This topic was created by User McUser .
We have a professor here (I work at a University) that maintains a PDP-8/E to use for something or other having to do with his research. Apparently some program he wrote in the 70s/80s couldn't possibly be ported to anything even remotely modern </sarcasm>, but since he's essentially self contained we let him do as he pleases.
Anyway, I'm curious what ancient computers other people might still be actually using.
My son, living in NZ, tells me he has many customers using Win 95 on a regular basis. Shops, gas stations and farms. Reason, they are not web attached and it does what they want it do do. His biggest problem is finding hardware replacements when something goes belly up.
Nothing that old, but I've seen an old desktop with Windows 2000 still being used on a daily basis.
I've got an old laptop that still uses Windows 98 from time to time, simply because the equipment it links with cost 10s of thousands of dollars and no drivers were ever updated for newer OS.
My first computer, an 8088 with CGA still boots from time to time, nothing useful to do with it, just collecting dust and showing off my first PC that learned on.
Our old crap list comprises of:
1x (now thankfully removed) Nortel Meridian telephone switch from the mid 90s. This POS was so old we had to keep a similarly aged laptop to communicate with it via hyperterminal. Luckily we moved offices and I was able to remove it and then sail in to it with a hammer
1x run of ancient 10-Base Coax with BNC. It's a link to a single PC that's over 100m from the nearest CAT5 point in a building.
Yeah, I started with the Tandy Model 1, Level 1, 2k Version, but expanded to 4k so I could code hangman every time I wanted to play it, until I got a tape deck..., I was wondering what u could MAKE them into these days, fill full of concrete attach a chain, voila a anchor !!! A door stop with flashing lights maybe ?.....
Anywho I digress, I have a friend, he is old, strange, but friendly, he still using a Commodore 64, still using the setup I made up in 80;s more or less, 1541 been changed over, but C64 & 1084 s orginal kit, he uses "Superbase" he his stuff, doesn't want to learn anything else, I try to leave him alone and or humor him, he doesn't care about internet, (i think its on his phone, but don't tell him)
I recently worked for a leading civil engineering firm that had a bunch of proprietary software written to perform reasonably complex FEA calcs in the 1970's/1980's that ran on a vax. but these days it runs on an emu called 'son of vax'. i thought that was pretty cool, but a bit scary.
good to see the engineers maxim 'if it aint broke - dont fix it' still applies
I still have Rolex Tudor Oyster-Prince 34 from 1950 gifted by my grandpa.
A very early self-winding Rolex Tudor Oyster Prince 34 with the sought after calibre 390 movement. These first generation Tudor automatics from the 1950s have jumped up in price dramatically and are getting thin on the ground. A nearly mint, very collectible watch.
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