Not Another Metric Thread

[bjphoenix]

Next thing you know, we'll be talking about how wonderful FORTH is. (Recently started running an PDP11 simulator with RSX11M+ as the OS. FORTH is one of the few programming languages availble, along with APL, COBOL, FORTRAN, Pascal, DIBOL, DEC C, LISP, and MACRO11.)

Pascal rules!

Metric- how can you relate to that? Who knows what a CM is? If someone says they are 162cm tall, how would you know if they were tall or short? I can maybe do the math in my head to get to a relatable number but if a person can't do the math then they can't relate.

 

[OverTheTop]

I used to be quite happy in RSX11M+. Our Train Describer System that controls our train network still runs it, albeit on PDP simulators (IBM Power PC-based) rather than the old hardware.

Also, the Train Reporting System, simulator, Timetable Preparation System and the build systems (and a spare) all RSX11M+. Nice and consistent. Quite a gaggle of PDP11 computers

 

[lawn dart]

....network still runs it, albeit on PDP simulators (IBM Power PC-based) rather than the old hardware.

Had a buddy who worked for a company that made custom processors. They were exact drop-in replacements of obsolete legacy systems. Customers generally had a huge investment in software and didn't want to/couldn't make the much bigger investment needed to develop all new software on modern platforms. They also needed the simplicity/reliability of a hardware based solution rather than software simulation encapsulated in a sophisticated modern system.

Customers needed pin-for-pin electrical as well as software and mechanical form-fit-function compatibility. Even had to make sure all firmware bugs were replicated exactly because so much software is written around them. So in an era of GHz CPU's and Gbit memories they were using bit-slice processors to build kHz CPU's with thousands of bits of memory.

I don't think any customers demanded weight and power specifications be reproduced exactly. Generally they were happy that a processor used orders of magnitude less power and weighed a fraction as much as the original, even though that often meant they were replacing multiple refrigerator-sized equipment bays loaded with tons of electronics with almost entirely empty bays.

 

[SolarYellow]

Had a buddy who worked for a company that made custom processors. They were exact drop-in replacements of obsolete legacy systems. Customers generally had a huge investment in software and didn't want to/couldn't make the much bigger investment needed to develop all new software on modern platforms. They also needed the simplicity/reliability of a hardware based solution rather than software simulation encapsulated in a sophisticated modern system.

Customers needed pin-for-pin electrical as well as software and mechanical form-fit-function compatibility. Even had to make sure all firmware bugs were replicated exactly because so much software is written around them. So in an era of GHz CPU's and Gbit memories they were using bit-slice processors to build kHz CPU's with thousands of bits of memory.

I don't think any customers demanded weight and power specifications be reproduced exactly. Generally they were happy that a processor used orders of magnitude less power and weighed a fraction as much as the original, even though that often meant they were replacing multiple refrigerator-sized equipment bays loaded with tons of electronics with almost entirely empty bays.

That makes me wish I could buy cars of the 1990s and 2000s built brand new. How good could a 2000 Integra Type R be today, if all we asked of it was that it be a 2000 Integra Type R?

 

[AllDigital]

This was priceless. One of the funniest SNL skits in a long time. “We fought for our rights to have these measures”

 

[bjphoenix]

That makes me wish I could buy cars of the 1990s and 2000s built brand new. How good could a 2000 Integra Type R be today, if all we asked of it was that it be a 2000 Integra Type R?

One of my favorite past cars was a 1990 Taurus SHO. A new one would be great except that a current Camry would probably outrun it. My current CTS is a pretty good successor to the SHO in almost every way, but it's now 17 years old. The closest to that car currently manufactured would be a Camaro SS.

 

[Cape Byron]

 

[boatgeek]

View attachment 627353

What, nothing's measured in firkins?

 

[Cape Byron]

What, nothing's measured in firkins?

Says something about me that I read that as merkins…

Could be the cue for a glue thread.

 

[SwingWing]

What, nothing's measured in firkins?

Beer

 

[OverTheTop]

I would have thought kilderkins would be better for beer lovers?

 

[NTP2]

I’ll be honest when this thread turned into computer jokes I just got confused…

 

[bjphoenix]

We could use bananas as a length of measurement, they are pretty consistent aren't they?

 

[Peartree]

 

[Cape Byron]

 

[rocket_troy]

View attachment 637044

Yeah, but what they fail to mention is it'll still be over 238,649 Spiderman jumps away at its closest point!

TP

 

[NTP2]

Yeah, but what they fail to mention is it'll still be over 238,649 Spiderman jumps away at its closest point!

TP

And most certainly not have enough air to make that doom art real.

 

[Cape Byron]

 

[jd2cylman]

View attachment 637315

I didn’t know iPhone’s came that big…

 

[Cape Byron]

 

[BMcD]

The other thing I find myself converting ... newton meters to foot pounds

I broke an aluminum bolt head just the other day by fluffing this calculation.

 

[jd2cylman]

I broke an aluminum bolt head just the other day by fluffing this calculation.

I feel your pain.