20-Yr-Old Compaq Laptop Is Still Crucial to Maintaining McLaren's Multi-Million Dollar Cars (jalopnik.com)

An anonymous reader writes: It may come as a surprise to many, but the 20-year-old Compaq LTE 5280 still plays a vital role in maintaining multi-million dollar McLaren F1s. Jalopnik recently visited McLaren's Special Operations workshop where it found several of Compaq's old laptops serving their masters. Why do they rely on these dated computers, you ask? A McLaren Special Operations staff explains, "The reason we need those specific Compaq laptops is that they run a bespoke CA card which is installed into them. The CA card is an interface between the laptop software (which is DOS based) and the car. We are currently working on a new interface which will be compatible with modern laptops as the old Compaqs are getting less and less reliable and harder to find." For those wondering, the Compaq LTE 5280 comes with a 120MHz Intel Pentium processor, up to "80MB" of RAM, and up to 1.2GB of HDD.

Comments

Re:Currently working on a new interface?

[Anonymous Coward]

This happens in business all the time. As long as it works and does what they need, there is never any thought about replacing it. The vast majority of businesses consider replacing something that still works as a waste of money.

Yes, businesses generally don't replace shit without having a good reason for it. At least, ones which actually make a profit.
Unlike many consumers, who replace perfectly good shit just for the hell of it, and then wonder why they can't live on $12 an hour.