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> Using floppy disks and old hardware and software doesn't sound like a problem if it still runs and does what it's supposed to do. It sounds like a problem to

> Using floppy disks and old hardware and software doesn't sound like a problem if it still runs and does what it's supposed to do. It sounds like a problem to me for the simple fact that replacement parts are near impossible to find, and it's clearly costing the taxpayer a lot of money. That alone should be reason enough to upgrade. It's also a huge security problem because many of these machines were designed before modern security procedures were invented. How am I supposed to maintain a cryptographically secure password system on a machine with a processor too slow to run a hashing algorithm? > I'm skeptical that building a modern system would really save money since the temptation for feature creep is too great. So, because we might be tempted to add a few features, we shouldn't upgrade technology? I don't understand where this weird pseudo-luddite mentality in the tech world comes from. I see it all the time in tech forums, and I just don't get it. "If it's not broke, don't fix it" is a fun, catchy phrase, but it really breaks down as soon as you try to apply it anywhere. "Hey, you should really change the oil in your car." "If it's not broke, don't fix it."

Tiksi 10y ago
That's because a lot of time the suggestion is more along the lines of "Why bother changing your brake pads on your old car when you can just buy a new car with new brake pads" than "You should really change the oil in your car." Nevermind the fact that your old car is a truck that you need in order to haul things, is easily repairable and you know how it works inside and out and people are telling you to get a SmartCar to replace it when you really just need new brake pads.
- urmet 10y ago
  But now your old truck is 70 years old and all the replacement parts have to be hand made by some people you called back from retirement. It's okay to keep it running to show it off from time to time, but it's no way cost effective to do any real work with.
angersock 10y ago
> How am I supposed to maintain a cryptographically secure password system on a machine with a processor too slow to run a hashing algorithm? Counter-argument: How are you supposed to develop a virus for such obsolete technology, and even then, how are you supposed to infect a system without it being networked in a meaningful fashion?
- gscott 10y ago
  That reminds me of this article https://www.wired.com/2011/10/virus-hits-drone-fleet/ https://www.wired.com/2011/10/virus-hits-drone-fleet/
  - tluyben2 10y ago
    Cannot read the article (ad blocker blocker) but that does not look like '50 year old computers' ; those were actually running some version of Windows making them relatively new and easy to infect.
    - gscott 10y ago
      That's what happens with new technology is what I am saying.
teacup50 10y ago
Or, solve just what you need to. With floppies getting hard to find, but old industrial systems still working just fine, people designed and built floppy emulators: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floppy_disk_hardware_emulator https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floppy_disk_hardware_emulator It's often a lot cheaper to deploy a fix for what's actually broken, than it is to completely replace a business critical system.

Tiksi 10y ago

That's because a lot of time the suggestion is more along the lines of "Why bother changing your brake pads on your old car when you can just buy a new car with new brake pads" than "You should really change the oil in your car." Nevermind the fact that your old car is a truck that you need in order to haul things, is easily repairable and you know how it works inside and out and people are telling you to get a SmartCar to replace it when you really just need new brake pads.

urmet 10y ago
But now your old truck is 70 years old and all the replacement parts have to be hand made by some people you called back from retirement. It's okay to keep it running to show it off from time to time, but it's no way cost effective to do any real work with.

angersock 10y ago

> How am I supposed to maintain a cryptographically secure password system on a machine with a processor too slow to run a hashing algorithm? Counter-argument: How are you supposed to develop a virus for such obsolete technology, and even then, how are you supposed to infect a system without it being networked in a meaningful fashion?

gscott 10y ago
That reminds me of this article https://www.wired.com/2011/10/virus-hits-drone-fleet/ https://www.wired.com/2011/10/virus-hits-drone-fleet/
- tluyben2 10y ago
  Cannot read the article (ad blocker blocker) but that does not look like '50 year old computers' ; those were actually running some version of Windows making them relatively new and easy to infect.
  - gscott 10y ago
    That's what happens with new technology is what I am saying.

teacup50 10y ago

Or, solve just what you need to. With floppies getting hard to find, but old industrial systems still working just fine, people designed and built floppy emulators: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floppy_disk_hardware_emulator https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floppy_disk_hardware_emulator It's often a lot cheaper to deploy a fix for what's actually broken, than it is to completely replace a business critical system.