Modularity vs monolithic images

Tim Rowledge tim at sumeru.stanford.edu
Tue Sep 4 04:31:26 UTC 2001


"Roger Vossler" <rvossler at qwest.net> is widely believed to have written:

>     Having recently retired from 27 years in the aerospace business
> as a systems engineer and computer engineer, I have worked (and done
> research concerning) a number of high-performance, numerically
> intensive, mission-critical sensor data processing applications.
Yup, those are indeed good examples of where I can see there being an
actual, real cost. AIUI much of this sort of software has to run on much
slower hardware than a typical desktop because of the need for a
certified processor; which takes time. IIRC the 386 is about the latest
cpu certified for manned space flight use, although I know somebody
using ARMs for a satellite (actually at one time ages ago the Brit
military were testing silicon-on-saphire ARMs for hard radiation
environments as well).
Mind you, I think I'd consider the absolute we-know-what-code-will-run
safety of the monolithic approach more important when _I'm_ on a plane.
I'm nervous enough as it is, having worked on designing RB211's etc many
years ago. Never watch sausages being made....

tim

-- 
Tim Rowledge, tim at sumeru.stanford.edu, http://sumeru.stanford.edu/tim
Strange OpCodes: WK: Write to Keyboard





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