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Redundant technology

Started by greencalx, May 22, 2022, 05:02:27 PM

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Gurke and Hare

Quote from: dazed_and_bemused on May 22, 2022, 09:10:18 PMWork is still using as400


Tons of places are, it's not even remotely redundant. Although it's probably just running the OS on a Power Systems box these days, which can run various OSes unlike the old OS/400 machines. Also, iSeries is the correct out-of-date name to use for it now.

Utter Shit

Quote from: willbo on May 22, 2022, 05:09:46 PMI didn't even know Ipads/mp3 were "dead" until last year. I remember using a fax machine 15 years ago, and I thought it was retro/an anachronism then.

Do you mean iPods/mp3s are dead as stand-alone machines because everyone has an app on their phone that does the same job? Or that people have generally migrated to streaming services? I still listen to the vast majority of my music on mp3, and update it regularly with new music. I think there's some part of me deep down that doesn't trust that the internet is always going to be there, so I want an offline copy of everything I love across all media.

JaDanketies

Quote from: Utter Shit on May 23, 2022, 10:38:45 AMI think there's some part of me deep down that doesn't trust that the internet is always going to be there, so I want an offline copy of everything I love across all media.

Yeah, I don't wanna be relying on a reliable internet connection when I'm travelling / wasted / etc. I stream at home most of the time, but when I'm out and about, I like the security of MP3s.

Bandcamp is doing very well, too - just got bought by Fortnite owners Epic Games for presumably a shittone of money, and has grown year-on-year since it started - so I don't think mp3s are going anywhere

Used to work as a nightwatchman at University. 0400ish am, every morning, the fax would whir into life and spew out pages and pages of what fish and meat the local market had on.

Serious work has thrown up a few similar issues - usually with old software and interconvertibility.

I still have VHS tapes, old school horror works so much better on a VHS.

I also don't trust the idea that the internet will have any one item of media, so really do prefer to have real physical copies.

The Ombudsman

Quote from: Sebastian Cobb on May 22, 2022, 06:43:29 PMYeah I've seen a few people use them. Much like vertical mice they seem to be the the preserve of people who want to front they work so hard they have given themselves rsi, in my experience these people are generally a bit useless and create more work for everyone around them.

I'm sure rsi is real, it's just people who actually have it just quietly get on with it.

I use a trackball.

Joe Qunt


greencalx

Quote from: Voltan (Man of Steel) on May 23, 2022, 08:24:48 AMI bet not many of you remember the telex. They became redundant when these newfangled fax machines came along in the early 80s.



Oh wow! I remember reading about telex in 80s computing magazines and thinking they had come from outer space.


KennyMonster

Quote from: Utter Shit on May 23, 2022, 10:38:45 AMDo you mean iPods/mp3s are dead as stand-alone machines because everyone has an app on their phone that does the same job? Or that people have generally migrated to streaming services? I still listen to the vast majority of my music on mp3, and update it regularly with new music. I think there's some part of me deep down that doesn't trust that the internet is always going to be there, so I want an offline copy of everything I love across all media.

Yep.

Still have and use my ipod classic, all my CDs plus iTunes bought stuff, podcasts etc. in one little handheld box.
I don't have to pay EE or whoever for the privilege of playing stuff I've already bought (and with a vastly reduced library for the more rare stuff).

So for now I'm fighting the tide of Spotify like some GenX 'King C'nut'.


I've just a couple of days ago ordered the replacement for my 2009 iMac and I have a fear that when I move over onto that my Ipod's days will be numbered. 

The Mollusk

Quote from: greencalx on May 23, 2022, 07:56:43 AMWhen I started my career it was the norm to give presentations with handwritten acetates. Bonus points if you dropped your stack of slides on the floor before giving your talk.

Aptly named because that material fucking slides on hard flooring.

Quote from: Norton Canes on May 23, 2022, 11:10:54 AMAnyone with a copy of The Bends probably will

Oh yeah. Also I Don't Like Mondays

"The Telex machine is kept so clean
And it types to a waiting world"

Yussef Dent

Quote from: Sebastian Cobb on May 22, 2022, 05:47:56 PMSomething mobile data has started to kill, that the public probably won't notice is packet/trunk radio. Data used to be sent on leased out parts of the band for all sorts of applications, bus dispatch could be an example, but nowadays I think they mostly use mobile data as the infrastructure is 'just there'. Even the emergency services seem to be trying to utilise mobile data for delivery of a tetra replacement but I think they have problems with forward truncation when using push-to-talk which could have life or death implications in things like a marksman scenario.

I listen to short wave radio and there's still examples of data being sent on it, usually far away from anything else. I don't have any software to decode it unfortunately but it would be interesting to see what is being sent. I know there are communities where people send art to each other over it.

Sebastian Cobb

Quote from: Yussef Dent on May 23, 2022, 11:49:07 AMI listen to short wave radio and there's still examples of data being sent on it, usually far away from anything else. I don't have any software to decode it unfortunately but it would be interesting to see what is being sent. I know there are communities where people send art to each other over it.

I imagine SSTV and stuff will still be done by hobbyists. Some of the stuff people are doing there is impressive but also defeats the point in some ways, I know some 2m repeater stations can use voip to route to ones on the other side of the world but that strikes me as cheating a bit, you might as well cut the radio out all together at that point.

Replies From View

Fax machine:  saves you having to download the attachment, open the attachment, send the attachment to the printer.

Obsolete indeed!



Never had one or used one

Quote from: greencalx on May 23, 2022, 11:01:29 AMOh wow! I remember reading about telex in 80s computing magazines and thinking they had come from outer space.

I've never used one but the place I worked at in 1981 (Christ!) had one. I can still remember the manager striding out of the office holding his earphones, calling over his shoulder as he went, "I'm off for a flying lesson and I'm expecting a message from our suppliers in France so keep an eye on the telex."

MojoJojo

Quote from: Sebastian Cobb on May 23, 2022, 11:52:17 AMI imagine SSTV and stuff will still be done by hobbyists. Some of the stuff people are doing there is impressive but also defeats the point in some ways, I know some 2m repeater stations can use voip to route to ones on the other side of the world but that strikes me as cheating a bit, you might as well cut the radio out all together at that point.

They should put some tin cans with string between them on the end for a really retro feel.

Mr_Simnock

Quote from: Elderly Sumo Prophecy on May 23, 2022, 06:41:50 AMThe torch? I'm not talking about big bastard torches where you require a lot of light, in which case you'll have a separate product, but your little handheld torch you'd use when you'd dropped your keys in the dark, or the power goes out, or you're rooting around the back of the telly trying to plug a cable in. Nowadays you'll grab your phone and turn the flashlight mode on instead.

In case of for e.g. powercuts no, an LED mini torch is still useful when your phone charge is a bit low with no way to recharge it. I have one, don't use it often but glad I have it when I do.

steveh

Quote from: Sebastian Cobb on May 22, 2022, 05:47:56 PMSomething mobile data has started to kill, that the public probably won't notice is packet/trunk radio. Data used to be sent on leased out parts of the band for all sorts of applications, bus dispatch could be an example, but nowadays I think they mostly use mobile data as the infrastructure is 'just there'.

On thing bucking that trend is the use of data over shortwave for share high-frequency trading as it is very slightly faster than fibre-optic cables, with those few milliseconds giving traders a competitive advantage. There's a few sites just west of London for Atlantic hops with onward microwave links into the city.

This goes into it a bit: https://sniperinmahwah.wordpress.com/2018/05/07/shortwave-trading-part-i-the-west-chicago-tower-mystery/.

idunnosomename



Also trundle wheels. Just use a laser measurer innit

Blumf

Prestel, which was like a beefed up two-way teletext over your phone line. I remember there was a TV variety show in the 80s that used it for live audience voting on the performers. If they got too many down votes they'd get pulled off the stage.


Quote from: greencalx on May 23, 2022, 11:01:29 AMOh wow! I remember reading about telex in 80s computing magazines and thinking they had come from outer space.

Just Belgium


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6USa0zUMmqI

Zetetic

Quote from: Sebastian Cobb on May 22, 2022, 08:23:02 PMI had to manage systems that ran on Solaris a few years ago. It wasn't bad but everything seemed to be a bit more hard work compared to modern Linux distros.
Although certain aspects of modern Linux distros are much improved from just a decade ago because they eventually copied bits and pieces from Solaris (and other Unixes).

Using OpenSolaris in 2007-09, disk management and service management was so much more pleasant than anything I'd encountered messing about with Debian, Fedora, or Gentoo.

Sonny_Jim

Cash.  Every fucker doing the phone tap thing round here.

Paul Calf


Joe Qunt


Paul Calf

A personal favourite, that.

Bently Sheds

Quote from: Blumf on May 23, 2022, 01:11:18 PMPrestel, which was like a beefed up two-way teletext over your phone line. I remember there was a TV variety show in the 80s that used it for live audience voting on the performers. If they got too many down votes they'd get pulled off the stage.


Just Belgium


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6USa0zUMmqI
Best Eurovision song, ever.

Elderly Sumo Prophecy

Quote from: Sonny_Jim on May 23, 2022, 01:28:11 PMCash.  Every fucker doing the phone tap thing round here.

I've never even attempted to use that because I'd be the dickhead at the front of the queue that it won't work for.

imitationleather

Quote from: Elderly Sumo Prophecy on May 23, 2022, 02:45:32 PMI've never even attempted to use that because I'd be the dickhead at the front of the queue that it won't work for.

Heh. Same!

Maybe one of these days I'll go to the 24 hour Tesco in the dead of night to experiment.

Pranet

Just listened to an interview with someone from the BFI and he said they employ retired BBC and ITV engineers to keep their 2 inch tape machines running. He didn't explicitly say this but he implied it is a bit of a race against time to digitise their tapes before they all die.

Elderly Sumo Prophecy

Quote from: imitationleather on May 23, 2022, 02:48:52 PMHeh. Same!

Maybe one of these days I'll go to the 24 hour Tesco in the dead of night to experiment.

The thing is, unless you're thick you're going to carry a backup with you at all times like a debit card in case the system isn't working, so why not just use the card instead?