It's not often that I get a genuine sense of fear when reading about computer problems. Losing work is annoying and may get me into trouble but there's always been a way out. No one dies and the world keeps turning.

That was my attitude when I started reading this article on the top 10 IT disasters of all time. I expected (and got) the usual selection of space rocket bloopers but the first item was very chilling because the it very nearly meant there was no one left to experience the world turning.

It appears that in 1983 a Russian computer decided that the American had launched five intercontinental missiles. Thanks to Lieutenant Colonel Petrov disaster was averted because he correctly realised that it was not a real attack.

So although I might be frustrated that my Yahoo Widget needs more work because there is a potential vulnerability to hackers, I can see the need for good coding. Even if the potential for it causing World War 3 is very slight.

Then again there were some stories a few years back about the UK and US armed forces running Windows on aircraft carriers. Now I'm worried again. Can you imagine Clippy asking if a sailor needs help with a pre emptive strike?