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NNTP-Posting-Date: Mon, 30 Sep 2024 08:08:28 +0000
Subject: Re: The joy of FORTRAN
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From: "186282@ud0s4.net" <186283@ud0s4.net>
Organization: wokiesux
Date: Mon, 30 Sep 2024 04:08:27 -0400
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On 9/30/24 3:26 AM, rbowman wrote:
> On Sun, 29 Sep 2024 22:38:25 -0400, 186282@ud0s4.net wrote:
> 
>>     Have NO idea what PayPal/EBay/etc use. If they're smart they'll kinda
>>     HIDE that. Whatever it is, it's probably translated into 'C' at some
>>     point to build the final executables.
> 
> Assuming PayPal etc lasts 30 years do you think they will have at some
> point rewritten their entire codebase in the flavor of the day or will
> UseNet in 2054 be talking about the ugly, obsolete patched up mess?

   The ugly patched MESS  :-)

   BET on it !

   Rewriting large code-bases ... TOO time consuming,
   TOO risky, TOO expensive - so they WON'T. It's like
   the old COBOL code in recent threads here. Hire a
   few gurus and PATCH PATCH PATCH.

   EVENTUALLY the whole thing will implode, of course.
   But the IDEA is that it won't happen on YOUR watch.

   It was recently reported that the US Internal Revenue
   Service was STILL using rather a lot of 60s hardware
   and software for daily needs. Software can be fixed
   and patched - but the HARDWARE ! Even transistors
   and diodes and resistors have a HALF-LIFE. Most of
   the old mini/mainframe vendors are GONE or totally
   out of that biz. So WHO maintains the hardware ???
   That'd be MAJOR.

   The old IBM System-360s had a mass of what LOOKED like
   'chips' in the big CPU unit. However, pop 'em open and
   they were some discrete transistors/resistors - each
   was an independent logic gate, hand soldered. IBM is
   still in biz, but almost all the others are just GONE.

   Yea, in theory, you can EMULATE old mini/mainframes,
   but at least in the case of the IRS and likely many
   other govt/mil entities they just don't DARE. They
   will keep the old hardware running NO MATTER WHAT.
   What they've got WORKS. Never mess with what works.
   Can't AFFORD to mess with it anyway. Nobody wants
   a failure on THEIR watch either .......

   In short, we built a tech "foundation" mostly during
   the 1960s. Much else DEPENDS on it being solid and
   maintained kinda FOREVER.