'Unsupported' doesn't mean 'unused'Bork!Bork!Bork! It isn't only a computer's software underbelly exposed during a bork. Sometimes the poor thing's innards are on show as engineers attempt to wring a little more life from long-expired systems.
Spotted by an eagle-eyed Register reader in delightful Portugal, today's fail comes courtesy of the nation's rail network or, in this case, the ticket-selling machinery.
The machine looks as though it's had a hard life, and we're not sure we'd want to go jabbing that touchscreen. However, a tougher life has been led by the software running behind the scenes: Windows 2000 Professional – that famously hard-to-kill operating system.
...read more at theregister.com
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Tons of industrial stuff runs on old operating systems, especially when built by Microsoft shops. I've had good gigs porting embedded systems (mostly CE5, some NT, some XP) to long-term Linux in the 2010s.
The main issue is boards though; many of them are only working with (or certified for) specific operating systems.
Crowdstrike?
It doesn't negate operating systems EOL
It’s true that in industry they still use these old operating systems, I’ve run into that myself in the cork industry. But in my case, those systems were only on a local network and not connected to the internet. With this ticket machine, I’m not 100% sure, but it looks like it is connected to the internet.
Ticket machines generally aren't on the internet but use private networks. The payment terminal often is (nowadays) but these must be isolated due to PCI/DSS with only a limited serial / USB connection for control flow.
like so:
[ vending machine ] --lan-- [ station control ] --wan or VPN-- [ backoffice ] | | (control only) | [ terminal ] ---- [internet or local network payment gateway]I was thinking something along those lines, when you said private networks, do you mean VPNs? I also thought they might just be connected to a local server at the station itself, and that server is connected to the internet (on a private network).
Yeah added ascii art for clarity
Didn't a rail network have a crash in Lisbon recently? Kind of have to wonder if dated IT systems are a reflection of wider infrastructure issues.
You’re probably thinking about the accident at the Glória elevator in Lisbon. That was a cable failure.
That was what I was thinking of. Guess that's quite a different deal to regular rail.
On another note, I have seen Windows 95/98 startup screens covering huge billboard-type displays on shopping plazas in modern metropolises in Asia in the last decade. I'm guessing old OS usage is more widespread than most people think.
Also remember reading something about when Adobe EOLd Flash, that caused problems for a lot of infrastructure, back in the day.
Yeah, they have electric motors, but only to help out when gravity isn’t enough to move them.
Yowzers! We used to have one of those theme parks with crazy roller-coaster rides near by my home. Kind of reminded me of that.