← Back to context

Comment by mrheosuper

7 months ago

on the other hand, if you know your old software is buggy and could cause fatal accident, you release a software update, but for some unknown reasons, the user keeps denying updating software, what would you do ?

13 comments

mrheosuper

Reply
worewood  7 months ago

In that case you issue a recall, which is the correct way of dealing with potentially fatal manufacturing defects.

  • mrheosuper  7 months ago

    Which will be costly. Also, it does not guarantee the user will return your car, right?

    • conductr  6 months ago

      It should be costly. You want to encourage companies to make better/safer products that have been well tested. The whole “Move quick and break things” is from the perspective of a completely nonessential social media service. They have no consequences when they break things, although even that has changed as every minute of downtime is lost revenue. Self inflicted financial pain is completely acceptable, if they choose to take that path. Car companies should not.

    • spaqin  7 months ago

      Yeah, but the user will be liable for not returning the vehicle under a recall.

      As for cost, surely you can ask Ford's lawyers who worked there in the 70s to give you a good calculation on life vs recall costs.

      3 replies →

hulitu  7 months ago

> on the other hand, if you know your old software is buggy and could cause fatal accident, you release a software update

No. You test it. And release it if and when it is fully tested. (you know, V-cycle). But we are Agile now and testing is expensive.

  • mrheosuper  7 months ago

    You can apply every fancy safety model (V cycle, iso262626, ASIL, MIRSA) and nothing can guarantee you write one-shot bug free software when your software is slightly more complex than just controlling some lights, sensors or actuators.

    • conductr  7 months ago

      But you’d catch cases like this where the hardware is immediately bricked during driving. If you didn’t, your tests aren’t up to snuff.

      Let’s not let perfection obstruct progress.

      2 replies →

    • jacquesm  7 months ago

      This is not a case of 'absolutely bug free', more a case of 'not obviously and stupidly broken'.