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Funny how that works! My first job in 2001 still had a Compaq Deskpro 386 bought in the 80s to control some very expensive equipment (via some proprietary dongl
by ido 6y ago
Funny how that works! My first job in 2001 still had a Compaq Deskpro 386 bought in the 80s to control some very expensive equipment (via some proprietary dongle that wouldn't work on then-modern computers).
My boss at the time told me they paid $10k for that computer when it was new & the equipment it controlled would cost $1-2m to replace (I want to say it was a microspectrophotometer but my memory is blurry), so they had to keep that 386 around & in working order. Luckily these were apparently very reliable computers.
- FreeFull 6y agoEventually, the hardware will break, so it's a good idea to plan for that. There are ways to interface with old hardware using new hardware, including special modern motherboards that have ISA slots, or USB2ISA converters
- ido 6y agoI haven't worked there in a long time, I wouldn't bet on that computer still chugging along. 2001 is actually closer to 1986 than it is to today :)