So you thought your systems were old

[3s-gtech]

We have a slightly newer one sitting here. Hadn't been turned on for maybe eight years. Still working perfectly. If you're going to rely on a particular model, may as well make it a durable and tough one! I'm sure the right engineer could get that system running on newer hardware though, for a cost...

[Arthur]

The laptop

 

http://www.edugeek.net/showthread.php?t=169660

[6Foot2]

 

McLaren needs a 20-year-old Compaq laptop to maintain its F1 supercar

 

My search for am match wasn't up to much.

 

[6Foot2]

The story above had already been posted by @Arthur here:

 

Link: http://www.edugeek.net/forums/news/169660-mclaren-needs-20-year-old-compaq-laptop-maintain-its-f1-supercar.html

[Oaktech]

Related...

 

Check out the laptop at 2m19...

 

[mikeprice]

Link: This Ancient Laptop Is The Only Key To The Most Valuable Supercars On The Planet

 

 

 

The laptop:

 

 

If it works it works - and DOS was a damn site better at communicating over serial links than the Windows version of those day (timing problem galore!!)

 

mind you - what is their backup strategy - look on Ebay for a replacement - or visit the Science Museum??

[bald_pig]

If it works it works - and DOS was a damn site better at communicating over serial links than the Windows version of those day (timing problem galore!!)

 

mind you - what is their backup strategy - look on Ebay for a replacement - or visit the Science Museum??

 

From what I read, ebay, gumtree etc. They've been stocking up on spares for a while I believe.

[sted]

i know its a custom system but surely if they commissioned it they have all the details to remake it in age appropriate hardware or even an emulator?

[nikaso]

i know its a custom system but surely if they commissioned it they have all the details to remake it in age appropriate hardware or even an emulator?

 

Apparently they are going to be doing just that but I would be surprised if it ends up being Windows based, probably something Linux flavoured?

[Arthur]

US nuclear force 'still uses floppy disks'

 

Air Force finally retires 8-inch floppies from missile launch control system

 

Those floppy disks have now been retired. Despite the contention by the Air Force at the time of the 60 Minutes report that the archaic hardware offered a cybersecurity advantage, the service has completed an upgrade to what is now known as the Strategic Automated Command and Control System (SACCS), as Defense News reports. SAACS is an upgrade that swaps the floppy disk system for what Lt. Col. Jason Rossi, commander of the Air Force’s 595th Strategic Communications Squadron, described as a “highly secure solid state digital storage solution.” The floppy drives were fully retired in June.

[Andrew_C]

Has the thought of Donny 45 having a 5 1/4" floppy one crossed anyone else's mind?

[stevejp]

Has the thought of Donny 45 having a 5 1/4" floppy one crossed anyone else's mind?

 

Yes... But I was trying to resist the temptation of actually saying it...

[mikeprice]

Yes... But I was trying to resist the temptation of actually saying it...

 

I was desperately resisting it becoming an image in my mind

[stevejp]

I was desperately resisting it becoming an image in my mind

 

There are some images I'd really rather not think about...

[bald_pig]

Thing is, they were 8 inch floppies...

 

And from what I've read, they haven't decommissioned the servers, so there's a chance they are just using floppy emulators!

[mikeprice]

Thing is, they were 8 inch floppies...

 

And from what I've read, they haven't decommissioned the servers, so there's a chance they are just using floppy emulators!

 

Are you SURE you are allowed to say any of that???

 

Oh - and for those that care - turns out that I have seen a system that had 8 inch floppies - never used it though

In was on a Level6 (don't bother looking it up) system in the local Bull support office - apparently it was needed because there was a system in the North West that still used them so when a new version of the Operating System came up they had to be able to test it

 

Which was disappointing - I thought we had the oldest system as it was still on version 1 - but as it had hard drives it was clearly more advanced than some - I was the main support for these dinosaurs and even I had no idea what the damn thing did!

but I did know that it ran in SAF - short address format - hence (I think) 8 bits and about 2 bits of spare memory - the engineers were told at all training courses and in all documentation that there were no SAF system left in Europe - funny that 'cos we had lots!

 

Those were the days

[southhamster]

Are you SURE you are allowed to say any of that???

 

Oh - and for those that care - turns out that I have seen a system that had 8 inch floppies - never used it though

In was on a Level6 (don't bother looking it up) system in the local Bull support office - apparently it was needed because there was a system in the North West that still used them so when a new version of the Operating System came up they had to be able to test it

 

Which was disappointing - I thought we had the oldest system as it was still on version 1 - but as it had hard drives it was clearly more advanced than some - I was the main support for these dinosaurs and even I had no idea what the damn thing did!

but I did know that it ran in SAF - short address format - hence (I think) 8 bits and about 2 bits of spare memory - the engineers were told at all training courses and in all documentation that there were no SAF system left in Europe - funny that 'cos we had lots!

 

Those were the days

I have used a system with eight inch floppies although it was old even then; early 1980s It ran a test system for bubble memory portable computers on CP/M and I think was made by Exxon so I guess was Z80 CPU based.