• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

Can $500,000 Keep Computers From Crashing?

NASA, a major research university, and a veritable Who's Who of Silicon Valley heavyweights are bankrolling a $500,000 study on how to keep computers from crashing.

The space administration and Carnegie Mellon University announced a roster of major computer and software company partners in the "High Dependability Computing Consortium," a new research group aimed at building computer systems that -- eventually -- will not fail.

Link

i konw it can for me 🙂
 
IMO it's the user that causes a computer to crash. Microsoft is just a convenient outlet to vent frustration and stupidity. $500,000 can't teach morons new tricks.
 
it not always Microsoft's fault. Other companies are to blame has well, drivers are agood source of instability.
 
Leta face it, different OS's are differently stable.
For an extreme, compare Win9x to Solaris, both running similar programs.
Assuming no hardware failures the Solaris box will probabaly be able to run for years if you dont do anything really stupid with it, while I doubt the 9x kbox will last a week.
 
Give me half that money and then I will set up a computer that will NEVER EVER crash. Just a cheapo 486 running dos 6.22 in a sealed plexiglass box that no one can touch and no one can interface with.
 
Reminds me of that scene in the South Park movie when the general brings in bill gates and shoots him in the head.
 
This is soo dumb. How about getting THEM to make an OS that does not crash WITH ANY hardware/software combination.
 
usual_suspect,

Not anymore, because I know what crashes my computer, and I just avoid it. Sometimes I try some new things and stuff is gonna crash, but that's to be expected. I just don't blame anyone for my own stupidity.
 
Windows stable?

Dont make me laugh. For those of you that claim "stability" it doesn't count if all you do is go through Napster looking for mp3s and browsing the net for the latest hardware/pr0n news.
 
I'm a programmer 🙁 You have no idea how some poorly constructed SQL queries can gobble up all your resources.

And napster is garbage. Porn is overrated 🙂
 
Easy, make it purpose built from the ground up and keep it simple. I've never seen a calculator crash or old 8 bit Nintendo crash. Just set it up for a purpose and let it do it's job. There is a Novell server at the office that went over 2 years without crashing or rebooting. All it did all day was server print jobs and act as network storage for 100 users. An extended power outage finally ended that official streak but it's been running for the last six months just fine after another power up. There is one HP3000 that most people don't even know is running because there is no monitor attached to it. It's been serving a bunch of databases for years without fail. No one really knows how long it's been chugging along but the rumor is 3 years+ with one outage to replace the UPS battery.

Windogg
 
Windogg is right. You think NASA is gonna use Windows to fly the shuttle or control lil robots scurrying about on Mars? Hell no!! What NASA wants is an computer which doesnt crash. Period. That way they can use it in mission critical apps. And Windows aint it! Solaris is good, but I dont think they would even look at a true "OS". Look at a switch or router. Its all simple firmware. I think thats the way NASA will go, a dedicated peice of equipment that doesnt have 9 processes and apps running just to run the OS, like Windows. KISS, Keep It Simple, Stupid.
 
Superbaby, a good OS wont allow one poorly programmed app to take the entire OS with it.

There will allways be bugs in programs, but the best that can be done about it is to make robust OS's.
 
IMO it's the user that causes a computer to crash. Microsoft is just a convenient outlet to vent frustration and stupidity. $500,000 can't teach morons new tricks.

Lots of things can cause computers to crash aside from the user. I am sure some users do things that make their PCs more prone to crash, but there are lots of external factors to consider also.
 
Back
Top