US is still running nuclear program with floppy disks | Hacker News Reader

US is still running nuclear program with floppy disks

us.cnn.com

5 pointsempressplay9 comments

already discussed here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11772966

Who cares? This technology works for them. Key quote from the BBC version of this article [1] (the CNN one is crap)

"This system remains in use because, in short, it still works," Pentagon spokeswoman Lt Col Valerie Henderson told the AFP news agency.

I assume that IBM is happy to service the computer they are using. There's a hell of a lot of 'old' technology that we are still using that's not computing. Why freak out about old computers?

[1] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-36385839

Well all care, because it costs the US DOD 60 billion a year to maintain old technology. Thos 60 billions come from tax payers all over the world. Indeed, not only the US tax payer must pay, but also foreigners have to pay local taxes forwarded to the USA thanks to the extraterriorality of their laws, and the fines they put on non-US corporations doing business outside of the USA.

So whoever you are, where ever you live, parts of your taxes or of the price you're paying for the products you buy goes toward those 60 billions wasted on ancient technology.

Computers probably still have a bit of a reputation for being prehistoric after they're ~5 years old (obviously not the case anymore, but to someone not paying attention, the difference between, say, a 1995 desktop and a 2000 desktop might carry some weight in how they determine things).

Either that, or when the average person thinks of a computer, they think of laptops or smartphones only designed to last a few years.

Replacing safety critical systems is not cheap. Don't touch it if it works is usually good policy. Instead of "haha how outdated" how about "awesome we are still alive".

http://www.gao.gov/assets/680/677436.pdf

>Yes -The agency plans to update its data storage solutions, port expansion processors, portable terminals, and desktop terminals by the end of fiscal year 2017.

"In addition, Department of the Treasury uses assembly language code—a computer language initially used in the 1950s and typically tied to the hardware for which it was developed."

Do I even have to put a sarcasm tag here when I say my heart is breaking for them? I'm almost at a loss of words.

Don't get me wrong - I appreciate them being vigilant, but I think the GAO's criticism isn't entirely merited here. Particularly for the Department of Defense; if the thing that controls your country's nuclear missiles works reliably and consistently doesn't get compromised, it's probably a good idea to let it keep doing that.

I wonder where they find new floppies, we have a hard time finding the 3 inches here ...

That's where the 60 billions go to: maintaining old manufacturing capacity.

On the same note: US is still running a nuclear program.

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