Those of us that program for Windows for a living probably know who Alan
Cooper is (he is widely known as the father of Visual Basic.)
He has a new book out called "The Inmates are Running the Asylum" which are
his views on software design. I read this excerpt from his book that, in
light of our Dak interest, might be interesting.
"What Do You Get When You Cross a Computer with a Car?
A computer! Porsche's beautiful new high-tech sports car, the Boxster, has
seven computers in it to help manage its complex systems. One of them is
dedicated to managing the engine. It has special procedures built into it to
deal with abnormal situations. Unfortunately, these sometimes backfire. In
some early models, if the fuel level in the gas tank got very low--only a
gallon or so remaining--the centrifugal force of a sharp turn could cause
the fuel to collect in the side of the tank, allowing air to enter the fuel
lines. The computer sensed this as a dramatic change in the incoming fuel
mixture, and interpreted it as a catastrophic failure of the injection
system. To prevent damage, the computer would shut down the ignition and
stop the car. Also to prevent damage, the computer wouldn't let the driver
restart the engine until the car had been towed to a shop and serviced.
When owners of early Boxsters first discovered this problem, the only
solution Porsche could devise was to tell them to open the engine
compartment and disconnect the battery for at least five minutes, giving the
computer time to forget all knowledge of the hiccup. The sports car may
still speed down those two-lane blacktop roads, but now, in those tight
turns, it behaves like a computer."
Roger
'98 SLT CC 4X4 Light Driftwood 5.2 3.55 Auto
Pioneer DEH-P86DHR, Champion Truck Plugs, Pilot Fog Lights
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