AusKnight2K wrote:Egad! ... If it runs a M$ operating system, then it will crash all by itself! ...
Oh, I've been warning that for years.
Here's how I would go about preparing a self driving vehicle.
1) Build regular vehicles for YEARS that have sensors and record driving situations and reactions. Their owners must know they are apart of a long term program and their driving habits are being constantly recorded by the on-board computer.
2) After, say, 10 to 20 years of gathering data on just about all potential driving situations and solutions possible, put the gigantic database to work in a simulated world and test, test, test for any driving errors the sim vehicle makes. (It amazes me with the powerful engine the Grand Theft Auto games use. Stay at an intersection long enough and the automated vehicles will fail horribly. What ought to be calculated order becomes seemingly random chaos with an attempt at balance and gridlock.)
3) Install a fully functional version and test, test, test in the real world. Also, have a dedicated testing department do anything and everything to sabotage multiple lab computer units and force the system to do deadly things like making the gas pedal stick open, locking the breaks up or suddenly turning the wheel when problems arrise. Destroy circuit paths. Damage components. Bang the thing around. It must be as bulletproof as physics will allow or it could take lives.
4) Insure that this driving program remains the firm and untouched source FOR ALL future auto pilot vehicles...unless such changes are absolutely necessary. After all, the vehicle industry has a horrible symptom of wanting to reinvent the wheel every few years. Starting this system over from scratch every couple years is truly asking for major troubles.
5) NEVER allow third parties to build accessories or add-on programs for it. It must remain as single minded and independant as possible. If it makes wireless connections or anything, it could be corrupted by a cyber terrorist. After all, they make virii for cel-phones, now. If your cel-phone loses it's air time minutes is nothing in comparison to if your car drives itself to the football game and tries to run down all Humans in sight, because of a terrorist protocol. (KR already explored this nightmare theory, somewhat.) There's the problem. Someone's gonna wire it up with GPS and probably potential for upgrades on the fly. Perhaps, a remote kill switch through On-Star. Flashy graphics interface skins? Instant potential for security compromise. Just takes someone smart enough to find that flaw. Then, your vehicle may refuse to drive for you, regulate you to driving 15 mph to cause havic or set your car up as a missile.
Speaking of which...the local news just had an ad about the dangers of using some around the house machines that run on automatic. What timing.
Yeah, well, to the credit, I have had very good stability with XP Pro SP2, actually. But know what I will put on the PC I hope to get and put in my own car? Linux! 
