3 ms·
Imagine being the developer who wrote the line of code (who didn't understanding floating point variables). Or the QA tester who didn't spot it, or didn't decid
by dotBen 16y ago
Imagine being the developer who wrote the line of code (who didn't understanding floating point variables). Or the QA tester who didn't spot it, or didn't decide it was worth reporting.
Aside from being a pacifist, this is why a number of engineer friends have stepped out of building defense systems (including missile guidance systems) and into more civilian engineering because the stress and moral burden is just too great.
- extension 16y agoBetter than being the executive who decided not to release the patch until 28 people were dead.
- viraptor 16y agoAs long as the workaround was known, well... I don't know exactly what the military procedures are for situations like that, but updating an active rocket defence system in area where you don't necessarily have trained engineers -vs- rebooting it every day or so to make sure it works. It looks like a simple choice to me. Also looking at who actually makes the mistake - if someone gives you an update and the system fails, they're at fault. If you give clear instructions for operation and users don't follow it...
- extension 16y agoAccording to Wikipedia, the workaround came from the Israeli army, who found the bug, not the manufacturer. The instructions for this workaround did not propogate clearly and thus weren't followed. Being defenseless for a few minutes every day during a reboot hardly seems like a reasonable fix anyway, especially if it becomes standard procedure that your enemy may learn about. The fact that the manufacturer did release a patch, rather than a workaround, the day after the accident suggests that this was indeed the safest course of action. It was just taken too late.