>> A NASA rocket exploding is something like an M$ product having a 
>> severe security vulnerability.
> 
> I don't think that's a fair comparison .. Sure, a security vulnerability 
> is a headache, but it did just kill the crew, and spread flaming debris 
> across half of Texas ...

...which is why software bugs are "acceptable", and safety issues 
aren't. ;-)

But I think it *is* a fair comparison: M$ Windoze is not capable of 
killing anybody [usually], so a severe security issue is just about the 
most catastrophic kind of problem it can experience.

> Didn't the ESA lose a mars probe because of a program error?

Possibly.

Space is a pretty harsh environment, so there's a whole array of 
possible malfunctions that could end a mission - broken motors or 
sensors, compromised computer hardware, corrupted RAM portions, or 
conceivably simple programmer error. The last one would seem one of the 
easiest classes of fault to prevent, but sure, one might have slipped 
though somewhere...

-- 
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*

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