Oldest PC still in use

[carlsson]

Intel and HP recently held a contest in Dutch IT weeky magazine "Computable", and found a winner at PHI DATA still using their 8088-based IBM 5160 (1983) for testing matrix printers. As The Register mentions, Dell ran a similar contest a few years ago in the USA and found an Altair 8800 still in business use.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/67/34933.html

Some readers' comments:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/35/34957.html

I wonder if it counts if one starts a business running on old computers, or if it has to have run since the computer still was modern.

[Erik]

I'm sure I could set up my 8800 to run some sort of "business" application and "win" a contest like this. . . I'm just not sure what I'd do or why. :)

The 8800 would probably be the oldest PC class machine but I'm sure there are still businessess running older mini and mainframe gear. Someone somewhere has to still be using an early IBM 360, for instance.

Erik

[dongfeng]

My Dad's company ran a 1978 Olivetti BCS2030 until 1996/7 :)

It kept catching on fire, so was proven to be too costly to keep running :lol:

[carlsson]

"It kept catching on fire" - was it powered by coal?

BTW, haven't these old IBM 360 etc been constantly migrated onto new technology (IBM 390?) during the years, so it would be difficult to tell which parts are original? I know much too less about these machines.

[CP/M User]

"Erik" wrote:

> I'm sure I could set up my 8800 to run some sort
> of "business" application and "win" a contest like
> this. . . I'm just not sure what I'd do or why. :)

> The 8800 would probably be the oldest PC class
> machine but I'm sure there are still businessess
> running older mini and mainframe gear. Someone
> somewhere has to still be using an early IBM 360,
> for instance.

Does an Abacus still qualify?

Cheers,
CP/M User.

[dongfeng]

"It kept catching on fire" - was it powered by coal?

:lol:

It kept burning out some of the boards inside... it would have been too much work to re-computerise all of the existing records at the time, so they just kept repairing it!

http://www.howard81.co.uk/upload/vcf/olivetti.jpg

[CP/M User]

"dongfeng" wrote:

>> "It kept catching on fire" - was it powered by coal?

> It kept burning out some of the boards inside... it
> would have been too much work to re-computerise
> all of the existing records at the time, so they just
> kept repairing it!

I'd say it caught fire through of lack of ventelation(?),
wouldn't you say?

Cheers,
CP/M User.

[dongfeng]

It was in the same spot from 1978-1996... I think it was just old :)

[CP/M User]

"dongfeng" wrote:

> It was in the same spot from
> 1978-1996... I think it was just old :)

Well, it's a bit hard to see from that
picture you've sent in, but by just
looking at that metal casing around
it, I though that perhaps it was
overheating inside (you did mention
that it's happened a couple of times),
Though, I've only heard of cases where
something old has packed it in because
something in it gave way, but not to the
point where it's caught on fire or set
a fire, well no really I'm lieing I've
heard of electrical faults from other
household applicanses, like TVs (which
is a good one), but computer based
doesn't seem to ring any bells. Which
is why I felt that ventelation was an
issue.

Cheers,
CP/M User.