Windows for Submarines
I acknowledge that the title for this blog posting is an intriguing concept but I thought it would get your attention better than the official project name – Submarine Command System Next Generation (SMCS NG).
Windows for Submarines is the programme undertaken by the Royal Navy and BAE Systems to equip the nuclear-propelled and nuclear-armed warship fleet with a Windows-based command system. The transition to the Windows for Submarines command system on HMS Vigilant, a Trident nuclear missile submarine, was completed in just 18 days.
The Windows for Submarines programme is an example of one of the many areas where Microsoft works in partnership with the MOD to ensure that our products have the resilience, security and communications efficiency required to operate effectively in challenging military environments.
Posted by Ian
Comments
Anonymous
December 17, 2008
I have to ask in all seriousness - why was windows chosen over unix or linux ? cost of training people on gnome desktop ? Honda uses gnome desktop or used to for their Aibo robot project - I've never heard of a failure. granted a nuclear sub is a very mission critical operation - which is exactly why I'm bewildered at the choice of windows operating system. please shed some light on this, thanks. cheers! respectfully, -OmarAnonymous
December 17, 2008
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December 17, 2008
18 days? You guys tested this right? :S http://tinyurl.com/4xb727Anonymous
December 17, 2008
And what about the future when Windows 2000 and XP security is no longer supported? (Which by the look of it is right around the bend) How much will it cost to upgrade the system then?Anonymous
December 18, 2008
What about the blue screen of death? What about fatal boot error due to ntfs corruption? Yikes !Anonymous
December 18, 2008
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December 18, 2008
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December 18, 2008
Regardless of whether it will work for or against the company, this is an extremely bold undertaking. I honestly hope it works out best for everyone.Anonymous
December 18, 2008
I have an insider view on this as when the 'Vangard' class of subs were being built in Barrow I was a member of the command System trials team...this was long before Windows and Microsoft and needless to say niche software, produced in very small quantities was much, much more unstable and buggy than any Windows release! I remember one long session where the only way the system would pass a particular tiral was for every one to 'hands off' their 'pucks' (and upside down mouse) for 15 mins. All went well until 2 minutes to go and some one brushed by the puck. The system went down!!! After a very long day we manged to get past this step!! Give me Windows anytime!!!Anonymous
December 18, 2008
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December 18, 2008
This could have been a better choice. It's the OS running on the B-2 and F-22, among others. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrity_(operating_system)Anonymous
December 18, 2008
Windows has a great history in naval use: http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/1998/07/13987 "The source of the problem on the Yorktown was that bad data was fed into an application running on one of the 16 computers on the LAN. The data contained a zero where it shouldn't have, and when the software attempted to divide by zero, a buffer overrun occurred -- crashing the entire network and causing the ship to lose control of its propulsion system."Anonymous
December 18, 2008
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December 18, 2008
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December 18, 2008
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December 18, 2008
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December 18, 2008
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December 18, 2008
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December 18, 2008
I thought this was a Microsoft blog? How on earth do they allow such news to get out? I would think they would be hiding such news to avoid the negative publicity. I guess any publicity is good publicity where Microsoft is concerned. If this was done to make a dollar I would have thought they would try to hide it so they could continue to do it elsewhere that security is a concern.Anonymous
December 18, 2008
"Microsoft is building a good operation around interoperability with open source..." This is not the issue. It is an issue of guaranteed uptime with a minimum of system crashes. You could use all of the open source (or proprietary) code you want, but if the operating system is suspect, then you are sunk (no pun intended) Windows crashes. Linux/UNIX does too, occasionally -- but much, MUCH less.Anonymous
December 18, 2008
Sailor pushes the button to fire upon a enemy, he gets the question "are you sure". After entering "yes" he gets de message "you have insufficient rights for this program" Meanwhile the enemy has already fired upon his ship en he gets the bleu screen of dead.Anonymous
December 18, 2008
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December 18, 2008
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December 19, 2008
given that a lot of mission critical systems e.g. nuclear power plants are running Windows NT :) ... this is a step in right direction :)Anonymous
December 19, 2008
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December 19, 2008
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December 19, 2008
I hope they are not using windows for any MISSION CRITICAL or SAFETY CRITICAL systems. That would scare the S&*& out of me! LOL Actually, this sounds more like something the US government would do. Dumb de dumb dumb dumbAnonymous
December 19, 2008
I guess it is a few years since http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/1998/07/13987 - is Windows more secure now?Anonymous
December 19, 2008
"MAKE MONEY" ... that's the reason why the world economy is collapsing. It's all about "getting more profit margin, mmmoooorrrreeeee". Sooner or latter it will have to come down ... maybe now is that time.Anonymous
December 19, 2008
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December 19, 2008
The thought of any OS that is used on everyday computers in a nuclear sub is frightening. It doesn't matter if it's Linux, Windows, or Mac. They all have problems with crashing, security holes, and not to mention, are all for profit. (yes even Linux) You may not pay for the software but imagine what the bill would be for support on a nuclear sub when it's under 800ft of water and it decides to crash.Anonymous
December 19, 2008
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December 20, 2008
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December 20, 2008
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December 21, 2008
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December 21, 2008
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December 22, 2008
My original blog posting on Windows for Submarines seems to have caused a bit of a stramash in the blogosphere.Anonymous
December 27, 2008
Can you provide a link to an article highlighting the security holes in the latest Linux kernel? I'm curious.Anonymous
January 05, 2009
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January 05, 2009
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January 13, 2009
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January 16, 2009
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January 23, 2009
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April 12, 2011
Navigator: captain, we just hit an iceburg!!!!! captain: looks like windows *puts on sunglasses has crashed YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!Anonymous
July 05, 2011
Whats a better nuclear deterrent. A nuclear submarine, or a nuclear submarine controlled by a Windows OS. Think about it :)