Microsoft beefs up Windows for cars.
October 15, 2000 11:29 PM Subscribe
Microsoft beefs up Windows for cars. Do we really want Windows controlling our cars computers?
Damn, missed the chance to get in first with the car crash joke.
posted by lagado at 12:09 AM on October 16, 2000
posted by lagado at 12:09 AM on October 16, 2000
Sorry, lagado....in this case, the insomniac loser gets the well-worn worm.
posted by Optamystic at 12:12 AM on October 16, 2000
posted by Optamystic at 12:12 AM on October 16, 2000
Gee...I wonder how much you would have to drink before your driving performance equaled that of Windows? (I'm not sure I'd still be conscious!)
posted by jaz at 7:31 AM on October 16, 2000
posted by jaz at 7:31 AM on October 16, 2000
Gates once bragged about how far along car technology would be if it had kept pace with computer technology (engines 1mm across capable of 0-60 in about 1 second, etc). Which inspired someone to come up with a list of problems cars would have if they performed similarly to computers (when your car broke down, you'd have to replace the whole thing, etc). I'm sure someone can dig the rest of the list up.
posted by dithered at 8:55 AM on October 16, 2000
posted by dithered at 8:55 AM on October 16, 2000
keep all the OS's out of a car thank you...a mac car would only have one pedal.....but it would look great...
and it would suck to get stuck on the highway waiting for someone to write a linux patch for "left-side merge for exit" or something strange like that...
as far as a windows car...ya'll remember the Navy ship whose NT system crashed and had to be towed back to port?
no thank you....i'll walk....unless i could get my atari 520ST rigged up...
posted by th3ph17 at 9:59 AM on October 16, 2000
and it would suck to get stuck on the highway waiting for someone to write a linux patch for "left-side merge for exit" or something strange like that...
as far as a windows car...ya'll remember the Navy ship whose NT system crashed and had to be towed back to port?
no thank you....i'll walk....unless i could get my atari 520ST rigged up...
posted by th3ph17 at 9:59 AM on October 16, 2000
Cars already have operating systems. All those computer-controlled elements in your car run on top of some kind of operating system.
Granted, it isn't in the same class as workstation OSes, because there's generally a whole lot less to manage, and most of it is a whole lot more critical (like your ABS, or your airbags) than whether or not Word runs properly.
posted by cCranium at 10:21 AM on October 16, 2000
Granted, it isn't in the same class as workstation OSes, because there's generally a whole lot less to manage, and most of it is a whole lot more critical (like your ABS, or your airbags) than whether or not Word runs properly.
posted by cCranium at 10:21 AM on October 16, 2000
cCranium: you're right, and that's one of the reasons I drive a 16 year old jeep. The only thing in it that remotely resembles a computer is the controller box for the air conditioner.
Seriously... I'd be really surprised if even Microsoft thinks CE is remotely close to capable of handling realtime applications like the ones auto computers are used for. All they're talking about in the article are talking dashboards and fancy stereos.
I visited the Experience Music Project over the weekend. They have these electronic gadgets called "MEG" that look something like a glorified Palm connected to a shoulderbag (that presumably contains a shockproof hard drive). You point them at these infrared sensors, push buttons, and they tell you things about the exhibits you're looking at. Cool gadgets. They're running CE.
Mine crashed twice in the first fifteen minutes, and I wasn't even trying.
-Mars
posted by Mars Saxman at 11:10 AM on October 16, 2000
Seriously... I'd be really surprised if even Microsoft thinks CE is remotely close to capable of handling realtime applications like the ones auto computers are used for. All they're talking about in the article are talking dashboards and fancy stereos.
I visited the Experience Music Project over the weekend. They have these electronic gadgets called "MEG" that look something like a glorified Palm connected to a shoulderbag (that presumably contains a shockproof hard drive). You point them at these infrared sensors, push buttons, and they tell you things about the exhibits you're looking at. Cool gadgets. They're running CE.
Mine crashed twice in the first fifteen minutes, and I wasn't even trying.
-Mars
posted by Mars Saxman at 11:10 AM on October 16, 2000
Dithered, do you mean this list? (Yes, it's a self-blog...)
posted by Aaaugh! at 11:32 AM on October 16, 2000
posted by Aaaugh! at 11:32 AM on October 16, 2000
I think that Bill Gates said "if the car industry kept up with computers, we wouldn't need fuel"
and the president of general motors said "yes, but if we kept at that pace, every half a minute you'd have to pull to the side of the road and reboot"
not exactly that, but something along those lines
posted by starduck at 4:07 PM on October 16, 2000
and the president of general motors said "yes, but if we kept at that pace, every half a minute you'd have to pull to the side of the road and reboot"
not exactly that, but something along those lines
posted by starduck at 4:07 PM on October 16, 2000
I believe the joke goes like this:
Gates: "If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving twenty-five dollar cars that got 1000 mi/gal."
GM's reply: "Yes, but would you want your car to crash twice a day?"
Still a silly joke...
posted by Aaaugh! at 6:41 PM on October 16, 2000
Gates: "If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving twenty-five dollar cars that got 1000 mi/gal."
GM's reply: "Yes, but would you want your car to crash twice a day?"
Still a silly joke...
posted by Aaaugh! at 6:41 PM on October 16, 2000
Mars: It may be misplaced, but I don't think auto manufacturers are skimping on the computer-controlled parts of their cars. (said with full knowledge of Firestone. :-)
It also helps that a friend-of-the-family codes embedded chips for a Major Automotive Parts Manufacturer type company (whose name eludes me, of course) and he's a guy whose code I trust.
At the same time, I don't drive a car he'd have had a part in, I have a beat up ol' 92 VW Passat, but the little on-board mileage computer is pretty nifty. :-)
I think I had a point when I started this. <shrug> oh well.
posted by cCranium at 6:07 AM on October 17, 2000
It also helps that a friend-of-the-family codes embedded chips for a Major Automotive Parts Manufacturer type company (whose name eludes me, of course) and he's a guy whose code I trust.
At the same time, I don't drive a car he'd have had a part in, I have a beat up ol' 92 VW Passat, but the little on-board mileage computer is pretty nifty. :-)
I think I had a point when I started this. <shrug> oh well.
posted by cCranium at 6:07 AM on October 17, 2000
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EXPLORER caused an invalid page fault in module BRAKES32.dll.
SCREECH.....KABOOM!!!
posted by Optamystic at 12:05 AM on October 16, 2000