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Re: What is the oldest computer that could be used today for real work? [message #410795 is a reply to message #410791] Tue, 07 September 2021 01:03 Go to previous messageGo to previous message
Anonymous
Karma:
Originally posted by: J. Clarke

On Mon, 6 Sep 2021 03:39:29 -0000 (UTC), John Goerzen
<jgoerzen@complete.org> wrote:

> On 2021-09-05, Jason Evans <jsevans@mailfence.com> wrote:
>> First of all, what is "real work"? Let's say that you're a Linux/Unix/BSD
>> system administrator who spends 90% of his day on the command line. What is
>
> ... that fits...
>
>> the oldest computer that he could get by with to do his job?
>
> So I'm going to be "that guy" that says "it depends on what you mean by
> computer."
>
> So I have a DEC vt510 that I do still use. It has a serial connection to a
> Raspberry Pi, from which I can ssh wherever. I actually enjoy using it as a
> "focus mode" break. It was sold as an ANSI terminal. Is it a computer? Well,
> it has an 8080 in it IIRC. I do actually use it for doing work on my job from
> time to time too.
>
> I also have a Linux box, more modern, that is a Micro PC I used to do backups.
> It doesn't permit ssh or such for security reasons. My only way into it is via
> serial console or local console. So the vt510 can hook up to that and it is
> then doing actual work too. I also have older terminals.
>
> What about older general-purpose machines? I've seen plenty of DOS still
> kicking around. Various industrial machinery still uses DOS machines as
> controllers or programmers. A lot of time they are running on more modern
> hardware, but also a lot of time they wouldn't NEED to be; that's just what is
> out there. So that takes us back firmly into the 80s.
>
> The DEC PDP-10 was introduced in 1966 and was famously used by CompuServe up
> until at least 2007, 41 years later.
>
> Here's an article from 2008 about how Seattle still uses DEC VAXes (released
> 1977):
> https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/education/dinosaur -computer-stalls-seattle-schools-plans/
>
> Here's an article from just last year about how Kansas is still using a
> mainframe from 1977 to manage unemployment claims:
> https://www.kctv5.com/coronavirus/kansas-department-of-labor -mainframe-is-from-1977/article_40459370-7ac4-11ea-b4db-df52 9463a7d4.html
>
> No word on what precise type of mainframe that is.
> https://www.dol.ks.gov/documents/20121/85583/KDOL+Modernizat ion+Timeline.pdf/d186de09-851b-d996-d235-ad6fb9286fcb?versio n=1.0&t=1620335465573
> gives a clue that it may be some sort of IBM something.
> https://governor.kansas.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Ginth erTaxCouncilKDOT.pdf
> hints that it may be an IBM System 370/Model 145.

I'd be very surprised if it actually was. When did IBM end
maintenance on those?

>> For example: Could you rig up a serial connection from a modern PC to a C64
>> to get a command prompt on the C64 to use as the interface for the command
>> line? Sure, it would demote the C64 to a "dumb terminal" but could it work?
>
> The display resolution may be tricky, but an old IBM PC certainly would.
>
> - John
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