A Better Debugger for the Software That Runs Your Cybernetic Heart - io9 Comments

A Better Debugger for the Software That Runs Your Cybernetic Heart

Annalee Newitz — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 10:05:23 PST

@ManchuCandidate: Yeah, I hear that. A lot of medical and biotech equipment does run Windows. I'm always shocked when I go to a lab where they're doing DNA sequencing and all the frakkin software is written for Windows.

Annalee Newitz

A Better Debugger for the Software That Runs Your Cybernetic Heart

ManchuCandidate — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 09:15:35 PST

@Annalee:
I know (I've done a tiny amount of micro controller programming) it's all tiny kernal versions of UNIX, but the possibility that any MS OS short of DOS would run "real" time critical equipment still gives me the heebie jeebies (I know of a couple of medical devices that did.)

ManchuCandidate

A Better Debugger for the Software That Runs Your Cybernetic Heart

Annalee Newitz — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 08:59:34 PST

@ManchuCandidate: Actually I'm pretty sure these pumps run some kind of Linux. Or a specialized tiny OS. So my "blue screen of death" comment was more figurative than a literal reference to Winders.

Annalee Newitz

A Better Debugger for the Software That Runs Your Cybernetic Heart

ManchuCandidate — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 07:23:03 PST

I'm not sure which would kill me faster, a six burger a week habit or seeing a "Pre loaded with Microsoft Vista" sticker on a heart pump.

ManchuCandidate

A Better Debugger for the Software That Runs Your Cybernetic Heart

cmg — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 07:10:34 PST

What, you can't just Ctrl+Alt+Del your heart? Pity.

cmg

A Better Debugger for the Software That Runs Your Cybernetic Heart

SeeingI — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 07:05:46 PST

Oh man, I thought this was a post about some super-cool new t-shirt. Color me disappointed.

SeeingI