[OT] Perl Developers Needed for Open-Source ATC!

[Aquila Deus]

Hi all!

The project MrATC (Air Traffic Control) needs more Perl developers.
We've done some discussion and begin to code and write doc, but there
are only 2 developers now (and one is a perl noob - me).

WE NEED YOUR HELP TO BUILD THE WORLD'S NEXT GENERATION OF AIR TRAFFIC
CONTROL SYSTEM IN PERL!

If you're interested, please visit
http://sourceforge.net/projects/mratc/

 

[Matt Garrish]

Hi all!

The project MrATC (Air Traffic Control) needs more Perl developers.
We've done some discussion and begin to code and write doc, but there
are only 2 developers now (and one is a perl noob - me).

WE NEED YOUR HELP TO BUILD THE WORLD'S NEXT GENERATION OF AIR TRAFFIC
CONTROL SYSTEM IN PERL!

Not to be too discouraging, but have you identified a need for the new
system? (Or more to the point, your system?) Generally one would be working
in cooperation with the major players in the industry on a project of the
magnitude your undertaking (or at least some players). Announcing that no
one is working on your project but you hope some people will sign up is not
the most effective way to garner interest in your project. If you are
serious about this, I would suggest you start by making contacts within the
industry and looking for participation there. Anyone can write code, but
without a detailed and realistic plan you're not going to get off the ground
(sorry, bad joke!).

Matt

 

[Bill]

Hi all!

The project MrATC (Air Traffic Control) needs more Perl developers.
We've done some discussion and begin to code and write doc, but there
are only 2 developers now (and one is a perl noob - me).

WE NEED YOUR HELP TO BUILD THE WORLD'S NEXT GENERATION OF AIR TRAFFIC
CONTROL SYSTEM IN PERL!

If you're interested, please visit
http://sourceforge.net/projects/mratc/

This is highly domain specific software. You should have a 'real' air
traffic controller be involved in design and testing for this to 'fly.'

Perhaps you may benefit contacting an FAA spakeman like Karen at the FAA
here in the US: karen (dot)stewart (at) faa.gov and asking her
thoughts. Or better still, if there is an air traffic control school
near where you are living, interview a teacher there.

 

[Peter Scott]

Hi all!

The project MrATC (Air Traffic Control) needs more Perl developers.
We've done some discussion and begin to code and write doc, but there
are only 2 developers now (and one is a perl noob - me).

WE NEED YOUR HELP TO BUILD THE WORLD'S NEXT GENERATION OF AIR TRAFFIC
CONTROL SYSTEM IN PERL!

I've been assuming that this is a practical joke. Anyone who thinks
that Perl is a good choice for creating an *operational* air traffic
control system needs their head examined. Now, as a demonstration
coding project, it could be an interesting diversion, although one
does wonder whether that amount of effort wouldn't be better expended
on something that would end up actually being used.

Ironically - and the reason I am interjecting - in "Perl Medic", I
asked for anyone who was building an ATC system in Perl to drop me a
line. This was an aside in a discussion about expertise of
maintenance programmers versus project complexity. I then added
that if they intended their system to be maintained by teenage
programmers, to attach a map of the areas served by said system, and I
would put it to good use.

Books don't generally use smileys. They're unnecessary in most forms
of humor when done right. At least, so I thought...

 

[Aquila Deus]

This is highly domain specific software. You should have a 'real' air
traffic controller be involved in design and testing for this to 'fly.'

Perhaps you may benefit contacting an FAA spakeman like Karen at the FAA
here in the US: karen (dot)stewart (at) faa.gov and asking her
thoughts. Or better still, if there is an air traffic control school
near where you are living, interview a teacher there.

Thank you! I'll discuss this with project admin

 

[Randal L. Schwartz]

Peter> I've been assuming that this is a practical joke. Anyone who thinks
Peter> that Perl is a good choice for creating an *operational* air traffic
Peter> control system needs their head examined.

It's certainly better than the ancient stuff they're using now.

Besides, if adequately tested, there's nothing with Perl for mission
critical projects. I know a lot of people who consider
ticketmaster.com "mission critical"... especially the folks at
Ticketmaster. And that's all mod_perl from top to bottom... all Perl.

So, an ATC system coded in Perl does not scare me in the slightest.

print "Just another Perl hacker,"; # the original

 

[Peter Scott]

Peter> I've been assuming that this is a practical joke. Anyone who thinks
Peter> that Perl is a good choice for creating an *operational* air traffic
Peter> control system needs their head examined.

It's certainly better than the ancient stuff they're using now.

Besides, if adequately tested, there's nothing with Perl for mission
critical projects. I know a lot of people who consider
ticketmaster.com "mission critical"... especially the folks at
Ticketmaster. And that's all mod_perl from top to bottom... all Perl.

So, an ATC system coded in Perl does not scare me in the slightest.[/QUOTE]

Er, if Ticketmaster makes a mistake people don't die. The requirements
that are placed by three-letter agencies on safety-of-life software are
mind-boggling. Not sure where the full ones are but this looks like a
step in the right direction:
http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/equip/ord_nas.htm .

We *are* talking about a system for tracking aircraft through
radar and transponder data and updating multiple distributed
displays in real time plus handing off data between local and
regional centers, right? I think I'd want real time interrupts
and interrupt priority levels, for a start. Haven't seen a Perl
interface for those yet.

It appears to me that the current system exceeds 2 million lines of
Ada, but I could be off; I'm having a hard time finding details.
Coming up with a Perl equivalent sounds like... a lengthy project.
The government has budgeted several $billion for replacing it but
we can whack off one in our spare time that they'll agree to use?

Or are we talking about something else?

 

[Aquila Deus]

Peter> I've been assuming that this is a practical joke. Anyone who thinks
Peter> that Perl is a good choice for creating an *operational* air traffic
Peter> control system needs their head examined.

It's certainly better than the ancient stuff they're using now.

Besides, if adequately tested, there's nothing with Perl for mission
critical projects. I know a lot of people who consider
ticketmaster.com "mission critical"... especially the folks at
Ticketmaster. And that's all mod_perl from top to bottom... all Perl.

So, an ATC system coded in Perl does not scare me in the slightest.

Er, if Ticketmaster makes a mistake people don't die. The requirements
that are placed by three-letter agencies on safety-of-life software are
mind-boggling. Not sure where the full ones are but this looks like a
step in the right direction:
http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/equip/ord_nas.htm .

We *are* talking about a system for tracking aircraft through
radar and transponder data and updating multiple distributed
displays in real time plus handing off data between local and
regional centers, right? I think I'd want real time interrupts
and interrupt priority levels, for a start. Haven't seen a Perl
interface for those yet.

It appears to me that the current system exceeds 2 million lines of
Ada, but I could be off; I'm having a hard time finding details.
Coming up with a Perl equivalent sounds like... a lengthy project.
The government has budgeted several $billion for replacing it but
we can whack off one in our spare time that they'll agree to use?

Or are we talking about something else?[/QUOTE]

Thanks!

 

[thundergnat]

We *are* talking about a system for tracking aircraft through
radar and transponder data and updating multiple distributed
displays in real time plus handing off data between local and
regional centers, right? I think I'd want real time interrupts
and interrupt priority levels, for a start. Haven't seen a Perl
interface for those yet.

It appears to me that the current system exceeds 2 million lines of
Ada, but I could be off; I'm having a hard time finding details.
Coming up with a Perl equivalent sounds like... a lengthy project.
The government has budgeted several $billion for replacing it but
we can whack off one in our spare time that they'll agree to use?

Or are we talking about something else?

As unlikely as it may seem, apparantly there are a few perl ATC systems
being worked on. (No idea if any are in use anywhere.)

http://sourceforge.net/projects/mratc/

http://www.tkzinc.org/index.php/Main/WhatIsZinc

 

[Peter J. Acklam]

The project MrATC (Air Traffic Control) needs more Perl developers.
We've done some discussion and begin to code and write doc, but
there are only 2 developers now (and one is a perl noob - me).

Remember to take the year 10000 problem into account, because
unless you find a whole lot of full-time programmers that will
join you, it will take you several thousand years to get it done.

Just a tip.

Peter
(System administrator/developer, Oslo ATC, Norway)

 

[Aquila Deus]

Remember to take the year 10000 problem into account, because
unless you find a whole lot of full-time programmers that will
join you, it will take you several thousand years to get it done.

Just a tip.

Peter
(System administrator/developer, Oslo ATC, Norway)

Ummmm... You're right. That's what we worry about too.

 

[Peter J. Acklam]

Ummmm... You're right. That's what we worry about too.

It would be fun to see an ATC system written in Perl, but I really
think you should spend your time on something else. The size and
complexity of ATC software is so large you have minimal chance at
succeeding.

Peter
(System administrator/developer, Oslo ATC, Norway)