scott wrote:
>>> Just think of all the navigation and control systems in a plane (both 
>>> hardware and software),
>>
>> Not difficult to top. I mean, heck, we used to do *that* without any 
>> computers at all.
> 
> But it's all done *with* computers today.
> 
>> As opposed to supporting several versions of CDMA and GSM, bluetooth, 
>> GPS, HDTV, surround sound, and 3D graphics acceleration, all on one 
>> chip, running
> 
> And that's just for the passenger entertainment system on-board :-)
> 
>>> And that's before you've even considered how complex a modern jet 
>>> engine is, or the retractable landing gear, the control surfaces, the 
>>> control systems to keep the plane stable, the auto-pilot etc.
>>
>> Again, all that was done before people even invented computers.
> 
> And they were noisy and inefficient, today they are far more complex.  A 
> bit like comparing a car engine from today with one from 50 years ago. 
> Completely different and orders of magnitudes more complex today, but in 
> return you get a much quieter, cleaner and efficient engine.
> 
>>> I guess there's a reason why you can design a new phone from drawing 
>>> board to mass production in 18 months, but a plane takes nearer 10 
>>> years.
>>
>> People don't design phones from scratch.
> 
> Nor planes, but the typical timescale from concept to MP is a pretty 
> good indicator of how complex the product is.

The main difference I'm noticing is that... mobile phones aren't safety 
critical.

I don't even wanna *know* what kind of tests a plane has to pass...

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