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Just to be "that guy" for a minute... Windows 98? The DLR (Docklands Light Railway) still uses computers from the 80s for their self driving and signalling sy

Just to be "that guy" for a minute... Windows 98? The DLR (Docklands Light Railway) still uses computers from the 80s for their self driving and signalling systems. They have a room full of them and when the last one dies, that's it. London Underground were at one point the worlds largest manufacturer of vacuum tubes for their signal systems (can't buy them, I guess we have to build them) Train systems are one of the ultimate examples of people not thinking long term, complex systems and infrastructure that cannot be closed even for a few days. So you often get these weird special cases.

Symbiote 4y ago
If the DLR has a room full of spare computers, doesn't that show they are thinking long-term? Stockpiling £50,000 of computers might well be cheaper and lower-risk than upgrading a signalling system.
- LatteLazy 4y ago
  True, but once those machines are gone, they're fucked. Plus anyone having issues with Win98 is doing a lot worse than DLR. Real long term thinking would be a modular signalling system where you could reliably replace one section in (say) 48h, so you could close for a weekend and reliably re-open with whatever tech we will be using in 2070 in place. I might be a bit jaded on this. I spent about 8 years nursing these systems to keep them working because there was no way we could close a TfL line for 3 months and completely change the signalling system and make it faster, safer, more reliable, self driving etc. Even having moved to finance, I am routinely delayed on the way to work when the (new) CrossRail signalling system conflicts with the (old) system on the same line for different trains. C'est la vie I guess, I understand discounting so basically anything that takes 40 years to be useful is NOT worth doing...
DIARRHEA_xd 4y ago
Not sure if this is still true after SelTrac upgrades

Symbiote 4y ago

If the DLR has a room full of spare computers, doesn't that show they are thinking long-term? Stockpiling £50,000 of computers might well be cheaper and lower-risk than upgrading a signalling system.

LatteLazy 4y ago
True, but once those machines are gone, they're fucked. Plus anyone having issues with Win98 is doing a lot worse than DLR. Real long term thinking would be a modular signalling system where you could reliably replace one section in (say) 48h, so you could close for a weekend and reliably re-open with whatever tech we will be using in 2070 in place. I might be a bit jaded on this. I spent about 8 years nursing these systems to keep them working because there was no way we could close a TfL line for 3 months and completely change the signalling system and make it faster, safer, more reliable, self driving etc. Even having moved to finance, I am routinely delayed on the way to work when the (new) CrossRail signalling system conflicts with the (old) system on the same line for different trains. C'est la vie I guess, I understand discounting so basically anything that takes 40 years to be useful is NOT worth doing...

DIARRHEA_xd 4y ago

Not sure if this is still true after SelTrac upgrades