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[supersnoop]

Chinese military OS question.

When pictures are not fully blurred, I have seen the following systems
Windows 7 - Drone operator console
Windows XP (!), forgot where, but it was a recent photo
Android - "Digital Soldier" tablets.

I am not a software expert, but I imagine the many different OS could inhibit information sharing between systems. Not to mention, something as old as XP is full of security holes.

Obviously for military platforms the stability and reliability is paramount, so it's not easy to upgrade/update like consumers do, but it is interesting to learn what developments might be taking place.

 

[grulle]

why does China maintain such a low stockpile of nuclear weapons? do they not have the ability to ramp up production of nuclear weapons or do they just don't want to.

 

[Dante80]

why does China maintain such a low stockpile of nuclear weapons? do they not have the ability to ramp up production of nuclear weapons or do they just don't want to.

We don't really know what the current stockpile or capabilities are.

 

[daifo]

Chinese military OS question.

When pictures are not fully blurred, I have seen the following systems
Windows 7 - Drone operator console
Windows XP (!), forgot where, but it was a recent photo
Android - "Digital Soldier" tablets.

I am not a software expert, but I imagine the many different OS could inhibit information sharing between systems. Not to mention, something as old as XP is full of security holes.

Obviously for military platforms the stability and reliability is paramount, so it's not easy to upgrade/update like consumers do, but it is interesting to learn what developments might be taking place.

Chinese OS/Linux enjoys copying windows GUI

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It is not the 80/90s, there are ways to make software communicate regardless of OS... we see it all the time with diff phone os, computer os, browsers, apps , etc

 

[supersnoop]

Chinese OS/Linux enjoys copying windows GUI

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It is not the 80/90s, there are ways to make software communicate regardless of OS... we see it all the time with diff phone os, computer os, browsers, apps , etc

Obviously there are ways to communicate, just as simple as creating APIs, but I wonder if there are any missed opportunities. Think something like Apple who has a common code base for both phone, tablet, smart watch, and full computers. It provides a basis for tight integration between them.

Consumer comparisons aside, could it save time/money to streamline developer teams?

Lastly, it seems that the last 20 years has seen a seismic shift in the way software is being approached in China.

From what I understood, early on, military development was just an offshoot of commercial development, because that is what was known and available. This is why there are so many Windows based systems even today. Another consequence to this was that most software was C/C++ based (again, I’m not an expert in this field so correct me where I’m wrong). Contrast it to American military software development which was mostly separate from commercial projects and used their own programming language like ADA.

Now it seems like open source projects are pushing out the dominance of windows in the Chinese commercial space. What sort of implications does it have for the military?

 

[supersnoop]

Just to add to the above

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My source is not this article, but it is a decent summary that has aligned with my own observations over time.

 

[gadgetcool5]

Please stop. If you want a fantasy thread, go somewhere else.

So it looks like this isn't complete fantasy after all, but something that could eventually happen:

Scientists propose putting nanobots in our bodies to create ‘global superbrain’​

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This article only discusses nanobots, but of course those could be weaponized...

 

[Reclaimer]

If China were to reunite with Taiwan through military means, is it possible for the US to form a coalition and strike back like they did with Iraq's invasion of Kuwait?

 

[ansy1968]

If China were to reunite with Taiwan through military means, is it possible for the US to form a coalition and strike back like they did with Iraq's invasion of Kuwait?

@Reclaimer

I know its contentious, but let's give it a try, Everybody support a One China policy, only the five eyes with Japan had the "intention of intervening", Russia will support China as a reciprocal for their support on Crimea and also if China failed they're the next target. So the question is will Japan , SK , the ASEAN allow their neighborhood to be a battle ground and laid waste to their hard earned work? China is not Iraq, it had the capacity and capability to hit back and hit back hard with nuclear weapon. So all these posturing is being done as a deterrence to Taiwan itself as a warning not to cross the Rubicon.

 

[Reclaimer]

@Reclaimer

I know its contentious, but let's give it a try, Everybody support a One China policy, only the five eyes with Japan had the "intention of intervening", Russia will support China as a reciprocal for their support on Crimea and also if China failed they're the next target. So the question is will Japan , SK , the ASEAN allow their neighborhood to be a battle ground and laid waste to their hard earned work? China is not Iraq, it had the capacity and capability to hit back and hit back hard with nuclear weapon. So all these posturing is being done as a deterrence to Taiwan itself as a warning not to cross the Rubicon.

Interesting, I haven't thought about Crimea. Russia's potential assistance will certainly make the intervention less likely. I don't think SK will intervene because of the current relations between CN-SK-NK. And as you said ASEAN countries are unlikely to risk their country for a conflict they're not interested in.

Let's not discuss nuclear escalation because the outcome is definitely something neither side would want. However, I could see a coalition of US, UK, AUS, JPN, maybe CAN and IN attempt to take back TW by conventional means.