ana__________ ________G
    A__________nna__an__na___nn__nnn___SSOCIATION_of__ ________G
    G__________ana_naa__an___nnn______________________ ________E
    N__________ananan___nn___aan_IGGER________________ ________R
    A__________nnna____naa____________________________ ________S
    A________nnaa_____anan____________________________ ________*
    G________anaannana________________________________ ________A
    N________ananaannn_AY_____________________________ ________S
    A________ana____nn_________IRC-EFNET-#GNAA________ ________S
    A_______nn_____na_________________________________ ________O
    *_______aaaan_____________________________________ ________C
    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aliquam mollis, libero non facilisis vehicula, quam sem fermentum urna, at porttitor neque odio nec purus. Morbi felis. Mauris arcu turpis, dignissim sed, tristique sit amet, euismod ac, tellus. Pellentesque sit amet nulla. Vestibulum volutpat. Fusce viverra mattis orci. Phasellus sed ante. Vivamus nu

    1. Re:GNAA! by Upidivl · · Score: -1, Offtopic

      What the hell was that?

    2. Re:GNAA! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

      come to #GNAA on efnet and you will become informed

      --penisbird

    3. Re:GNAA! by efflux · · Score: -1, Offtopic

      Interested in the "Random text" of the parent? See, http://www.lipsum.com/ . Penisbird obviously has.

      --
      Do I contradict myself? Very well, then I contradict myself, I am large, I contain multitudes. -- Walt Whitman
  2. GNAA.. AGAIN? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll
    GNAA (GAY NIGGER ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA) is the first organization which
    gathers GAY NIGGERS from all over America and abroad for one common goal - being GAY NIGGERS.

    Are you GAY ?
    Are you a NIGGER ?
    Are you a GAY NIGGER ?

    If you answered "Yes" to any of the above questions, then GNAA (GAY NIGGER ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA) might be exactly what you've been looking for!
    Join GNAA (GAY NIGGER ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA) today, and enjoy all the benefits of being a full-time GNAA member.
    GNAA (GAY NIGGER ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA) is the fastest-growing GAY NIGGER community with THOUSANDS of members all over United States of America. You, too, can be a part of GNAA if you join today!

    Why not? It's quick and easy - only 3 simple steps!

    First, you have to obtain a copy of GAY NIGGERS FROM OUTER SPACE THE MOVIE and watch it.

    Second, you need to succeed in posting a GNAA "first post" on slashdot.org, a popular "news for trolls" website

    Third, you need to join the official GNAA irc channel #GNAA on EFNet, and apply for membership.
    Talk to one of the ops or any of the other members in the channel to sign up today!

    If you are having trouble locating #GNAA, the official GAY NIGGER ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA irc channel, you might be on a wrong irc network. The correct network is EFNet, and you can connect to irc.secsup.org or irc.isprime.com as one of the EFNet servers.
    If you do not have an IRC client handy, you are free to use the GNAA Java IRC client by clicking here.

    If you have mod points and would like to support GNAA, please moderate this post up.

    This post brought to you by Penisbird , a proud member of the GNAA

    G_____________________________________naann_______ ________G
    N_____________________________nnnaa__nanaaa_______ ________A
    A____________________aanana__nannaa_nna_an________ ________Y
    A_____________annna_nnnnnan_aan_aa__na__aa________ ________*
    G____________nnaana_nnn__nn_aa__nn__na_anaann_MERI CA______N
    N___________ana__nn_an___an_aa_anaaannnanaa_______ ________I
    A___________aa__ana_nn___nn_nnnnaa___ana__________ ________G
    A__________nna__an__na___nn__nnn___SSOCIATION_of__ ________G
    G__________ana_naa__an___nnn______________________ ________E
    N__________ananan___nn___aan_IGGER________________ ________R
    A__________nnna____naa____________________________ ________S
    A________nnaa_____anan____________________________ ________*
    G________anaannana________________________________ ________A
    N________ananaannn_AY_____________________________ ________S
    A________ana____nn_________IRC-EFNET-#GNAA________ ________S
    A_______nn_____na_________________________________ ________O
    *_______aaaan_____________________________________ ________C
    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aliquam mollis, libero non facilisis vehicula, quam sem fermentum urna, at porttitor neque odio nec purus. Morbi felis. Mauris arcu turpis, dignissim sed, tristique sit amet, euismod ac, tellus. Pellentesque sit amet nulla. Vestibulum volutpat. Fusce viverra mattis orci. Phasellus sed ante. Vivamus nu

  3. gah by Tirel · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Oh great, soon war for observers will look like a session of panzer general only with real people dying.

    1. Re:gah by cameronhunt · · Score: 1

      I would argue that for civilian observers it already DOES look like Panzer General (think about the way MSNBC protrayed this latest conflict in the Gulf). Although the de-personalization such a system fosters seems intuitive - and repulsive - it is also a very effective method of dealing with significant quantities of data and making effective decisions. And being effective is the primary concern of any military commander.

  4. GNAA INNOVATIVE STIMULATIONS! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic
    GNAA (GAY NIGGER ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA) is the first organization which
    gathers GAY NIGGERS from all over America and abroad for one common goal - being GAY NIGGERS.

    Are you GAY ?
    Are you a NIGGER ?
    Are you a GAY NIGGER ?

    If you answered "Yes" to any of the above questions, then GNAA (GAY NIGGER ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA) might be exactly what you've been looking for!
    Join GNAA (GAY NIGGER ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA) today, and enjoy all the benefits of being a full-time GNAA member.
    GNAA (GAY NIGGER ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA) is the fastest-growing GAY NIGGER community with THOUSANDS of members all over United States of America. You, too, can be a part of GNAA if you join today!

    Why not? It's quick and easy - only 3 simple steps!

    First, you have to obtain a copy of GAY NIGGERS FROM OUTER SPACE THE MOVIE and watch it.

    Second, you need to succeed in posting a GNAA "first post" on slashdot.org, a popular "news for trolls" website

    Third, you need to join the official GNAA irc channel #GNAA on EFNet, and apply for membership.
    Talk to one of the ops or any of the other members in the channel to sign up today!

    If you are having trouble locating #GNAA, the official GAY NIGGER ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA irc channel, you might be on a wrong irc network. The correct network is EFNet, and you can connect to irc.secsup.org or irc.isprime.com as one of the EFNet servers.
    If you do not have an IRC client handy, you are free to use the GNAA Java IRC client by clicking here.

    If you have mod points and would like to support GNAA, please moderate this post up.

    This post brought to you by Penisbird , a proud member of the GNAA

    G_____________________________________naann_______ ________G
    N_____________________________nnnaa__nanaaa_______ ________A
    A____________________aanana__nannaa_nna_an________ ________Y
    A_____________annna_nnnnnan_aan_aa__na__aa________ ________*
    G____________nnaana_nnn__nn_aa__nn__na_anaann_MERI CA______N
    N___________ana__nn_an___an_aa_anaaannnanaa_______ ________I
    A___________aa__ana_nn___nn_nnnnaa___ana__________ ________G
    A__________nna__an__na___nn__nnn___SSOCIATION_of__ ________G
    G__________ana_naa__an___nnn______________________ ________E
    N__________ananan___nn___aan_IGGER________________ ________R
    A__________nnna____naa____________________________ ________S
    A________nnaa_____anan____________________________ ________*
    G________anaannana________________________________ ________A
    N________ananaannn_AY_____________________________ ________S
    A________ana____nn_________IRC-EFNET-#GNAA________ ________S
    A_______nn_____na_________________________________ ________O
    *_______aaaan_____________________________________ ________C
    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aliquam mollis, libero non facilisis vehicula, quam sem fermentum urna, at porttitor neque odio nec purus. Morbi felis. Mauris arcu turpis, dignissim sed, tristique sit amet, euismod ac, tellus. Pellentesque sit amet nulla. Vestibulum volutpat. Fusce viverra mattis orci. Phasellus sed ante. Vivamus nu

  5. FP Fifth post by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Pink Floyd owns all other bands. Take that, Yesheads!

  6. Silly article, silly summary by swordgeek · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I'm sorry, but there are two entirely distinct topics in this article:

    1) Wargames
    2) Linux

    Part of the article talks in depth about the wargames, the way they're going about it, what they hope to accomplish, etc.

    However, other parts of the article talk about Linux controlling these wargames, as though that was the crux of the article. Now it's not impossible (or bad) to write an article that ties these two subjects together, but this comes across as either (a) two articles smooshed into one, or (b) An article about wargames written by a Linux evangelist.

    Just a thought. Not everything that involves Linux is about Linux.

    --

    "People who do stupid things with hazardous materials often die." -- Jim Davidson on alt.folklore.urban
    1. Re:Silly article, silly summary by Timesprout · · Score: 1

      What the hell are you doing reading the whole article. If you insisted on defying /. convention and actually reading, you were only supposed to skim through it and pick out the linux good propritary bad parts. !!

      Seriously though your point is well made. Its was interesting until you come across the irrelevant crap about linux. From reading it you would think mankind was unable to get two applications to talk to each other until Linus had his epiphany.

      --
      Do not try to read the dupe, thats impossible. Instead, only try to realize the truth
      What truth?
      There is no dupe
  7. YOU FAIL IT! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    YOU are the 7th post, FAILURE!

    go listen to "goodbye cruel world" while od'ing on sleeping pills, YOU FAT FAGGOT FAILURE!

  8. Shameless Plug by mistermund · · Score: 4, Interesting

    We're working on using video see-through head mounted displays to overlay real time CG, something we call "mixed reality". It's like traditional VR, but we add a view of the real world, special effects like smoke, compressed air and interactive lighting, spatialized surround sound, etc. Take traditional VR and add in a whole bunch of technologies and techniques from theme parks and you get what we do.

    One of our current research projects is for the Army to simulate urban combat training. We were also showing an entertainment version of the system on Display at SIGGRAPH in San Diego this past week.

    The graphics engine for our system runs on Linux, using OpenGL and GLUT, written in C++. Control systems for special effects and point source sound are written in Java, which run on Linux, OSX, and WinXP (whatever platform supports harware interface drivers). We couldn't do what we do without OSS, and hope to release some components to the open source community once they get a little more mature.

    See Our Website for more info.

    1. Re:Shameless Plug by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      From your website:

      LCD Display

      Whoops, there goes the credibility.

    2. Re:Shameless Plug by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      something we call "mixed reality".

      Funny, everyone else calls it "augmented reality."

    3. Re:Shameless Plug by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Augmented reality is usually taken to mean a 3D-HUD type thing overlaid on everyday life, that crowd seem to be doing more like a special-effects rigged movie set combined with 3D-HUD for combat simulation. Arguable the same thing, I guess, but I think a distinction is merited.

  9. Anti-military types post here by FeloniousPunk · · Score: 3, Funny

    Post all your screeds about how the military and wargames are evil and wrong and shouldn't be supported here, so everyone else can have a nice, topical discussion.
    Thanks.

    --
    I know this because Tyler knows this.
    1. Re:Anti-military types post here by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Redundant
    2. Re:Anti-military types post here by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Redundant
    3. Re:Anti-military types post here by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Redundant
    4. Re:Anti-military types post here by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
  10. Counter-strike by danormsby · · Score: 1

    Big on-line games of Counter-Strike eh?

    --
    Omnis amans amens
    1. Re:Counter-strike by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait

      Fuck you, canadian.

  11. Tux & Frags don't mix, but... by corebreech · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...if the military is going to use open source for all of this from now on does that mean we can get our $1.1 trillion back?

  12. High Score - Free Game by tgrigsby · · Score: 5, Funny

    Now it makes sense. Bush did so well with Afghanistan, he got a free game. Then he chose Iraq. He naturally assumed he'd get a free game again, and planned on using it either on Syria or Korea, but he didn't count on this level being harder, what with the guerilla warfare tactics and all that.

    Perhaps he should have picked up the nitro boost when he broke into Baghdad? I recommend that the troops start banging on all the walls until we find the "secret areas" with caches of armor, med kits, and rail guns.

    --
    *** *** You're just jealous 'cause the voices talk to me... ***
  13. Land warfare simulation by b00fhead · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Here is an article about an Australian system which simulates several aspects of land warfare. It's realistic and accurate enough that the Australian Army uses the rifle range simulation to qualify its soldiers on marksmanship. I believe that it is based on a popular Linux distro.

  14. Standards huh? by fredrikj · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    None of the sites linked to are valid HTML or XHTML! Shame on you!

  15. The only military sim I needed... by FlashBIOS · · Score: 3, Funny
    was Contra!

    Free lives, unlimited ammo, fightin' aliens, and even your choice or red or green head bands. It doesn't get more real!

    1. Re:The only military sim I needed... by Teach · · Score: 1

      Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, start.

      Gosh, the memories....

      --
      Graham "Teach" Mitchell, computer science teacher, Leander HS
  16. IN SOVIET RUSSIA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    Little boys bugger CmdrTaco!

  17. Yeah, Hitler wasn't evil OR wrong by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Achtung!

    (that's what the guy in Castle Wolfenstein says!)

    1. Re:Yeah, Hitler wasn't evil OR wrong by usotsuki · · Score: 1

      Meh, sounds more like "Arkor" and "Gustavo" to me. (And I do know it is supposed to be "Achtung" and "Schutzstaffel".)

      -uso.

      --
      Dreams, dreams, don't doubt dreams, dreaming children's dreaming dreams. Sailor Moon SS
    2. Re:Yeah, Hitler wasn't evil OR wrong by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Liebfraumilch!

  18. Some in the industry are no Mr. Spock by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Although some in the industry fear that Linux might be open enough to represent a potential security risk

    This logic is like saying that "You cannot be hit by a bullet if you just close your eyes, because then you will not see the bullet. But if you keep your eyes open you will see lots of bullets in the battle field and have a greater chance of getting hit."

    1. Re:Some in the industry are no Mr. Spock by m1chael · · Score: 0, Insightful

      it is also like saying that there exists software that doesnt present a potential security risk. if only we could find it :)

      --
      I know you are psychotic, but please make an effort.
  19. The Straight Truth About the GNAA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    The Straight Truth About the Gay Nigger Association of America

    The GNAA is a small loose knit group of trolls whose sole purpose is to post retarded shit to various websites. Membership of the group is really irrelevant, but they do have guidelines, which are really just part of their elaborate "troll". Basically, you gotta be a nigger, gay, or both, blah blah. Post an fp for the group and your ub3r l33t, bs ,bs . ...

    The cold hard facts about the GNAA
    There's nothing gay or black about the GNAA. In fact, the GNAA doesnt have a single gay or black member at all, and most likely never will.

    IRC Chat log
    (Nws4Turds) pocide
    (Nws4Turds) i m teh luv j00!
    (koft) yo, st0p b3ing teh gay
    (koft) gh3y is teh sux0r
    (pocide) i luv u 2 Nws4Turds !, lets felch!
    (Nws4Turds) y3s!
    (Nws4Turds) pocide
    (koft) ph3lch is teh sux0r
    (Nws4Turds) i like teh ph3lch
    (koft) thats nasty, yall are gay niggers if i ever saw gay niggers
    (Nws4Turds) i'm a gay nigger
    (koft) stop being t3h gh3y.
    (Nws4Turds) actually, i'm a straight honkey

    And at this point, Nws4Turds ebraces his heterosexuality, coming out of a "reverse closet" for a brief moment, exposing his inner self. He then feels the need to expound on this idea.
    (Nws4Turds) i had sex this morning
    (Nws4Turds) it felt good
    (Nws4Turds) she came twice

    After these statements i was threatened!
    (pocide) k0ft: do not even attempt to fr0st
    (pocide) not only will YFI but you'd be testin my gangsta and you don't wanna do that, oh no

    Following our conversation, my ids picked up a portscan from 24.174.81.26, the address from a user in the channel known as "penisbird".
    (pocide) I see your running IIS and exchange. your machine is going down the deep dark anus hole of goatse!
    (koft) Damn, i didnt realize that apache and sendmail were part of IIS and exchange... You guys are leeter that i immagined...

    Truth: GNAA is a group of wanna be script kiddies who troll on lame message boards like 'Slashdot'
    Truth: The GNAA leader 'PenisBird' has a prefrence for porn depicting under age individuals
    Truth: All GNAA members are white
    Truth: None of the GNAA members are gay
    Truth: All GNAA members live with their mothers

    Don't take my word for it though, check out the lameness for yourself. efnet #GNAA

    1. Re:The Straight Truth About the GNAA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

      The parent poster has incorrect information. No one in #GNAA ever said that.

      Is every GNAA member gay or black? No. Some are just gay, and some are just black, and a couple are neither but gained membership by supporting us in other ways (financially, etc).

      Obviously this person is jealous of the great accomplishments we have made in our fight against racism and homophobia. It is sad that someone would try to roll back all that we have done just for his personal gain.

  20. I'm an idiot! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    Please spam me accordingly on:

    mitch_2k69@fsmail.net

  21. Damage Studios (OT) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yeah, I know this is off-topic (posted as AC to avoid karma hit) but the article's link to games is an example of bad web site design. If you don't want me to find your content, probably the best way is to hide it from me.

    Grr ... that's at the top of my pet peeve list.

    -jh

    1. Re:Damage Studios (OT) by fenix+down · · Score: 1

      It's a homepage for an MMORPG. There is no content. There never will be any content. You gotta work with what you got. Besides, it's so pretty!

  22. Shouldn't this read: by sstory · · Score: 1

    "This article (shameless plug alert - I'm quoted in it)(shameless brag alert - I'm bragging about being quoted in an article)..."

  23. Linux is actually important for wargaming by Minna+Kirai · · Score: 4, Informative

    4 comments in one:

    1. Why Linux?
    True, the eetimes article is discombobulated and provides little explanation of why Linux should matter at all for wargaming simulations. And the explanation it implies (that Linux helps data compatibility) is nonsensical.

    However, I've seen several military simulation projects that run on Linux. The obvious reasons: The Pentagon isn't a fast or flexible software developer. These games may take decades of to produce and shape into something workable, and we can't throw them out just because new OSes (Windows XP, etc) come along.

    So many projects that were first written for big iron SGI or Solaris machines are now running on Linux desktops. I've heard several ancedotes of software getting a 5x speed boost alongside a 10x drop in platform cost when changing hardware vendors from SGI to Dell.

    One major simulation project is OneSAF ("One Semi-Automated Force"). You can go read the PowerPoint they gave at a Linux conference years ago. (The "CCTT" project mentioned in the article is an ancient fork of OneSAF)

    2. 100 entities is small
    The article says they will be reaching the point of simulating 100 entities in their exercise, up from 20 in the previous test. And it'll take place at 3 different locations.

    That is tiny compared to the number already used in a military simulation last year. Millenium Challenge 2002 took place on ~15 sites around the US, and involved 13500 human participants, many of them controlling more than one "entity" in the game.

    3. The Pentagon is trending back towards DIS
    The article mentions this project is using the IEEE 1278 standard DIS (Distributed Interactive Simulation). That is a fairly old specification- finalized at least 10 years ago. It worked well back then, and still does. However, it fell out of popular use in the late 90s because a vantity project from Defense Modeling & Simulation Office mandated that all simulations be switched to use their new improved HLA infrastructure, which is IEEE 1516.

    The HLA was a traditional example of Fred Brook's Second-System effect. That is, when a person first makes a project of a certain type, he will be conservative and careful to make something that works and he can understand. (In this case, the DIS protocol). But once the first system works well, programmers tend to get overconfident and decide to fill the second system will all manner of elaborate stuff that distracts from the real purpose. That is what happened with the HLA protocol.

    HLA is a real kitchen-sink system, addressing all uses but satsifying none. Only in the past year has DMSO's political power been reduced so that wargame developers can stop using the bad, unpredictable HLA and get back to the clean, efficient, and comprehensible DIS.

    4. HLA does have one advantage over DIS
    The DIS protocol is a global publication system. Each computer controlling simulated entities broadcasts their position to ever other computer. (Originally this used ethernet broadcast, now it might change to internet multicast UDP). That meant that in a large exercise, people out-of-range from each other would still recieve positional updates clogging their network card. HLA included specifications to describe, geographically, who should recieve which packets. This allowed for world-spanning scenarios to be played with thousands of vehicles spread around.

    The article suggests that new projects (DFIRST? I haven't heard of that before) will bring some of this capability to DIS.

  24. More then just games by qaffle · · Score: 5, Interesting

    All the military simulation articles I have seen talk about the soldier game-type simulations. This is not the only simulations the military uses though. For instance here is a list of military tools used for planning and modeling. This goes form supply-chains to medical planning. I understand it's not as fun to think about groups of people filling in supply and demand info for ammo compared with troops walking through a mission on their computers; however, I'd think the first would be in the grand scheme of things more important.

  25. In Soviet Russia by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    red head bands choose YOU !

  26. Ender's Game by �berhund · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Sounds like Ender's Game, except... well, I won't spoil it if you haven't read it.

    --
    -Uberhund
  27. DARPA by Tuxinatorium · · Score: 0, Interesting

    DARPA is reportedly using linux to simulate tactical nukes

  28. Antimilitary GPL?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    There should be a variant of the GPL that prohibits all military use. France was right..of course.

    1. Re:Antimilitary GPL?? by QuantumFTL · · Score: 1

      There should be a variant of the GPL that prohibits all military use.

      Perhaps there should also be a variant of the GPL that prohibits any use of said software by aliens during earth invasions. It would be similarly trivial to enforce.

    2. Re:Antimilitary GPL?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      plenty of licenses have non-military clauses. There's nothing difficult or particularly unusual about it.

  29. moral licensing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    shame gnu didn't add a 'non-military' clause in there :/

  30. Secret areas by Bernie+Fsckinner · · Score: 0

    They are banging on the walls - they're looking for the boss monster (Saddam). The caches of armor, med kits, and rail guns are the Weapons of Mass Destruction.

  31. Linux for simulators..... by floydman · · Score: 1

    I work with a firm that had simulators running on AIX nodes. This company decided to switch and have their simulators run on Linux...took some time, but it was worth the effort. we had them uip and running in about a year tog et them running n a Red hat Linux cluster, but the result was reduced simulation times with almost 30% (never thought that would be result neither.)

    After looking at other companies that provide alike simulators, we found out that all of them are adobting linux actually, which makes me quite comfortable (regarding that SCO hype, the more larger firms adobt linux, the more IBM will fight back i presume)

    --
    The lunatic is in my head
  32. (MOD PARENT DOWN - PORN LINK) Re:DARPA by identity0 · · Score: 1

    Not as nasty as goatse, but still nasty...

  33. You are correct. by cameronhunt · · Score: 1

    This is an excellent point, and I could have written my summary better to reflect my argument (as referenced in the article) that the culture of Open Source (as well as the lack of initial adoption cost) is playing an important role in the use of Linux in military and other simulations - especially as these simulations grow and connect to other systems.

  34. The new SPAB (Shameless Plug And Brag) Alert by cameronhunt · · Score: 1

    Again, please forgive me for not being completely forthcoming. In the interest of accuracy and to protect myself from legal recrimination my attorney has recommended the following disclaimer be attached to all further correspondence: "All information contained in this communication is intended to provide the following benefits to the author, including (but not limited to): higher social standing, better access to reproductive partners, higher perceived professional value, ego stroking, and an overall augmentation of personal vanity." Better? ;)

  35. Excellent critique by cameronhunt · · Score: 1

    All excellent points, and I argue none of them substantially. Even SRI admits that there is no great internal motivation to move away from DIS toward HLA (although they do admit that they might be required to). Keep in mind, however, that HLA is not just about updating object state data during gameplay - it can also be used to setup of the initial rules regarding object interaction - something that becomes much more important when two (or more) completely different simulations are interacting. And this leads me to the second point: while it is true that the SRI simulation used a small entity count, they were the first one to achieve integration between live, virtual, and constructive simulations - something that has (to my knowledge) evaded Millenium Challenge. As a result, Linux is special (but not necessarily unique) because of lower initial cost, multiple platform capability, and because of the Open Source development support that surrounds it. So, while the straight assertion that Linux helps data compatability IS indeed non-sensical, I would argue that taking Linux in a slightly broader context (something that should have certainly been articulated better in the eetimes article) provides a better explanation about why Linux is being used alongside efforts to increase data compatibility.

    1. Re:Excellent critique by Minna+Kirai · · Score: 1

      that HLA is not just about updating object state data during gameplay - it can also be used to setup of the initial rules regarding object interaction

      Well, the biggest difference between HLA and DIS, after all, is that HLA is fully generic and makes no assumptions about the subject being simulated. (Whereas DIS only works if you have vehicles shooting at each other, the arbitrary attribute-definitions of HLA allow it to represent cardiovascular blood-flow or thermal conductivity just as easily). DIS came with its own set of rules for object interactions. While this limits the standard's reusablity, it makes it more useful as a target for compatibility. If two programs use DIS, you can be sure they will make general sense when plugged together. But knowing that two systems use HLA tells you nothing about their prospects for interoperability.

      So, any statement of the form "HLA can XXX" is trivially true. (Well, unless you go into the weeds... standards-compliant HLA cannot emulate DIS, for example)

      they were the first one to achieve integration between live, virtual, and constructive simulations - something that has (to my knowledge) evaded Millenium Challenge.

      The eetimes article mentions nothing about LVC integration... I suppose you have another data source.

      Live and virtual are easy to combine- this has been done at least since 1980s SimNET at Knox. Adding in "constructive" is trickier, and arguably impossible. You can pack a constructive sim into a virtual framework... but at that point, is it really constructive anymore? The guarrantees normally provided by constructive sim are broken if it's accepting input from live players. I'd call that "code reuse from constructive models into a virtual sim project".

      The list of software used in MC02 is long (40+ programs?) and I don't recognize all the names. However, if any one of them had been initially designed for constructive execution, one could say that MC02 had already achieved LVC.

      (Note that the only real goal of MC02 was to achieve simulation interoperability milestones, and not to actually gain insight into future combat strategies. It was too haphazard to draw conclusions from)

      As a result, Linux is special (but not necessarily unique) because of lower initial cost, multiple platform capability, and because of the Open Source development support that surrounds it.

      Linux is still only marginally successful in the wargaming arena. Both traditional big-iron UNIX and desktop Microsoft Windows are still strong competitors (it pains me every time I watch a venerable M&S be ported to Windows, but the customers demand it). Most of Linux's success comes at the expense of more costly Unixes. The free development tools are nice, but not a major factor to DoD customers (they care more about recurring deployment costs than one-off development expenses)

      Offtopic, there is an interesting article regarding "Open Source" development and wargaming. The article is funny to read, because it's so completely wrong- the author wasn't even using a valid definition of "Open Source". The ModSAF program he refers to was only "Open Source" as much as Minix was (all changes must be sent to the project originator), and we all know what happened to Minix.

    2. Re:Excellent critique by cameronhunt · · Score: 1

      A couple of points (brief only because it's late): 1. I think the power of HLA is pre-execution of the simulation run, i.e. - allowing for ontological negotation of model creation and integration. Just as SRI uses XML to pre-load the configuration of their tactical and logistical simulations, but relies on DIS during gameplay, HLA will allow disparate simulation and model types to work together - however imperfectly. 2. I know about SRI and LVC simulations because I'm reviewing their JTEP effort for LinuxWorld (along with Damage Studios and Butterfly.net). Keep in mind that they are letting the constructive (JCATS) sim drive most of the game. The live and virtual elements drive around and react to the JCATS rules. Now - I know what you're thinking - how can the "real" entities tie into the constructive part? Well, because they're cheating - they actually "see", fight and react with simulated and constructed enemies and friendlies through special HUDs. Again, not necessarily rocket science, but according to John Shockley they're the first to do all three - at any scale. 3. While Linux is marginally successful, it is also new in the M&S world. I agree with your contention that cost is the primary driver (hence SOUTHCOM buying Dell's with Red Hat for their simulation center as opposed to SPARCs) for pushing Linux into this sphere. But I also have in my memory (without some ready references) that in the 99-01 time frame that M&S vendors started talking about really communicating their state data so that they could win joint contracts - part of the cost/benefit trend that drives the Open Source model (but that can exist without it). I have also seen more and more IMPLEMENTATIONS of these protocols being done in Open Source software. What the cause and effect (if any) between these two is something I'm still investigation. I would really appreciate a chance to throw my slides your way for a further reality check (and discussion) before I get pelted by tomatoes Tuesday ;) My email is cam@augmos.com - look forward to hearing from you... Cam

    3. Re:Excellent critique by Minna+Kirai · · Score: 1

      I would really appreciate a chance to throw my slides your way for a further reality check (and discussion) before I get pelted by tomatoes Tuesday ;)

      I wouldn't be a useful reviewer. With previous knowledge of M&S buzzwords, I'm non-representative of a Linuxworld attendee. For that kind of audience, I can only suggest you bring lots of exciting screenshots and make videogame analogies.

      Quickly pointing out a relevant project you might already be aware of: SAF on Scalable Parallel Processors. That experiment was notable for how much it avoided using the APIs typically used for cluster computing. (There's no MPI or Beowulf, for example)

      augmos.com

      There seems to be a disparity between the violence inherent to military projects and Augmos's more gentle social goals like "learning therapy"...

      (I guess you're just in it for the Linux aspect. Pentagon consulting can be a great revenue stream!)