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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Dannyalcatraz" data-source="post: 7766404" data-attributes="member: 19675">It may seem paradoxical, but the more complexity a system has- including overlapping security/redundant subsystems- the more points of failure it has.  Compare a 1957 Chevy to a 2018 Caddy: one can be repaired by a shade-tree mechanic, the other requires computers just to figure out what went wrong.In the case of the probe, failure of the repair tools, the operating software, debugging software, the backup software, etc. could EACH cause a failure requiring outside correction.If the repair tools fail, it cannot repair itself until THEY are repaired or replaced, which may not happen before systemic failure.If the operating system fails, the probe becomes a high-tech asteroid.If the debugging software fails, errors accumulate until it malfunctions catastrophically.If the backup software is corrupted, there won’t be anything for the systems to reboot from.And they still fail...more quickly if we take excessive risks, don’t eat properly, go for annual checkups, take our meds, etc. because our cells are not capable of perfect replication.Name a system within your body, and odds are, failure of any one will be fatal.Even the most sophisticated machine we have today eventually requires a human repair or maintenance visit.  But that wasn’t my point.It doesn’t matter what is contacting what, there is still wear.  The metal blades that cut leather for jackets, boots, furniture, etc. become blunted by act of cutting the leather.  Casting molds may last months or years, but they all eventually fail, becoming progressively less accurate with each use.But not by themselves, especially if the debugging or backup software is itself damaged.That is fantastically optimistic.</blockquote>

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