3 ms·
I was going to make a snarky comment about how all CPU architectures die, but it's not so easy to find a major one that isn't still used somewhere by someone—ei
by simondotau 5y ago
I was going to make a snarky comment about how all CPU architectures die, but it's not so easy to find a major one that isn't still used somewhere by someone—either in its original form or a distant derivation of it. Whether it's the Zilog Z80 or the Motorola 68000 series, there's probably still someone still actively using them embedded into cheap devices, or industrial computing, or automotive parts, or in military systems, or rad-hardened aerospace.
Examples—
Z80: Ti graphing calculators
68000: NXP ColdFire
6502: Pacemakers and defibrillators
- fomine3 5y agoFun story: Pachinko, Japanese gamble machine like Slot, is still enforced to use Z80 for calculating winning chance, to be able to regulator could check the calculating logic.
- simondotau 5y agoIsn't Pachinko's chance of winning calculated by mechanical physics? Or do you mean that the Z80 is used to tally the outcome?
- fomine3 5y agoI've never played them but I heard something like: Throwing metal ball is completely physical, but if a ball fell into a specific pocket (at maybe specific timing or order?), computer determines is it win or not. If it decided to win, then special mode starts and possibly earn more metal balls.