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Re: [LUG] OT: Advice for Windows XP Users

 

On 30/03/14 19:52, Eion MacDonald wrote:
> 
> On 30/03/2014 15:54, Martijn Grooten wrote:
>>  companies 'forced' to run XP are those running
>> some kind of custom-made software package that only runs XP
> space shuttle, international space station, (warships legacy weapons
> systems? perhaps) ect.

Space shuttles have been decommissioned. Since they predate XP
considerably, if they had XP it was part of an upgrade, and it wasn't in
avionics.

http://history.nasa.gov/computers/Ch4-1.html

The International Space station runs Debian for key systems, they
migrated from Microsoft Windows. It predates XP as well, and I think it
had OS2 early on.

Wikipedia says:

"The operating system used for key station functions is the Debian
version of Linux.[160] The migration from Microsoft Windows was made in
May 2013 for reasons of reliability, stability and flexibility.[161]"

I imagine updating a space station is considerably harder than upgrading
most businesses, and much more costly. I suspect licensing fees are not
a major component, possibly launch costs for new hardware are immense.


This leaves things like SMCS-NG, which was a management decision the
engineers wanted *nix for naval control systems. That was sold on basis
they would provide periodic updates to cover the maintenance issue of
COTS. Although given the time-scales that ship refits and maintenance
usually work to. Alas, and perhaps unsurprisingly, I couldn't
immediately fine technical detail of the latest version of SMCS-NG.





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