Re: Oh Gods - Now MX Linux "Security Verification" - NO !!!

On 8/23/26 07:32, Carlos E.R. wrote:
> On 2026-08-23 08:57, c186282 wrote:
>> On 8/22/26 18:35, Lawrence D’Oliveiro wrote:
>>> On Sat, 22 Aug 2026 08:36:42 -0400, TJ wrote:
>>>
>>>> It goes against the grain, for me at least, to send perfectly good
>>>> running hardware off to the recycler, just because it is
>>>> "experienced."
>>>
>>> CPU generations (and entire architectures) get dropped from the Linux
>>> kernel because they can’t find anybody to step forward and maintain
>>> the support for them.
>>>
>>> That is how they tell that there are so few instances of those
>>> particular kinds of hardware around, that essentially nobody cares
>>> about them any more.
>>
>>    Sad, but quite correct.
>>
>>    Really not much call to run Linux-ish stuff
>>    on a 386/486 these days. How many people
>>    still USE those old boards for ANYTHING ?
>>
>>    MAYBE a few "industrial" monitor/control
>>    systems ... but REALLY they oughtta upgrade.
>  > >    However SOME won't because it might cost a
>>    few dollars. They'll run the old hardware
>>    until it literally bursts into flames - and
>>    then be SCREWED for days/weeks/months. But,
>>    the bean-counters will TELL them they're
>>    saving SO much money, now .......
> 
> Industrial computers may have boards, like data acquisition boards, to 
> interface with motors and sensors (or cameras). If you upgrade the 
> computer, it comes with a new operating system, so their expensive 
> software does not run on it. The cards probably can not be plugged in, 
> so they also need replacing; the new boards will probably not be 
> compatible with the expensive software. So finally they need to recreate 
> the software (hopefully the company that created it still exists and has 
> the source files). And maybe there are a bunch of computers to replace.
> 
> The price is no longer minor.

   Well, it's not the HARDWARE anymore.

   It's the SOFTWARE - and perhaps all the LEGAL
   protections/shields/contracts involved in
   modern biz ventures.

   As I suggested somewhere, porting old useful apps
   to more modern hardware/systems may be a good job
   for "AI". Humans don't care to do it, but AI just
   doesn't give  shit.

   Used to have a PC-104 board, i386. It ran DOS.
   There was a toolkit. Used it to run/monitor
   a big machine. Nothing TOO complicated, some
   switches, a few sensors and timers, safety
   and hazard interlock stuff. Never really taxed
   the thing, just seemed a cool way to run the
   machine and it was a 'standard' industrial bus
   back then, so I did it.

   But what if 'the machine' was STILL being used for
   important stuff 25+ years later ?

   Just wait for the little board to self-destruct for
   a bunch of possible reasons, maybe be DEPRIVED of
   that highly profitable machine for a long time ?

   Even something cheap like an Ard2560 could probably
   do everything that old board did. A Pi or BBB with a
   cheap hat or two, fer sure. They are CHEAP hardware.

   But who will translate the SOFTWARE to them ? There
   is where the $$$ comes in. You'd think only one in
   a billion could translate some old BASIC-ish lang
   into Python or 'C' or some PCL - and you WILL get
   charged $$$$$$+ for that assumption.

   Heh heh ... long back one of our guys was a good STATS
   guy. He had a collection of old FORTRAN routines but
   no good/affordable way to port them to the original
   IBM-PC. A couple of us, mostly me, had to re-do them
   in IBM/M$ BASIC - and hand code, in DATA statements,
   the stuff to make the math processor do its thing.

   (the 8087 was like a CPU designed by autistic aliens)

   What a PAIN IN THE ASS ! Yea, a FORTRAN compiler DID
   come out pretty soon, but not quite THEN - and the
   company didn't wanna buy one anyhow. I'd still have
   been stuck porting HIS version of FORTRAN to the
   M$ compiler - always a lot of nuances. NOW I would
   not wanna do it ... easier/faster to write a whole NEW
   app instead.

   But those were the Do It Yourself days.

   So, an AI agent may be the better approach, leave
   the rip-off/bored humans out of the equation (I can
   say that since I'm retired now :-)

   Alt - find a way to hire/pay over-caffeinated 12
   year olds to do it.