(Derek Lyons) writes:

(phil hunt) wrote:
Yes. The progrsamming for this isn't particularly hard, once you've
written software that can identify a vehicle (or other target) in a
picture. It's just a matter of aiming the missile towards the
target.

ROTFL. Yes, once you master the extraordinarily difficult task of
writing software to identify a target, then pretty much else is
simple.

Actually, it isn't. Even given a simple, absolute, "the target is
3.7 degrees left of and 1.1 degrees below sensor boresight axis",
determining the flight control outputs that will steer the missile
towards the target is a Very Hard Problem. Actually implementing
those flight control problems in hardware is another. Simplistic
"steer the missile towards the target" solutions, tend to result
in divergent oscillations that end up with the missile tumbling
out of the control. Simplistic solutions to that one, tend to
result in the missile always being behind the curve and losing
sight of the target in the terminal approach.

Getting it right, requires a lot of specialized knowledge, a lot
of analysis and design work, and a lot of testing.


But you appear to be underestimating the effort needed to
write that software.

Standard hacker arrogance. All hardware problems can be solved
in software, and all software problems can be solved by two guys
with a case of Jolt cola and a long weekend.

For problems where this is actually true, there's nothing better
than unleashing a top hacker. Designing cruise missiles, as it
turns out, is not such a problem. It can probably be done an
order of magnitude faster, better, and cheaper than the major
military powers do it, but that requires a first-rate technical
and managerial team working under ideal conditions, and it's
still an order of magnitude harder and more expensive than he
imagines.

Doing it when the Generalissimo demands that his ne'r-do-well
son-in-law have an important part in the project team, the
Ministry of Security has a suspicious eye on some of the top
people you actually *want*, and you need to work through three
middlemen and a smuggler just to get a good oscilliscope, is
probably right out.


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