On Jul 15, 9:39 pm, skydweller <peor...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> On Tue, 15 Jul 2008 18:52:42 +0000, Roy Schestowitz wrote:
> > No Windows Vista For Would-Be Air Traffic Controllers
>
> > ,----[ Quote ]
> > | The Federal Aviation Administration plans to bar contractors who
> > administer | the air traffic controllers exam from using Windows
> > Vista-based PCs. `----
>
> >http://callcenterinfo.tmcnet.com/news/2008/07/11/3541592.htm
Seems to be a growing sentiment to bar or ban Vista. Typically,
contractors are the worst offenders. Often, they get free copies of
Vista as part of the MSDN membership, and use it even though they are
supposed to purchase a full license when the OS goes into GA. They
are software pirates working in a corporate environment, but they are
also trying to force others to upgrade.
The very arrogantly insist on distributing only the latest office
formats (docx, xlsx, pptx...) and claim that it is "impossible" to
save them in Windows 2000 format. Appearantly, they are just too
stupid, because when we send back documents that have been converted
to .doc, they have to problem with it.
Even though these guys are committing a federal felony, Microsoft
doesn't seem to care, because they are sabotaging the status quo, and
trying to force client employees to make unauthorized upgrades to
their PCs.
Some clients are even telling these contractors that they have to
downgrade their PCs, or switch to something that is supported on
everybody's PC, like OpenOffice. IBM is now telling it's GBS
customers that they can get a free copy of Symphony, because IBM wants
to use ODF from now on. The Symphony documents look the same on both
Symphony and OO, and the OO documents look the same on Symphony.
> > ,----[ Quote ]
> > | While not exactly a game, Laminar Research has announced the release
> > of | X-Plane 9.0. X-Plane is a multi-platform (Linux, Mac OS X, and
> > Windows) | flight simulator, but unlike FlightGear and other open-source
> > simulators, | this is meant to be a life-like training exercise. X-Plane
> > is so realistic | that it has been certified by the FAA (Federal
> > Aviation Administration) here | in the United States for use as a
> > training utility. X-Plane 9 has been in | beta for some time, but
> > X-Plane 9.00 has now officially been released. `----
>
> >http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=NjQ0NA
Keep in mind that Silicon Graphics, SGI, has been creating simulators
used to train the military for combat situations for about 20 years
now. For the last several years, SGI has been shipping those
simulators on Linux systems. Of course, the Military simulators have
as many as 20 screens, and can provide a 360 degree view in 3
dimensions. In addition, the SGI machines can control hydrolics to
simulate the noize, vibration, and recoil of a tank firing it's big
gun, or even being hit by an enemy shell.
If you have about $2 million and top security clearance, they might
even sell you a few. (There are scaled down simulators for a bit
less).
> > Related:
>
> > FAA May Ditch Microsoft's Windows Vista And Office For Google And Linux
> > Combo
>
> > ,----[ Quote ]
> > | Bowen said he's in talks with the aviation safety agency's main |
> > hardware supplier, Dell Computer, to determine if it could | deliver
> > Linux-based computers capable of accessing Google | Apps through a
> > non-Microsoft browser once the FAA's XP-based | computers pass their
> > shelf life.
> > `----
Put another way, if Dell can't deliver Linux/Google computers, they
won't be selling any more computers to the FAA next year.
Now that Microsoft is trying to strong-arm the OEMs into shipping ONLY
Vista, and stopping support for XP, the customers are pushing back
even harder. Corporations are refusing to upgrade to Vista, and if
that means they stop buying Dell Computers (or HP or Lenovo or Acer)
for the next 6-12 months, then so be it.
The harder Microsoft tries to "force feed" Vista to Corporate
customers, the more interested these corporate customers get in Linux
Desktops.
IBM already has a corporate standard Linux desktop, and since each
employee is licensed to use XP as well, they can install Windows as a
VMWare client, but they are being encouraged to look at Linux as the
primary operating system. They have also announced that they intend
to "sunset" Microsoft's proprietary format documents. They have even
been supporting efforts to make a "project" for eclipse, along with
other eclipse applications, so that they can drop the remaining
Microsoft applications such as Project and Visio.
Many of the clients are leaning in this direction as well, with some
even pulling faster and harder.
> >http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?
> articleID=197800480
> Cool. I just wish they'd hire a few air-traffic controllers first ...
This has been a problem since Reagan fired the ATCs in 1981, weeks
after he took office. The FAA fired a bunch of senior people because
they went on strike for safer conditions. Most of these were
replaced by inexperienced controllers, who barely met the minimum
standards.
> http://www.nydailynews.com/
> ny_local/2008/07/07/2008-07-07_nearmiss_reported_at_jfk_airport.html
>
> http://www.wnbc.com/news/16858119/detail.html
>
> The FAA has a piss-poor record when it comes to trivial things like labor
> relations, safety, etc. I'm no MSFT fanboi, but I don't think MS can be
> blamed for the problems of that agency. Flying is more dangerous then
> computing these days.
The problem is that the FAA has so many planes in the air that they
are often less than 2 miles apart. The number of people flying on
airplanes has increased, and the number of flights taken per person
has increased even more (many flying a round-trip every week). In
effect, there are about 50 times more airplanes in the air than in
1980, and the number of controllers has not increased.
The only thing keeping the situation under control is the increasing
capabilities of the computers, both in the tower, and on the
airplanes, to provide quality information, and detect potential hazard
situations BEFORE they become critical.
Imagine if the city you grew up in went from 4 million to 200 million
in less than 30 years. The logistics would be horrendous. 4 lane
highways would have to be expanded to 200 lanes. Imagine what the
traffic lights would be like.
Thanks to UNIX, we see planes landing every 30 seconds, and taking off
every 60 seconds at major airports like Newark, Atlanta, and O'Hare.
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