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Re:German nuclear plant infected with computer viruses, oper... by _pmf_ on Wednesday April 27, 2016 @09:56AM (#11580447)
> It's more alarming to me that, apparently, critical infrastructure in a nuclear plant is running old versions of Windows

Don't worry, the most important parts are running on DOS or OS/2, so we're saved from doom!

Re:German nuclear plant infected with computer viruses, oper... by beambot on Wednesday April 27, 2016 @10:29AM (#11580715)
Not quite. Doom installs just fine on DOS. It's just one of the games I would install...
Re:German nuclear plant infected with computer viruses, oper... by mtgx on Wednesday April 27, 2016 @10:21AM (#11580637)
"Nuclear is safe", they said.

I'd rather have my local solar power plant infected with viruses or hit by cyberattacks.

Re:German nuclear plant infected with computer viruses, oper... by mabbo on Wednesday April 27, 2016 @10:33AM (#11580737)
Modern nuclear reactor design is such that you cant cause a meltdown without violating the laws of physics.
Re:German nuclear plant infected with computer viruses, oper... by jobu on Wednesday April 27, 2016 @10:43AM (#11580817)
Unfortunately most nuclear reactors aren't modern.
Re:German nuclear plant infected with computer viruses, oper... by germanier on Wednesday April 27, 2016 @10:52AM (#11580900)
As far as I know there isn't even a single one of those designs which was successfully built somewhere yet (as in: Is able to generate more power than it uses).
Re:German nuclear plant infected with computer viruses, oper... by DasIch on Wednesday April 27, 2016 @11:47AM (#11581476)
The being able to generate more power than it uses is a problem for nuclear fusion reactors.

The problem with modern nuclear reactor designs is that they're just that, designs. Great ideas people in comment sections love to mentally masturbate about. In reality almost all nuclear reactors are decades old.

Politics alone ensure nuclear reactors with the exception of maybe fusion (which will be way too late for climate change) will never get off the ground. In the meantime renewables, solar especially, get cheaper and more efficient every day, not designs but actual installations.

Re:German nuclear plant infected with computer viruses, oper... by vetinari on Wednesday April 27, 2016 @11:24AM (#11581208)
I wouldn't be so sure - you know the joke about fool proof designs and nature inventing bigger fools ;).

Few years ago, Westinghouse tried to kick out Rosatom from VVER power plants in Eastern Europe as a supplier of the fuel. They pulled very heavy levers to do that, but in the end, they were still refused due to their pellets not being up to the task and being a security hazard.

And yet they still try that in Ukraine...

Re:German nuclear plant infected with computer viruses, oper... by maze-le on Wednesday April 27, 2016 @10:45AM (#11580841)
How does this work? Do you know the reactor-type you are speaking of? I'd like to know more on this...
Re:German nuclear plant infected with computer viruses, oper... by sgift on Wednesday April 27, 2016 @12:53PM (#11582174)
Wiki has a few examples of such systems/designs: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passive_nuclear_safety#Example...
Re:German nuclear plant infected with computer viruses, oper... by owie829 on Wednesday April 27, 2016 @12:12PM (#11581735)
you can melt down any reactor. Perhaps you mean it can't create a nuclear explosion? in that you are right.