This discussion revisited. Additions at the bottom.

FORUM:   CLASSIC_COMPUTER                     HOST: DOCS
DATE:    Jan-10-05 9:15pm                     MSG:  365
FROM:    BOB KLAHN
TO:      MIKE LUTHER
SUBJECT: Hardware MB question

 ML> Hi Bob.
 ...

 ML> case they have a major chunk of oil field and water well
 ML> field controller application code which is heavily hardware
 ML> dependent.  He's concerned too and is far more aware than I
 ML> am.

 We do industrial controls. Our software is dos based, and we
 need the serial ports to connect. Just today I spent a good part
 of the day getting our new Dell D600 laptops to link. Use my old
 compaq armada for one the dell would not touch. I think I was
 better off with the old 486 laptops running dos.

 ...

 Our stuff is still bronze age. Millions for new production
 machinery, pennies to maintain it.

...

 ML> well.  All of these tools use serial port technology for
 ML> interfaces.  Hence the concern for serial port
 ML> compatibility into the future!

 Problem with "progress". All to often it ignores the real world.

 ...

 ML> But what will we do when something breaks and we have no
 ML> more goodies? I've invested a really substantial amount of
 ML> time writing all this custome software for all this. Time
 ML> marches forward, sigh.

 Progress is much overrated.

 ...

 continued.

 Last week we had a problem with one of our line control systems.
 One of the conveyors kept starting and stopping, and needed some
 speed adjustment. I tried getting into it with the Dell laptop,
 1.6gig. Couldn't do it anyway I tried. Rebooted, reset the
 controller's serial port speed, etc.

  Finally I got frustrated, went out to my car, and got my old
  Toshiba, 486SX 20 laptop that was sitting in the trunk from
  having it with me at a hamfest. I had previously loaded the
  control programs on it. Plugged it in, fired it up and got in
  no problem. For two days I left my computer there in case
  anyone else wanted to get in. Just in case. No problems so I
  packed it up, but left it in a file cabinet at work.

 Like I said, progress can be highly overrated.

BOB KLAHN bob.klahn{at}sev.org   http://home.toltbbs.com/bobklahn

... The right to be heard does not include the right to be taken seriously
 * Silver Xpress V4.5/P [Reg]
--- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v3.0pr5