Concerned about future 32 bit server support

[Dave Stevens]

On Wed, 09 Aug 2017 13:58:32 +0200
Xen <list at xenhideout.nl> wrote:

> Robert Heller schreef op 09-08-2017 13:35:
> 
> > Probably not, but why run DOS? I presume that the control system is 
> > likely in
> > a language like C or Pascal and can probably be recompiled. My
> > point is that
> > a Raspberry Pi Model 3B has much more compute resources (cpu speed,
> > memory, etc.) than a pair of '486s -- it is a quad core 64-bit arm 
> > processor
> > with a 1Gig of RAM. And only costs about $40. What does the dual
> > 486 box have
> > for memory? What does it use for a hard drive? What happens when
> > that hard
> > drive dies?  
> 
> You know full well that software development is much more costly than 
> hardware.
> 
> Changing this stuff around when you don't need to is a recipe for 
> disaster.
> 
> And the only reason you would do it, would be because it would be
> more "politically correct" to so do.
> 
> There are also still thousands (millions) of IDE drives out there.
> 
> Dave just mentioned that he ran across this system as an example of 
> older hardware being out there ;-).
> 
> But I can also safely say that it would cost many hours of work to 
> replace it.
> 

as far as I know (the management doesn't know) it's a compiled Clipper
app. Honestly I can't imagine the issues involved in trying to update
it. The best thing in this specific case I think would be to never make
any changes and run the whole setup, OS and all in a VM. But at 55
degrees north all greenhouses are shuttered for several months  every
winter so that would be the time, then it would be feasible to ditch
the wiring harness, redo the control programs then resume. 

I think that in anticipation of the decriminalization of marijuana in
Canada the whole operation will get a cash influx and a much higher
value crop, so probably a software/hardware refresh along with that.

Anyway I'm way OT so over and out!

D




-- 
In modern fantasy (literary or governmental), killing people is the
usual solution to the so-called war between good and evil. My books are
not conceived in terms of such a war, and offer no simple answers to
simplistic questions.

----- Ursula Le Guin