I still have a working Commodore 128 and a working 5 1/4 floppy drive. Most of my old games still work, the oldest being over 30 years (bought for a C64 in 1985)
You’re thinking too long term. The first rule is keep digging because as long as you keep doing so there is nothing to provoke a review of the situation, and as long as you are out of the job before it’s realised the enterprise is in a hole, it’s not your problem. But if you stop digging, then someone is going to put some thought into the situation and determine there is a problem, for which you will be blamed.
I still have 8" floppy disks, but I got rid of the drives ages ago. There’s nothing new about the government using really old computers. **Crafter_Man **understands what’s going on here. We’re better off not wasting money on an upgrade.
Lots of things need to be upgraded. Hypothetical examples: a circuit board in the missile is suffering from dendrite growth, a wiring harness with silver-plated conductors is suffering from red plague, an amplifier module in the silo is suffering from premature failure due to corrosion. (Again, all made-up examples.) You work at the program office, and you have a limited budget. Two-star generals are up your ass at every monthly meeting. Where are you going to put your limited resources?
It is easy to sit back and say, “The DoD should do this and that.” Those that say this do not understand what really goes on…
…and I am being purposefully vague due to potential RL ramifications.
As I mentioned in a previous post, it is easy for people who are not knee-deep in this stuff to puff on their cigars and pontificate on what should be done. Sure, when your Smartphone is outdated, you go out and buy a new one. It’s not so simple for the DoD to do the same.
That’s interesting. About ten years ago, I was trying to find a 3.25" floppy to put a file on (we weren’t always 3’ or less from a flash drive yet) and, while I found a bunch of old ones lying around in drawers and boxes, they all failed to read or format on any of my computers.
I don’t believe there have been computers for generations, unless you are refering to versions of Windows.
How long do you consider a generation to be?
There are definitely at least three agreed upon generations of computers.
I could buy up all of them on eBay, then sell them to Defense at a huge markup. Don’t forget, these are the guys paying $10,000 for a hammer.
A baby grows up, has children, and those children grow up and have children.
I did mention versions of Windows. Perhaps I am speaking of people and you are speaking of computers.
Not really a programming language so much as Unix and batch processing.
But my goal wasn’t to restore an old computer. I was trying to sneak in a new computer by making its documentation look like it was an old computer that had been there all along.
Replacements are risky - sometimes they don’t work. A rant of mine on a real example is [post=10905372]here[/post]. A US General is quoted in this article as to why old software can be more secure software.
And I’m surprised it was that easy. I’d have thought you’d at least have to keep the case, saying you replaced everything else.
I’m impressed with your ability to get stickers off without damage (to the sticker), too.
Both.
There are three technical generations of computers vacuum tubes, discreet transistors, and integrated circuits. Some people consider that there are further generations but those are not so well agreed upon.
In human terms 30 years is easily a generation, so we’re in at least the third generation of human computer use.
I see. So they’re stored in those crates next to the Arc Of The Covenant, yes?
Luckily, I had access to professional criminals.
I take it you are considering analog computers, such as ran fire control on the USS New Jersey in WWII.
No, since you can get them on GSA for .38.
https://www.gsaadvantage.gov/advantage/s/search.do?q=0:2floppy+disks&db=0&searchType=0
Concerning upgrades and the military - I remember a line that said that Starfleet payroll was coded in COBOL.