[headdie]

Find Out Here

Is it Microsoft? Yes
Windows 10? No
Windows 8? No
Windows 7? No
Windows Vista ? No
Windows XP ? No
Windows Server ? No
Windows NT ? No
Windows 98 ? No

Orly airport in France recently saw dozens of flights grounded, and admitted that the problem stemmed from the fact that air traffic controllers were using Windows 3.1

In Paris, we have only three specialists who can deal with DECOR-related issues

[Thisisaverylongusername]

Somebody may need to get their technology upgraded a little more frequently... like a lot more frequently. 

[The E]

I don't even want to know how many SCADA systems are still running on old platforms like that because manglement never considered upgrades a priority.

[karajorma]

Yep, they're using an operating system from the last millennium.

[Dragon]

And here I thought people who refuse to ditch XP are behind the times... They're actually using DOS, Windows 3.1 was just a GUI for it. On one hand, "if it ain't broken, don't fix it" is a good strategy in specialized systems, on the other, well, sometimes it turns out it is broken, it's just that you don't know about it.

My university still has machines that run DOS, they're used for running a particular practice experiment (Young's experiment, to be precise) on a rig that dates back to those times. Complete with using a floppy to transfer the results to a somewhat newer computer (that is to say, using XP) that's connected to internet. Nothing wrong with it, though, as the rig basically has to move back and forth, adjust sensor height and read data from it (it's a simple photoreceptor, nothing fancy). Those things don't even have to be very fast, since the rig is limited by the sensor anyway.

[The E]

Keeping old systems around cos there's no need for a replacement is one thing. Keeping those systems around when every single component of that system is no longer supported by the manufacturers is stupid.

[LHN91]

It's funny, because in the last little bit I had been setting up a 3.1/DOS machine I found in the trash for personal use and for the fun of it. Had it all working until my Serial mouse died, and found its incredibly difficult to find replacement parts for reasonable prices, even for something as simple as that.

[headdie]

It's funny, because in the last little bit I had been setting up a 3.1/DOS machine I found in the trash for personal use and for the fun of it. Had it all working until my Serial mouse died, and found its incredibly difficult to find replacement parts for reasonable prices, even for something as simple as that.

Components was the thought I was having a couple of hours after posting, unless they have a supplier of legacy components I wonder if they use an emulator to make it work.

[jr2]

It's funny, because in the last little bit I had been setting up a 3.1/DOS machine I found in the trash for personal use and for the fun of it. Had it all working until my Serial mouse died, and found its incredibly difficult to find replacement parts for reasonable prices, even for something as simple as that.

Just search for a serial to ps/2 adapter (aka MiniDin6 to DB9).  They are like $5 - $8 USD on eBay, with free shipping.

[LHN91]

The issue with those is that they only work if you have a PS/2 combo mouse, I.e. one that supports both signalling processes. Some do and some don't, and I don't think I have any that explicitly mention that support.

[jr2]

Hmm.  Well you can get a PS/2 > USB adapter.

So MiniDin6 > PS/2 > USB = Profit?   

Meh


Search for "serial mouse" on ebay, you can have them for USD $1.69 + 2.50 shipping (it has PS/2 + Serial adapter).   Or official MS ones for like $10, or new optical tracking ones for like $17.

[LHN91]

... I was definitely not seeing those kinds of prices. Might be due to being in Canada, the shipping was kinda crazy.

Actually I just checked, the ones at 1.69 would cost me 19.95 in shipping. And I'm like an hour from Toronto. 

And the Microsoft ones would cost me over 30$ including shipping.

[Goober5000]

Orly airport in France recently saw dozens of flights grounded, and admitted that the problem stemmed from the fact that air traffic controllers were using Windows 3.1

o rly

[Phantom Hoover]

yarly

[Mongoose]

Dammit there's no Nowai.

...yet.

[Klaustrophobia]

Control systems being older than dirt isn't really that uncommon.  Many of them are created once and not touched again for decades.

[jr2]

As long as they are air-gapped, and proper security is used on any media that touches the system, it's not too bad, but if it's mission critical, better have a plan to upgrade the system with minimal downtime once you can't readily procure replacement parts / support services.

[Dragon]

There are three reasons to upgrade a system. The first two are built-in features and network security. If your computer is doing one specific thing (and nothing else) and it's already equipped for doing it, the first one is moot. If your computer is not networked (as is usually the case with single purpose software), so is the second.

That said, the third reason is "bugfixes" and that's what became the problem here. Ultimately, Windows 3.1 was not without its flaws and while it worked most of the time, this time it didn't.

TBH, I thought ATCs used proprietary OSes on their machines, with some sort of certification. Looks like they don't (and probably should). For such a job, you don't really need 90% of features Windows 3.1 provides.