Gates the meddler

[Brian Ellis]

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2005-05-01-microsoft-cars_x.htm?POE=TECISVA

Eventually, Gates said, there could be a car that wouldn't let itself crash.

Wouldn't it be a good idea if he managed to make a software, his core business, that wouldn't let itself crash, before he started meddling in other sectors?

I bet Ford's stock took a tumbling when this was announced

[schmosef]

Wouldn't it be a good idea if he managed to make a software, his core business, that wouldn't let itself crash, before he started meddling in other sectors?

I bet Ford's stock took a tumbling when this was announced

I bet it didn't.

[Kurt]

I wonder whether the car would self-destroy rather than let itself crash?

[Jammrock]

I bet it didn't.

I bet it did, but not because of the announcement.

[Dr Mordrid]

I wonder whether the car would self-destroy rather than let itself crash?

Fords (aka: Found On the Road Dead) can do that without any meddling from the computer industry, and most of all Gates. The problem is Fords do it while still in the driveway waiting to be driven

Can you even imagine how "reliable" a car would be that ran Windows??

Dr. Mordrid

[TransformX]

BMT 745 uses windows... They had some 'interesting' problems with the line, like suddenly breaking (hard) on highways..

[Jammrock]

The main problem I see with this concept, Windows aside, is cost. Imagine what the cost of the sensory equipment would be? You'd have to be Bill Gates to even afford it. And the processing power needed to compute "on-the-fly" collision avoidance algorythms? And then you would need a very high speed, very complex wirelss communications scheme for cars to communicate with each others to avoid cars beyond sensory range or not in "avoidance" mode.

Not a chance this will happen any time soon unless some HUGE breakthrough occurs.

Jammrock

[GT98]

A much different take and tone on an automotive related website to this:

http://www.thecarconnection.com/Industry/Techno_Beat/Gates_Ford_Talk_About_Future.S198.A8558.html

Seems like doing stupid simple stuff like using your PDA to load your trips into a Navagtion system thats in your car...I dont see much talk about Buck Rodgers stuff happening any time soon...