5 ms·

> The Dragon spacecraft also runs Linux with flight software written in C++. The ship's touchscreen interface is rendered using Chromium and JavaScript. I'm ac

by cblum 6y ago

> The Dragon spacecraft also runs Linux with flight software written in C++. The ship's touchscreen interface is rendered using Chromium and JavaScript. I'm actually shocked by this statement. I would never trust JavaScript on a spacecraft.

ncmncm 6y ago
Claim is that it is used only for non-essential functions. I wonder if that will last...
craftit 6y ago
Though if you think about the number of hours of use and testing javascript and browser technology in general has had, maybe it does make sense.
- asplake 6y ago
  And yet every day I have to kill Chrome tasks for memory consumption...
  - jotm 6y ago
    Firefox sits open with dozens of tabs for literally weeks... just saying :D
krisoft 6y ago
The James Webb Telescope uses a javascript interpreter too: https://www.stsci.edu/~idash/pub/dashevsky0607rcsgso.pdf https://www.stsci.edu/~idash/pub/dashevsky0607rcsgso.pdf
- throwaway_pdp09 6y ago
  And web browsers often have js interpreters too. And if things screw up, what's the harm? These are different scenarios where lives matter in one, no the others.
thunderbong 6y ago
Genuine question - why? IMHO, most of the flak javascript gets is primarily due to 2 reasons - 1. Using javascript indiscriminately 2. Using javascript frameworks to a point where it becomes it's own universe and people end up with blinders unable to see anything else. In both these cases, the issue is not as much as with the language as with the people (ab)using it.
- throwaway_pdp09 6y ago
  I'm disturbed you should ask. Several answers but for me the main one is simplicity (lack of it). Add to that, lack of explicit memory handling and dynamic typing at least. You could say you could use a small subset of the language, in which case you'd have to enforce that subset only is used, in which case you'd strip out the unused stuff from the language, and then you don't have javascript any more.
Yaggo 6y ago
Sounds just like a great cost-effective "hack" that Elon's company would use. It's just an UI, a perfect fit for browser/javascript solution. (I don't mean "hack" in negative sense, but just doing things unconventionally.) I'm actually amazed that Tesla's UI does not use similar solution but is Qt-based.
ballooney 6y ago
The astronauts are cargo. Dragon capsules have already been flown to the ISS without any of this stuff. It’s too unfair to call it decoration but it’s not far off that.
tjpnz 6y ago
For the flight critical stuff there are physical controls below the touch screens as backup.

by cblum 6y ago

ncmncm 6y ago

Claim is that it is used only for non-essential functions. I wonder if that will last...

craftit 6y ago

Though if you think about the number of hours of use and testing javascript and browser technology in general has had, maybe it does make sense.

asplake 6y ago
And yet every day I have to kill Chrome tasks for memory consumption...
- jotm 6y ago
  Firefox sits open with dozens of tabs for literally weeks... just saying :D

krisoft 6y ago

The James Webb Telescope uses a javascript interpreter too: https://www.stsci.edu/~idash/pub/dashevsky0607rcsgso.pdf https://www.stsci.edu/~idash/pub/dashevsky0607rcsgso.pdf

throwaway_pdp09 6y ago
And web browsers often have js interpreters too. And if things screw up, what's the harm? These are different scenarios where lives matter in one, no the others.

thunderbong 6y ago

Genuine question - why? IMHO, most of the flak javascript gets is primarily due to 2 reasons - 1. Using javascript indiscriminately 2. Using javascript frameworks to a point where it becomes it's own universe and people end up with blinders unable to see anything else. In both these cases, the issue is not as much as with the language as with the people (ab)using it.

throwaway_pdp09 6y ago
I'm disturbed you should ask. Several answers but for me the main one is simplicity (lack of it). Add to that, lack of explicit memory handling and dynamic typing at least. You could say you could use a small subset of the language, in which case you'd have to enforce that subset only is used, in which case you'd strip out the unused stuff from the language, and then you don't have javascript any more.

Yaggo 6y ago

Sounds just like a great cost-effective "hack" that Elon's company would use. It's just an UI, a perfect fit for browser/javascript solution. (I don't mean "hack" in negative sense, but just doing things unconventionally.) I'm actually amazed that Tesla's UI does not use similar solution but is Qt-based.

ballooney 6y ago

The astronauts are cargo. Dragon capsules have already been flown to the ISS without any of this stuff. It’s too unfair to call it decoration but it’s not far off that.

tjpnz 6y ago

For the flight critical stuff there are physical controls below the touch screens as backup.