What Is the Oldest Code Written Still Running?

Consul writes "What is the oldest piece of code that is still in use today, that has not actually been retyped or reimplemented in some way? By 'piece of code,' I'm of course referring to a complete algorithm, and not just a single line." The question would have a different answer if emulation, in multiple layers, is allowed.

A rare topic

Interesting, a quick search on Google reveals that there isn't much on this topic other than people talking about the oldest computer they have. One post talks about some old IBM Series 1's and S/360/30. One good one is to say the computers onboard some of the oldest spacecrafts like Pioneer 10 (1972), Voyager I and II (1977). Although they haven't received anything from Pioneer 10 since 2002. But you could say that the computer in it might still be running.

Somehow I doubt that many of the people that would be running such old computers such as ones from before 1970 would be reading Slashdot. And if you think about it, people conceptulized computers differently back then. I think you'd be hard pressed to find mention of a specific program but more of mention of a computer itself. Its too bad there is such a big disconnect between the generations of computer programmers and administrators.

Re:A rare topic

The code in the Voyager spacecraft, at least, was extensively updated after launch and throughout the mission.

Re:A rare topic

One of the original IBM System S360 programs, IEFBR14 is still in wide use today. IEFBR14 CSECT SR 15,15 BR 14 END Only two changes in over 40 years. It doesn't do much, in fact nothing except set a zero return code, but it is widely used for dataset allocation purposes in batch dataset allocation processing.

Re:A rare topic

Somehow I doubt that many of the people that would be running such old computers such as ones from before 1970 would be reading Slashdot. And if you think about it, people conceptualized computers differently back then. I think you'd be hard pressed to find mention of a specific program but more of mention of a computer itself. Its too bad there is such a big disconnect between the generations of computer programmers and administrators.

As someone who has been programming computers since 1966, I beg to differ with you. Code is more persistent than computers, since one can still run code written for an Intel 8080 on a modern dual core Pentium. The one main difference between programming them and programming now is that the cost of computers then meant that machine efficiency then was more important than human efficiency. Unfortunately too many programmers still think that way and are not willing to put in the code for security checks, clean user interfaces, etc. that are required. In many ways, computer science had a huge regression after the development of microcomputers. Instead of extending the lessons of mainframe computers like the Multics project about security, we returned to the "efficiency" goal because of the lack of power of early micros and still use that mindset when we have IPods that are more powerful than the largest mainframe of 1970.

Re:A rare topic

The US DoD has a system, called MOCAS ("MECHANIZATION OF CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION SERVICES") that was originally brought on-line in 1958 [portfolio.com].

I'm not too familiar with it, so I don't know if the code has ever been changed -- I suspect the hardware has been updated periodically, probably various IBM mainframes -- but based on my experience with government systems there is probably a fair bit of original code in there that nobody understands anymore, and thus doesn't touch.

There is very little information about the system online; here is an Internet Archive page about it [archive.org], that's as close to an 'official site' as I can find.

Oblig xkcd.

http://xkcd.com/224/ [xkcd.com]

Re:A rare topic

And why should they? It works. It does precisely the job it was designed to do, and continues to do it at at least the level of ability it originally had, often better if the hardware underneath has been upgraded. Something only truly becomes obsolete when it no longer satisfies today's needs. A well designed, task-specific system could theoretically never become obsolete.

Re:A rare topic

Perhaps it's because they're stupid.

At my job they're replacing a bunch of Tandem code that runs some of our core IT infrastructure with Wintel servers. It makes me ill to even be near the work, because they're taking something that just quietly works and "upgrading" it to something that doesn't.

For those who don't know, Tandem is a high-availability platform designed to never go down. They had the power off to the building earlier in the year and the Tandem folks weren't sure they knew how to power the system on properly - that's how long it had been running.

Re:Pioneer and Voyager Comps Receive Uplink Update

It's amazing to me that NASA has the foresight to design such a remote update system years before the concept of a "firmware update" was ever applied to consumer technology. The innovations that have come out of NASA's labs is vastly underappreciated -- one wonders where our technology would be today if we invested more in the space program and less in killing one another (that is _not_ a condemnation of any particular country, pointing fingers doesn't solve problems...if anyone is offended by that remark I apologize).

The OS powering John McCain's artificial heart...

...which was implanted in his chest shortly before his escape from the Viet Cong. 1,700 lines of COBOL, and still going strong!

Sadly, it has a Y2K bug. This explains why the John McCain of 2008 is not the same as the one from eight years ago.

The oldest code in existence:

Genetic code.

Re:The oldest code in existence:

Still.. we have hundred year old humans right? And some thousand year old trees. Trees are run by a somewhat simple generative algorithm, but still... as far as age goes, they still take the cake.

Re:The oldest code in existence:

How about a 40 thousand year old [tas.gov.au] year old shrubbery...

It's the oldest living organism, so it's got the oldest bit of unchanged genetic code, and obviously a lot older than computer code for sure.

Embedded microcode

Knowing full well that I haven't got a clue, my guess would still be microcode embedded in some special purpose device - i.e. not a general purpose computer.

I don't remember when digital watches started appearing, but I suppose there's a bit of code in there? Various industrial machines from waaay back that are still in use ought to be good candidates as well.

Kudos to Consul for a remarkably interesting Ask Slashdot. The best one I've seen in a long while :)

BSD had a 25-year code still running...

...but some insensitive clod recently deleted it.

Oldest possible...

1 "Let there be light"
2 create universe()
3 while (1)
4 # I'll finish this up later

For which value of 'code'?

The Science Museum has card decks for Jacquard looms that are more than a century old. Bletchley Park has a replica Colossus machine, which needs programming in the shape of switch positions. IDK if the code they use was preserved, or reverse engineered along with the rest of the machine, though.

logarithms

> What is the oldest piece of code that is still in use today

Not quite a cheat, but I'd say that the original instructions used to calculate log tables might be close.

It's code (well, instructions - same thing?)

While it has been retyped many time, I'm sure the original paper-based instructions are still in a library somwwhere, and would work on a suitably old calcuator (hand-cranked, of course)

It's definitely a complete algorithm

Ada Bryon's Code

Ada Bryon's Notes on the analytical engine [wikipedia.org] contains the oldest running code today. It can be run here [computerhistory.org].

Of course Charles Babbage [wikipedia.org] holds the claim for longest vaporware project at 153 years. And also apparently the longest unfixed bug.

How about the oldest piece of your code?

By which I mean production code, not the 'Hello World!' you did in Jr. High. I'll go first. In the mid 90's I wrote a COBOL program to link a mainframe to a HP printer to print transcripts at a uni. The SYSPROG set up the VTAM lines and I glued the PCL together with COBOL. I checked in about 3 years ago and a friend of mine said they were still running it. So at that time it was pushing 10 years. Which makes me proud actually.

Anyone else with a story?

Re:I'm not sure

I'd go for the Babbage Difference Engine in the London Science Museum.

Re:oldest code in existence

And, not only is it still in existence, it is still running!
-k

Alan Turing's First Program

Once they rebuilt the Manchester Mk. 1 ten years ago, Alan Turing's program became the oldest program runnable without emulation. It clocks in at 60 years old, being written in 1948. The code finds the highest common factor between any two integers expressable in 32 bits. Not bad, given that the Mk. 1 had only one arithmetic operator, subtract.

Re:Depends on what you mean by code and running...

FYI: The oldest nuclear plant still in operation began operation in 1969 (Oyster Creek, NJ).

There are reactors at Chalk River in Ontario that have been operating continuously since the early 1950's. Most of the world's medical isotopes come from them.

Re:Probably...

The add font dialog is probably the oldest piece of Windows code still running in Windows... it's from Windows 3.1, and still looks the same in Vista [bink.nu]!