San Francisco's Train System Is Still Run on Floppy Disks. It May Finally Get an Upgrade.

Nov 05, 2024 10:10 PM - 4 months ago 169521

If you're aged capable to cognize what a floppy disk is, you're aged capable to cognize really bonkers this is: San Francisco's Automatic Train Control System (ATCS) runs connected information that is stored connected floppy disks.

Floppy disks were first put into wide commercialized usage by IBM successful the 1970s and were the go-to measurement to shop information done the 1990s. Apple dropped the floppy thrust successful 1998 pinch the merchandise of the iMac, and 5 years later, Dell did the aforesaid pinch its Dell Dimension range. Sony was the past institution to manufacture the disks, halting operations successful 2011.

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In different words, floppy disks are an insanely aged and outdated measurement to negociate data.

San Francisco's Municipal Transportation Agency board, which oversees the Muni Metro ray obstruction web successful the city, announced the support of a $212 cardinal overhaul, which will destruct the request to load the information stored connected these floppy disks each morning, reports the San Francisco Chronicle. The strategy communicates the information utilizing ligament loops that are "easily disrupted" and move much slow than a wireless modem. (In a metropolis built successful an area that experiences tons and tons of earthquakes each year, what could spell wrong?)

The caller Hitachi strategy will beryllium "five generations ahead" of the floppy disk system, according to Muni Director of Transit Julie Kirschbaum. Let's dream "five generations" puts it beyond CD-ROMs astatine least.

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