3 ms·

Off-topic but I used to do security assessments and had a bunch of small banks for customers. One of them was still running the banking software they had when

by jcims 1y ago

Off-topic but I used to do security assessments and had a bunch of small banks for customers. One of them was still running the banking software they had when they first got computerized and it ran on an HP3000 from the 70s. Over the years reliable hardware became impossible to find, so they bought some emulator software and ran it on Windows. I don't know why but it always made me chuckle. That thing did *not* like port scans. (I warned 'em! :D)

iberator 1y ago
Interesting fact: hp3000 is an example of very few mainframe/mini computers based on stack architecture instead of registers:) I'm currently writing assembler for my own virtual cpu hehe. Stack based of course
- tdeck 1y ago
  I think the Burroughs machines also had a stack-based architecture https://www.hoa.org/blog/jack-allweiss/evolution-of-burroughs-stack-architecture-mainframe-computers/# https://www.hoa.org/blog/jack-allweiss/evolution-of-burrough...
  - arethuza 1y ago
    I had to use a Burroughs mainframe for development during the first year of my CS course in 1983 - might have been interesting hardware but the user experience was ghastly - some awful thing called CANDE = although I did get a laugh out of all of the references to the MCP. In retrospect I do wonder if they did that so that when we moved to Unix machines later in the course we'd really appreciate them!
    - satiated_grue 1y ago
      MCP is still available from Unisys, which was formed by the "merger" of Burroughs and Sperry Univac. It was first released in 1961 - is there any other software, particularly an OS, still in production after that long? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burroughs_MCP https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burroughs_MCP
- nathan_douglas 1y ago
  I did a similar project as an independent study for my CS degree. It was a ton of fun! I haven't tried it but I think you can then write a Forth for it very simply too.
bitwize 1y ago
The Swiss Military Museum maintains an exhibit with a 1970s tank simulator that guests can try out. It consists of a tank cockpit in a hydraulically mounted chamber that can pitch and roll with the changing terrain. The operator drives a little camera around a large diorama providing a first-person view of simulated terrain; a "foot" on the camera senses the terrain which is then translated into movements of the chamber. Apparently all of the equipment is original except the computer; as computer parts became harder to replace, eventually they just used a Raspberry Pi. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AcQifPHcMLE https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AcQifPHcMLE
hn92726819 1y ago
> That thing did not like port scans What do you mean? As a security feature or would it crash or something if you port scanned it?
- jcims 1y ago
  It immediately froze up.

by jcims 1y ago

iberator 1y ago

Interesting fact: hp3000 is an example of very few mainframe/mini computers based on stack architecture instead of registers:) I'm currently writing assembler for my own virtual cpu hehe. Stack based of course

tdeck 1y ago
I think the Burroughs machines also had a stack-based architecture https://www.hoa.org/blog/jack-allweiss/evolution-of-burroughs-stack-architecture-mainframe-computers/# https://www.hoa.org/blog/jack-allweiss/evolution-of-burrough...
- arethuza 1y ago
  I had to use a Burroughs mainframe for development during the first year of my CS course in 1983 - might have been interesting hardware but the user experience was ghastly - some awful thing called CANDE = although I did get a laugh out of all of the references to the MCP. In retrospect I do wonder if they did that so that when we moved to Unix machines later in the course we'd really appreciate them!
  - satiated_grue 1y ago
    MCP is still available from Unisys, which was formed by the "merger" of Burroughs and Sperry Univac. It was first released in 1961 - is there any other software, particularly an OS, still in production after that long? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burroughs_MCP https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burroughs_MCP
nathan_douglas 1y ago
I did a similar project as an independent study for my CS degree. It was a ton of fun! I haven't tried it but I think you can then write a Forth for it very simply too.

bitwize 1y ago

The Swiss Military Museum maintains an exhibit with a 1970s tank simulator that guests can try out. It consists of a tank cockpit in a hydraulically mounted chamber that can pitch and roll with the changing terrain. The operator drives a little camera around a large diorama providing a first-person view of simulated terrain; a "foot" on the camera senses the terrain which is then translated into movements of the chamber. Apparently all of the equipment is original except the computer; as computer parts became harder to replace, eventually they just used a Raspberry Pi. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AcQifPHcMLE https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AcQifPHcMLE

hn92726819 1y ago

> That thing did not like port scans What do you mean? As a security feature or would it crash or something if you port scanned it?

jcims 1y ago
It immediately froze up.