> In fact, computers are probably the only place in the entire technology landscape where we keep using almost unmodified stuff from the 70s and decided we cannot change it because there's too much things relying on it.
Bridges and buildings from the 1970s (and much older) are still working fine today.
The thing is, if I do decide to replace my bridge or building because it's old and outdated then I can just replace that one thing without affecting much else. With computers, that is obviously not the case: you need to replace the entire city.
Plus, it's not really the case that we "keep using almost unmodified stuff from the 70s"; while many concepts remained the same and things remained compatible, things have been greatly extended and modified since; it's like those old buildings that were built during the middle ages (or sometimes even earlier) that have been changed and upgraded extensively throughout the centuries to the point you really need to know where to look to see it's actually a centuries-old building.
> Bridges and buildings from the 1970s (and much older) are still working fine today.
With modern earthquake straps added, and I bet the locks got replaced a few times over, also the building likely had its insulation improved, better venting added, a sprinkler system, fire exits, and a wheelchair ramp put in at some point.
Are there a few quaint stone bridges from 1700 still in use? Sure, going over the neighborhood creek. But all the bridges around me have undergone serious upgrades or retrofitting over the decades.
> Bridges and buildings from the 1970s (and much older) are still working fine today.
I am not sure about that, floods here go past the 200 years average line at the time that many bridges or buildings was designed. And actually breaks a lot of buildings.
Climate change these days is just as unexpected as hackers these days to who we were.
Bridges and buildings from the 1970s (and much older) are still working fine today.
The thing is, if I do decide to replace my bridge or building because it's old and outdated then I can just replace that one thing without affecting much else. With computers, that is obviously not the case: you need to replace the entire city.
Plus, it's not really the case that we "keep using almost unmodified stuff from the 70s"; while many concepts remained the same and things remained compatible, things have been greatly extended and modified since; it's like those old buildings that were built during the middle ages (or sometimes even earlier) that have been changed and upgraded extensively throughout the centuries to the point you really need to know where to look to see it's actually a centuries-old building.