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Story: Microsoft software implicated in air traffic shutdown

Posted by: Steven Farnsworth (Wednesday 22 September 2004, 5:50 PM)

I can't believe that this reporter (and I use the term loosely) is even allowed near a keyboard with the level of obvious spin-doctoring in this article. It starts out with a headline that it doesn't even back up in the story!

Let's see: "Microsoft software implicated in air traffic shutdown" - but then the article says this "The newspaper said that a Microsoft-based replacement for an older Unix system needed to be reset every thirty days 'to prevent data overload', as a result of problems found when the system was first rolled out."

So, there was a problem with the PROPRIETARY SOFTWARE (last I checked, MS doesn't make PC's) they knew about, and chose to ignore it, instead sending out a tech every 30 days to reboot it.

If you follow the link to the LA Times article, it reads a LOT differently... In fact, the only time MS is mentioned is here: "When the system was upgraded about a year ago, the original computers were replaced by Dell computers using Microsoft software. Baggett said the Microsoft software contained an internal clock designed to shut the system down after 49.7 days to prevent it from becoming overloaded with data" -- now, gee, this reeks of BULL to me. What does the OS have to do with anything when you're running a PROPRIETARY SOFTWARE SYSTEM?

The FACT is that they are running an asinine old program called VSCS which was designed for Unix - and now they're porting it to XP or NT, decades later, and expect the old fogies they have running the place (who probably designed the VSCS in the first place) to make it mesh. Again, if you READ the article you get this inormation:

"As originally designed, the VSCS system used computers that ran on an operating system known as Unix, said Ray Baggett, vice president for the union's western region"

and

"The VSCS system was built for the FAA by Harris Corp. of Melbourne, Fla., at a cost of more than $1.5 billion..."

and this

"FAA officials said they had known for more than a year that a software glitch could shut down radio communications and were in the process of fixing it. In the meantime, they required manual resetting of the communications system — a process they described as similar to rebooting a personal computer."

and this "But they said the quirk in the system, known as Voice Switching and Control System, is a "design anomaly" that should have been corrected after it was discovered last year in Atlanta."

So, does MS design VCSC? Uhh, no, read the article. In fact, if you learned to READ everything, it'd be pretty obvious that this is a clean case of typical large-business netwrok upgrades: They want to upgrade their PC's, but won't upgrade the in-house software, they just patch the shit to keep it running.

The LA Times even says that the FAA claims is was "human error"... but you say thety implicate Microsoft? Bald faced liar, you should be ashamed. Your article is very poor reporting, you should be ashamed. If you have to MS bash, at least don't lie and spread falsehoods. Try providing facts instead...