Date:         Tue, 26 Mar 2002 09:41:30 -0600
Reply-To:     Chris Mills <scmills@TNTECH.EDU>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Chris Mills <scmills@TNTECH.EDU>
Subject:      Re: No Vanagon Content/Macintosh bashing
In-Reply-To:  <200203261510.g2QFA3N96682@mail.aros.net>
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>The last time I looked, the USG was busy converting over to Windows.
>Everyone in the government loves windwoes because gates thinks like they
>do. Several years ago there was a wonderful story about the Navy's
>attempts to ditch the UNIX servers that run their destroyers, and convert
>them over to NT4.0 It has been a while, but on at least two occasions, one
>of our billion$$ destroyers was seen being towed into port as the might NT
>had gone blue screen and shut down the entire vessel. Like I said, the
>last I heard, the conversion was still going on, even tho NT does not pass
>the security requirements of the military. Its important to remember that
>criminals always help out their own kind.

Never heard of a Naval vessel (military) that relied so heavier on
automation that it couldn't be operated manually in a pinch.

I was part of the rudder emergency crew on our ship and we stayed in the
compartment (very small by the way) with the rudder mechanism while
approaching port in case we needed to go to full manual mode if the
hydraulic systems failed. This was a new ship ~'94 too.

I could see the weapons system being computer controlled but I doubt the
engines and rudder was inoperable b/c of a software failure.

Of course - my buddy who was on aging  SSN said they were towed into port
b/c the main propeller shaft failed... (Or some part of it).

Seems like running consumer based software would be dangerous for a
military system b/c the bad guys would have access to the same software and
could learn all the little in's and out's to hack the system if given the
chance.


Chris M. <Busbodger - "TEAM SLOWPOKE">
Cookeville, Tennessee

ICQ# 5944649
scm9985@tntech.edu

'78 VW Westfalia (67 HP -> that is...67 Hamster Power)
'65 Beetle - Type IV powered
'99 CR-V AWD station wagon
'81 CB900 Custom moto-chickle
2.5 Corvair engines for my Trans-vair Conversion