Free Software, a Matter of Life and Death 197
ChiefMonkeyGrinder writes "Software on medical implants is not open to scrutiny by regulatory bodies. Glyn Moody writes: 'Software with the ability to harm as well as help us in the physical world needs to be open to scrutiny to minimise safety issues. Medical devices may be the most extreme manifestation of this, but with the move of embedded software into planes, cars and other large and not-so-large devices with potentially lethal side-effects, the need to inspect software there too becomes increasingly urgent.' A new report 'Killed by Code: Software Transparency in Implantable Medical Devices' from the Software Freedom Law Center points out that, as patients grow more reliant on computerized devices, the dependability of software is a life-or-death issue. 'The need to address software vulnerability is especially pressing for Implantable Medical Devices, which are commonly used by millions of patients to treat chronic heart conditions, epilepsy, diabetes, obesity, and even depression.' Will making the source code free to scrutiny address the issue of faulty devices?"
I've got to say... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:I've got to say... (Score:2, Funny)
... or potential lack thereof when you need it.
Re:Same article different day (Score:5, Funny)
Re:I've got to say... (Score:5, Funny)
Blue Screen of Death, now with real death?
Re:I've got to say... (Score:5, Funny)
Give new meaning to the word (Score:1, Funny)
heartworm.
Re:I've got to say... (Score:5, Funny)
Thanks!
At least I didn't say it'd be the first killer app for the platform. Man, these jokes write themselves!
Re:I've got to say... (Score:5, Funny)
Roy: [answers phone] Hello, IT. Have you tried turning it off and on again?
Re:I've got to say... (Score:2, Funny)
Re:I've got to say... (Score:5, Funny)
Just think... Somewhere out there is someone who writes pacemaker software who is thinking "There are alternatives to Windows Embedded?"
SNMP (Score:3, Funny)
"Well, do you want your pacemaker to have intuitive manageability through Group Policies, or not?"
No, just a good SNMP MIB and traps.
I was joking with an ex-sys-admin friend of mine who just underwent open heart valve replacement, and commenting on the idea that the wireless ECG gear needed SNMP to alert when it detected a loose lead. She laughed - not good when you were doing a good impression of an Aztec sacrifice just a couple of days previously.
Re:Formal methods, not open code (Score:3, Funny)
Look, if you don't like the idea of implanted medical devices controlled by software, just say so.