[TUHS] long lived programs

[ron@ronnatalie.com (Ron Natalie)]

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➢ Although simh is huge step in that direction ;)
 
Yep, sometimes that's the easier solution.    Remember the old Honeywell IMPs.     BBN wanted to move forward, but all the code was in 516 emulators (having been ported over from the PDP-1, they should have realized that portability would be important).   They built the C-30 to emulate the Honeywell.

Of course, this isn't even accounting for the VAX emulating the PDP and the like.

You do find some relics still running stuff.    I remember seing a new computer being installed at some FAA facilities.   It was some Apollo systems long after HP had pulled the plug on the DomainOS and the related hardware. 

I still remember a while when we were in the business of porting/selling MOTIF on a wide variety of platforms.    One day, the reps from Stellar insisted they need their loaner machine back.   This was a trade show unit and had an huge anvil shipping case.    I packed it up and put it on our loading dock.    The next day Stellar announced they were out of business.   I didn't think anything about it for a couple of years when I went out to our loading dock and said "Is this stupid thing still here."   They had never come for it.   I then was called into our sales manager's office.    Some guy needs a MOTIF for a Stellar.    I chuckle.    He goes "Yeah I know they're out of business."   I tell him that today's his lucky day.   I still have one.   I uncrated the thing, wrote him out a tape, and packed it back up.    Last I saw one of the CPU boards was hanging on the wall of our conference room as a decoration and another programmer and ripped out the Wyse PC the thing had in the top of it as a boot-up/maintenance processor to take home.