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U.S. Refuses to Hand Over Fighter Source Code to UK

Posted by Zonk on from the should-have-read-the-EULA-first dept.

orbitalia writes "The UK is heavily involved in the JSF (Joint Strike Fighter program) but has recently considered abandoning the project because the US refuses to share the source code. The UK had intended to purchase $120 billion dollars worth of aircraft to operate on two new aircraft carriers, but is now seriously considering Plan 'B'. This is likely to be further investments in the Eurofighter Typhoon project." From the article: "It appeared that Tony Blair and George Bush had solved the impasse in May, when they announced an agreement in principle that the UK would be given access to the classified details on conditions of strict secrecy. The news was widely seen as evidence that the Prime Minister's close alliance with the American President did have benefits for Britain ... 'If the UK does not obtain the assurances it needs from the US then it should not sign the Memorandum of Understanding covering production, sustainment and follow-on development,' the MPs insisted."

15 of 558 comments (clear)

  1. Forget the JSF... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    ...give me the ROFLcopter!!!

  2. Can't they just reformat the planes? by NotQuiteReal · · Score: 5, Funny
    Why don't they buy the planes anyhow, I am sure they are the best available, then download Rockbox, or whatever the warplane equivalant OSS firmware is.

    If that does't work, there should at least be a LGPL version, right?

    --
    This issue is a bit more complicated than you think.
    1. Re:Can't they just reformat the planes? by Solder+Fumes · · Score: 3, Funny

      The UK should just buy the airplanes, and then download a cracked version of the software on Kazaa.

    2. Re:Can't they just reformat the planes? by elrous0 · · Score: 2, Funny

      Sorry, we're still bitter about you burning the White House in the War of 1812

      --
      SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
  3. Re:12bn pounds not 120 billion dollars by rjdegraaf · · Score: 3, Funny
    12bn pounds not 120 billion dollars
    it is the exchange rate by the time the Fighter is finished :)
  4. Embarassment by MrSteveSD · · Score: 4, Funny

    The US government is really just too embarrassed to hand over the source code since it's all in Visual Basic 6.

    1. Re:Embarassment by cold+fjord · · Score: 2, Funny

      Yes, it's a funny joke, but JSF is actually written in C++.

      So the real reason that the US won't force the release of the code is that it doesn't want to be accused of terrorism?

      --
      much of left-wing thought is a kind of playing with fire by people who don't even know that fire is hot - George Orwell
  5. Re:Does it run Linux? by SEWilco · · Score: 4, Funny

    Prime Minister Blair, you could just give us some fighters so we can write open source code for them.

  6. Re:Let them squabble by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    But a soldier from brazil is worth most of all.

  7. Re:Stupid decision, but what do we know? by lisaparratt · · Score: 2, Funny

    I thought Mistress AdaCompiler delivered stern spankings for the use of any naughty words?

  8. Re:Stupid decision, but what do we know? by Flowmaster · · Score: 2, Funny

    Hell, half the software engineers involved in the project probably came over on the H1B anyway. Just buy the code from them.

  9. Please hold for the Prime Minister by tjcrowder · · Score: 5, Funny

    "One moment, please hold for the Prime Minister"

    (pause)

    "Hello, Mr. Stallman? I understand you have some experience applying political pressure to closed-source vendors, I wonder if..."

  10. Re:Someone's been watching Battlestar Galactica by sunwukong · · Score: 3, Funny

    We probably still have invasion plans for Canada left over from 1812--you never know, with those wily Canadians...

    Mon dieu! Jacques -- turn this canoe around! The Americans, she is on to us!

  11. Re:Let them squabble by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    You do understand Iraq is a nation, not an acronym, right?

    PS: The 'trap' concept dates back a bit further than the 40s. If you mean frequency agile remote detonation of multiple stacked shaped charges collected from Soviet era mutions and/or laser ignition anti-armor warheads from French military depots in Africa, then sure I guess that's a bit closer to the 40s... sorta. Not really, though.

  12. Re:Let them squabble by Lumpy · · Score: 2, Funny

    Again, it's very saddening that the war had to take all these many lives and time, for American military leaders to realize that it's not working.

    We apologize for that, Recently it was noticed by the Secret service that George Bush had a very shiny Paperweight on his desk. It has beenthere for nearly 4 years now, removing it last month solved many of the decision problems he was having.

    Research shows it was left by the Clintion Administration...

    So this war is Bill Clinton's fault, he left something very shiny and distracting on the oval office desk which distracted the President.

    --
    Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.