Windows on critical systems? Thanks, but no thanks.

By reading this post topic I bet you're thinking "Gees, one more Windows hater moron"...
Well, not quite.
I use Windows, Linux, Unix and, sometimes, even Mac. So give me some credit before calling me bad names, ok? :)

There's a desktop market dominant operating system (OS), it's Windows and that is a fact over a decade now.
If anyone had such an OS, and once the desktop market has been dominated, it is clear that the next step is taking control of other devices, like mobile devices. There's nothing wrong with that, since the mobile devices have OSs and GUIs that are designed for personal usage, so having a personal desktop like Windows running on them makes perfect sense.

So, there's Windows, an OS that has been designed for desktop computers and is meant to be used by people that know nothing about computers. Nevertheless, any Windows user is perfectly capable to use it and use it's applications, either games, office suites or web browser.

There has been some usages that proved to be "less intelligent", more or less harmful, like the BMW iDrive (that many users says it sucks, and it really sucks).

And there has been usages that have proven to be totally idiot, careless and even incompetent.
For does that are now thinking I'm being "unfair", I'll prove all I'm saying.

Imagine that someone thinks that it is a good idea to use an OS that, again, has been designed for desktop usage, and stuff it into critical systems, like, for instance, medical-device equipment used on an hospital.
For those that are not scared, think Automatic Updates rebooting after, silently, downloading and installing an update.
For those that still are not scared, think virus and worms.
Mix all that and here's what you got: a critical system that is vulnerable to virus and worms and that will reboot anytime it wishes.

If you're not scared yet, think of yourself lying on an operation table connected to a medical-device equipment running Windows, and its automatic update client has just download and installed the latest security patches. You know what comes next, don't you?...

Now, I bet you're thinking all that is necessary is to turn the automatic updates off.

Ok then, think of yourself lying on an operation table connected to a medical-device equipment running Windows that is infected with a virus or a worm because it does not have the latest security patches since the automatic updates are off. You know what comes next, don't you?...

For those that are skeptical about such scenario, I have really bad news for you: it has already happened at Sheffield hospitals.
This is not new and it's actually a trend for some years now.

Scared now?...

If this isn't an idiot, careless and incompetent usage of Windows, then I don't know what it is...
Windows on critical systems? Thanks, but no thanks.

./M6