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Comments: 2 +-   What is the oldest code written still running? on Sunday May 11 2008, @11:08AM Consul

Submitted by Consul on Sunday May 11 2008, @11:08AM
programming
Consul writes "This is something I've been thinking about lately, and I think it would make for an interesting exercise and debate. 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. So, does anyone think there's a routine out there that has survived the ages simple by being copied around?"
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  • A lot of banks use mainframe and AS/400s (Now IBM i) technology, one of the precepts of these systems is the ability to code once and carry forward the compiled program without recompiling, desipte underlying hardware changes (e.g. processor upgrades) both systems are capable of using IBM's RPG (Report Program Generator) language which as it's name suggests start around the time of punch cards, so I suspect programs written pre Unix day zero (1st Jan 1970) if you can believe that.
    • I can take currently-running software back to 1962. The original spacewar game was written on DEC PDP-1 serial number 3 in the MIT RLE facility back then, and much of that code remains running both on that same machine, now at the computer museum in San Jose, and on the Java emulation available at and runnable on http://spacewar.oversigma.com/ [oversigma.com] I first saw and started hacking on this program in 1964. Later versions of the game were far superior, but this code still runs and looks the same as it did way ba
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