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British Royal Navy Submarines Now Run Windows

Posted by samzenpus on from the deep-blue-screen dept.

meist3r writes "On his Government blog, Microsoft's Ian McKenzie announced today that the Royal Navy was ahead of schedule for switching their nuclear submarines to a customized Microsoft Windows solution dubbed 'Submarine Command System Next Generation (SMCS NG)' which apparently consists of Windows 2000 network servers and XP workstations. In the article, it is claimed that this decision will save UK taxpayers £22m over the next ten years. The installation of the new system apparently took just 18 days on the HMS Vigilant. According to the BAE Systems press release from 2005, the overall cost of the rollout was £24.5m for all eleven nuclear submarines of the Vanguard, Trafalgar and Swiftsure classes. Talk about staying with the sinking ship."

5 of 725 comments (clear)

  1. Next generation? by rolfc · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This roll-out must be 5 years overdue, windows 2000 server?

  2. First informative post... mod parent up. by argent · · Score: 5, Insightful

    20 posts before the first one that actually provides useful information.

    Is that a typical ratio on slashdot? I haven't been keeping track.

    1. Re:First informative post... mod parent up. by freddy_dreddy · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Is that a typical ratio on slashdot?

      No, normally it's worse, but this time the title includes Windows - so brace yourself for a flood of cliches.

      --
      "Violence is the last refuge of the competent, and, generally, the first refuge of the incompetent" - Thing_1
  3. Re:BSOD by leomekenkamp · · Score: 5, Insightful

    1. GP does not sound psychotic at all
    2. I see nothing irrational or excessive at all. The US has deliberately sent the Lucetania into a battle zone in order to enter WWI, disregarded intelligence that could have prevented Pearl Harbor, entered a virtual battle in Tonkin to enter Vietnam, and made up stories on WMD to enter Iraq. In that light an NSA backdoor does not seem more preposterous to me. And there have been news items on this, even from Bruce Schneier.

    I think you owe GP an apology for your incorrect accusation.

    --
    Wenn ist das Nunstueck git und Slotermeyer? Ja! Beiherhund das Oder die Flipperwaldt gersput.
  4. Re:Learning from prior mistakes by leomekenkamp · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Not having input validation on a userland application should NEVER be the reason a whole OS goes belly-up.

    Your suggestion could be interpreted that Microsoft was not to blame on the Yorktown debacle, which is wrong.

    --
    Wenn ist das Nunstueck git und Slotermeyer? Ja! Beiherhund das Oder die Flipperwaldt gersput.