Had to share... > > The reuse of some object-oriented code has caused tactical > headaches for Australia's armed forces. As virtual reality > simulators assume larger roles in helicopter combat training, > programmers have gone to great lengths to increase the > realism of their scenarios, including detailed landscapes and, > in the case of the Northern Territory's Operation Phoenix, > herds of kangaroos (since disturbed animals might well give > away a helicopter's position). > > The head of the Defense Science & Technology Organization's > Land Operations/Simulation division reportedly instructed > developers to model the local marsupials' movements and > reactions to helicopters. > > Being efficient programmers, they just re-appropriated some > code originally used to model infantry detachment reactions > under the same stimuli, changed the mapped icon from a > soldier to a kangaroo, and increased the figures' speed of > movement. > > Eager to demonstrate their flying skills for some visiting > American pilots, the hotshot Aussies "buzzed" the virtual > kangaroos in low flight during a simulation. The kangaroos > scattered, as predicted, and the visiting Americans nodded > appreciatively... then did a double-take as the kangaroos > reappeared from behind a hill and launched a barrage of > Stinger missiles at the hapless helicopter. (Apparently the > programmers had forgotten to remove that part of the > infantry coding.) > > The lesson? Objects are defined with certain attributes, > and any new object defined in terms of an old one inherits > all the attributes. The embarrassed programmers had learned > to be careful when reusing object-oriented code, and the > Yanks left with a newfound respect for Australian wildlife. > > Simulator supervisors report that pilots from that point > onward have strictly avoided kangaroos, just as they were > meant to. > > From June 15, 2002 Defense Science and Technology Organization > Lecture Series, Melbourne, Australia, and staff reports >
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