Slashdot Mirror
Oldest Supported Software?
Dave Santek writes "In development since the early 1970s, the McIDAS [Man computer Interactive Data Access System] software celebrated its 30th anniversary in October 2003. McIDAS is used to integrate and visualize weather information. The software was originally run on a Datacraft /5 and has gone through 4 major hardware configuration changes over the last 30 years. It is a supported software package that remains in use at more than 100 locations worldwide. A history of the first 25 years (pdf) is available. A freeware version of the software is also available."
Strictly speaking, it qualifies as "old" since let's be real - Micosoft software hasn't changed much since the late Eighties.
There's an Asteroids machine in this pizza place down the street, that count?
Banaaaana!
I still sometimes enter in the code for lunar lander on my 1975 HP-25 RPN calculator...
;)
That is the oldest software I support
~8^]
void main(){printf("Hello World!\n");}
Strictly speaking, it qualifies as "old" since let's be real - Micosoft software hasn't changed much since the late Eighties.
Sure it has! They have changed "edit" "options" to "view options" in the pull down menus. Win95 there was a "find" fuction that has since changed to "search" however f is still the hot key for it. And the names of their products have changed as well. Windows explorer, Internet explorer, Microsoft Messenger, Windows Messenger. Lots and lots of changes.
Microsoft - Now where did my documents go today?
There is no sanctuary. There is no sanctuary. SHUT UP! There is no shut up. There is no shut up.
They asked me to rewrite a piece of production software, so I did. Done, let's move on.
A year later, they asked me to rework it.
Done, let's move on.
3 years later, I was still working on the software--adding functions, changing screens, etc.
I left the company, and hired on with a consulting firm.
2 Years later, they call me back to help with a validation of...you guessed it!
5 Years after that, they called my boss. We're halfway through a rewrite, and we need help. Hello...who do we have that can do this? Yup.
After I die, these fuckers are going to hold a seance and ask my ghost to rewrite this app!
"Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, it doesn't go away." - Philip K. Dick