If you fly.

A word about Boeing 787s

[tangor]

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a new airworthiness directive (PDF) for Boeing's 787 because a software bug shuts down the plane's electricity generators every 248 days.

“We have been advised by Boeing of an issue identified during laboratory testing,” the directive says. That issue sees “The software counter internal to the generator control units (GCUs) will overflow after 248 days of continuous power, causing that GCU to go into failsafe mode.”

[theregister.co.uk...]
So, before taking a trip on one of these beauties, just ask the Captain to reboot the system(s) to avoid flying brick... :)

[dcheney]

Of course the chance of running a 787 for 248 days (8+ months) without a restart is about the same as running a windows computer that long without a reboot.

[engine]

I have to ask an obvious question: Why 248 days? How odd.

I would have thought this was easily fixable, too, now it's been found.

[dcheney]

The suggestion was that it was some sort of timer overflow. It will be fixed, but will require a software update. And those require extensive testing and approvals.

[lucy24]

Why 248 days?

Eight maximum-length months.

[LifeinAsia]

Why 248 days?

Eight maximum-length months.

Sounds like they just have the trial version of the software.

[engine]

Shareware? ;)

[lucy24]

Shareware?

Crippleware? Don't look at me like that. I didn't invent the term.

Seriously, an 8-month cutoff sounds like software that is intended to be functional for some much shorter time, like 4 or 6 or 2 months. If you've managed to go eight months without doing, uh, whatever-it-is-you're-supposed-to-do, that's the point at which the software puts its foot down and says I Refuse To Go One Step Further.

:: vague mental association with The Day the Earth Stood Still and short list of exceptions, specifically including "airplanes in flight" ::

[blend27]

Shareware?..
Crippleware?...

Nah, probably some type of LowJack, in case some[one|thing|snake|chupacabra] lifts it and they can't find it for 248 days. I mean people made it around the World in 80 days, even better - the Lady made it in 78.

The question is: What really happens just before the REBOOT? Do you get a POP UP on the windshield?

[LifeinAsia]

What really happens just before the REBOOT?

"System going DOWN"

[lucy24]

Darn, where's that upvote button when I need it?

[tangor]

It is was MS, the Monthly Patch Tuesday Update would have forced a reboot before 248 days. :)