OT: Language for the ages

[Zane H. Healy]

>This is actually not as hypothetical as it soiunds.  I'm working with a
>firm that manufactures parts for nuclear reactors.  Parts certification
>alone can take years.  I remember a friend working for GE in the 80's
>remarking that their computers in the field were still built of discrete
>semiconductors, with core and running from paper tape.
>
>One has to keep in mind that companies are bought and sold, sell off and
>scrap assets, assets are destroyed, etc.  So keeping some sort of hardware
>arouind to run this stuff is not an option.

Actually I think having the hardware around to run it isn't simply an 
option, it's a requirement.  Once it's certified, you can't easily 
substitute out different hardware.

		Zane


-- 
--
| Zane H. Healy                    | UNIX Systems Administrator |
| healyzh at aracnet.com (primary)    | OpenVMS Enthusiast         |
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