Date: 18 Feb 2003 20:12:04 GMT From: davehinznopsamcop.net Subject: Re: BMWs keep trying to smoke me!
Someone who looks an awful lot like Simon Putz <simon.putznopsamline.de> wrote: > Hi, >> > BMW iDrive in the new 7 series. >> >> iDrive. Running Windows to control critical functions of a moving > vehicle. > didnt realize that they are that stupid and run a car control system based > on a usual operating system. Windows CE to be specific. > neither windows nor linux nor bsd or whatever were made for that purpose. > they should have developed their > own system for that purpose, running windows on my car computer sounds > really phoney to me Well, I can see advantages in using an existing OS, but picking one with a well-deserved reputation for not being stable is a very surprising decision, especially from someone like BMW. I mean, fuel pump, brake lights, transmission shift control, telephone, radio, window controls (the glass kind)...all of these things work just fine when run normally; adding computer control to them is a very puzzling thing for them to have done. Why, specifically, should the brake lights be dependant on a computer? That's got to be one of the most critical safety elements of a vehicle, guys. Ahem. Sorry for the rant, it's just so surprising that a company with a reputation for good engineering would do such a thing. Someone got blinded by the techie-nifty flashy stuff, and suspended their logical thinking. An interesting bunch of articles can be found if you punch "bmw idrive windows bugs" into google.