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The Therac-25 Incident (2021)

(thedailywtf.com)
449 points lemper | 2 comments | 27 Aug 25 06:57 UTC | HN request time: 0.402s | source
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napolux ◴[27 Aug 25 08:17 UTC] No.45036831[source]▶
The most deadly bug in history. If you know any other deadly bug, please share! I love these stories!
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NitpickLawyer ◴[27 Aug 25 08:23 UTC] No.45036858[source]▶
The MCAS related bugs @ Boeing led to 300+ deaths, so it's probably a contender.
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solids ◴[27 Aug 25 08:26 UTC] No.45036870[source]▶
Was that a bug or a failure to inform pilots about a new system?
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1. thyristan ◴[27 Aug 25 08:33 UTC] No.45036916[source]▶
In the same vein one could argue that Therac-25 was not actually a software bug but a hardware problem. Interlocks, that could have prevented the accidents and that where present in earlier Therac models, were missing. The software was written with those interlocks in mind. Greedy management/hardware engineers skipped them for the -25 version.

It's almost never just software. It's almost never just one cause.

replies(1): >>45037008 #
2. actionfromafar ◴[27 Aug 25 08:48 UTC] No.45037008[source]▶
Just to point it out even clearer - there's almost never a root cause.