Royal Navy Nuclear Fleet now controlled by Windows XP

Strife212 · 19 Dec 2008 at 12:11

Windows boxes on Ethernet LANs are now in control of the UK's nuclear-propelled and nuclear-armed warship fleet.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/12/16/windows_for_submarines_rollout/

All jokes aside, even the best configured Windows PC's fall over every now and then, really wouldn't want that happening at an important time.

The US navy tried to use windows to control a battleship once (USS Yorktown) and it ended up dead in the water when the network crashed and took out the engines.

Strife212 · 19 Dec 2008 at 12:16

Snakedoctor said:
Pass the salt.

http://blogs.msdn.com/ukgovernment/archive/2008/12/17/windows-for-submarinestm.aspx

Strife212 · 19 Dec 2008 at 12:19

Le_Petit_Lapin said:
I'm pretty sure they would have tested it extensively first, and I'd imagine its somewhat modified in terms of services, and it very likely has backup systems.

No doubt they will have. Still interesting though

Strife212 · 20 Dec 2008 at 00:27

meghatronic said:
Oh how people make me laugh.

It'll be a closed system for a start, with extensively tested hardware.

Most windows problems (e.g. BSODs) come from third part hardware/software.... a problem Macs don't suffer with as they're about as configurable/flexible as a cast iron anvil.

The USS Yorktown ran a modified/stripped down desktop OS and the network crashed and bought the engines down.

Strife212 · 22 Dec 2008 at 00:43

Obligatory