[Nottingham] ShefLug: Linux in Space

[James Gibbon]

".waffle" wrote:
> I know someone who works for Boeing in LA, who used to work for
> NASA. She said that all the processors on board are 486's and will
> never be higher, as they use far less power, produce far less
> heat, and best of all, give them a reason not to run Windows ;)
> 

That sounds plausible - I believe that it's common to use 'mature',
well-tested processors with no potential lurking surprises in
safety-critical applications.  On a flight to Japan on a 747 five
years ago I was invited into the cockpit for a chat with the crew.
The co-pilot told me that the flight control and navigational
systems ran on 286's.

James