Floppy discs still run a U.S. metro? Japan steps in with 'project kill floppy'… thoughts?

So apparently, there’s still a metro in the U.S. using floppy disks for its transit system, and Japan is stepping in to help modernize it. Anyone else surprised?

Yeah, it’s old tech, but if it’s been working for decades, does it really need replacing? Sometimes, sticking with what works is fine, but it’s about time to upgrade if they’ve decided it’s finally worth it.

@Penn
True, but the bigger issue is maintenance. When parts break, it’s harder to find replacements for old hardware like that. Then you’re in real trouble.

Remy said:
@Penn
True, but the bigger issue is maintenance. When parts break, it’s harder to find replacements for old hardware like that. Then you’re in real trouble.

It’s 2024! Can’t they just overhaul the whole system? Plan it out, get quotes, and replace what’s broken. How hard is it to just scope everything out and upgrade?

@Ren
The problem is finding parts for tech that old. You can plan all you want, but if something isn’t available, you’re stuck.

@Ren
Maybe they need a floppy with a USB connection, like those cassette adapters we used for CD players back in the day /s.

Bran said:
@Ren
Maybe they need a floppy with a USB connection, like those cassette adapters we used for CD players back in the day /s.

I doubt they’re running the metro on a laptop though.

@Zara
But they are running it off a floppy, so…

Bran said:
@Zara
But they are running it off a floppy, so…

It’s probably some industrial system controller, not even close to a regular computer. Floppies are common in those, but good luck finding a USB port on them.

@Penn
Updating the hardware will cost $250 million… not cheap.

Hux said:
@Penn
Updating the hardware will cost $250 million… not cheap.

Still, $250 million seems reasonable compared to the $100 million they spent building a football stadium.

@Penn
The real issue is the 5.25” floppy drives are failing due to age, and nobody makes them anymore. It’s not profitable to build them since demand is so low.

@Penn
Just because something works doesn’t make it reliable. Some machines from the ‘80s still boot up, but they break down all the time, and you’re stuck fixing them while the system is down. Reliability isn’t just about it working occasionally.

Funny enough, the floppies aren’t even the main issue. It’s the communication between systems that’s causing problems. Keep the floppies, maybe move to 3.5" in a few years!

People act surprised by this, but tons of systems are still running on old tech. Traffic control, HVAC, even hospitals. If it’s working and upgrading costs millions, why rush to replace it? The U.S. military only recently stopped using floppies for ICBM launch systems. It’s all about balancing cost and necessity.

Japan to the rescue, as usual!

Security through obscurity… not always a bad thing.

Can’t believe a city as big as San Francisco still uses floppy disks for its transit system.

>For years, they’ve been using 5.25-inch floppies, and someone has to physically load software every day like it’s the ‘90s. Insane!

@Ellington
They got some stuff wrong. By the time Windows 95 came around in 1998, nobody was using 5.25" floppies anymore. It was all 3.5" by then.

@Ellington
You’d think they’d have switched to emulators by now.