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November 14, 2013

Machines that never die and can’t be killed!

In the 21st century, I’ve seen grown men switching out big reels of magnetic tape and storing information on cassette tapes.
I’ve seen giant, laser-disc-like hard drive plates that fit in a stack in something that looks like a washing machine but holds slightly more data than an old floppy disk. I’ve seen billion dollar weapon-launching platforms just recently upgraded to Windows NT. There are space-control systems running on PDP-8′s or some original-generation but immortal Unix box surrounded by lead-acid-batteries, forgotten in a locked closet with a painted-over door and a random custodian who wonders where that fan noise is coming from and why a few random cables seem to be going directly into the wall. That abandoned, lonely box permanently buried alive behind the drywall, remains prepared to play its microscopic role is unleashing annihilation and is what keeps you safe at night. - - Who Knew? | Handle's Haus

Posted by gerardvanderleun at November 14, 2013 7:53 AM. This is an entry on the sideblog of American Digest: Check it out.

Your Say

That is one of the reasons why we will never have to worry about total state control.

Posted by: Lorne at November 14, 2013 8:56 AM

An additional comment: I liked the blurb that Gerard posted so much that I read the entire essay. The author was incorrect when he said this:

Look; I’ve seen things man! Monsters normal people born after 1980 just can’t understand because, outside government, they went extinct and disappeared a generation ago!

The private sector is filled with legacy systems as well, because they do the job. When it comes to actual utility, DOS programs, black and white monitors and ancient computers are often completely adequate. Once everybody learns a system it is tough to change, so change is often put off until the old gear finally fails.

Posted by: Lorne at November 14, 2013 9:26 AM

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