German railway seeks IT admin to manage MS-DOS and Windows 3.11 systems

Shawn Knight

Shawn Knight

Posts: 15,296   +192
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A job for your grandpa: A German-based railway recently posted a job application for an IT administrator with a peculiar skill set. X user konkretor recently discovered a job listing seeking an IT professional with knowledge of legacy operating systems including Windows 3.11 and MS-DOS. The listing has since been removed but according to the user, the job related to railway display boards widely used in Germany.

Tom's Hardware learned that candidates would oversee machines running 166 MHz processors with 8 MB of RAM, which are used to display important technical train data to operators in real-time.

Relying on ancient software for critical infrastructure may seem like a safety hazard, but it is quite the opposite.

Legacy hardware and operating systems are battle tested, having been extensively probed and patched during their heyday. The same can be said for software written for these platforms – they have been refined to the point that they can execute their intended tasks without incident. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

One could also argue that dated platforms are less likely to be targeted by modern cybercriminals. Learning the ins and outs of a legacy system does not make sense when there are so few targets still using them. A hacker would be far better off to master something newer that millions of systems still use.

Legacy systems are far more common than most realize, and are still used to run mission critical systems. Some airplane manufacturers still use floppy disks to apply service updates to older aircraft. Chuck E. Cheese used foppies to run its animatronics for years, and it wasn't until 2019 that the US military stopped using IBM Series-1 computers from the 1970s in nuclear weapons systems.

It is unclear if the German railway operator found a new admin, or if they simply took down the listing out of embarrassment. If your grandfather is looking for a new job, perhaps drop him a line so he can mail in his application.

Image credit: Pixabay

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/101683-german-railway-seeks-admin-manage-ms-dos-windows.html

 
Ha. Right now I'm testing some 8-bit ISA cards, some "floppy/hard drive emulators" based on eproms/flash/SRAM. basically some early "SSDs". They have MS-DOS 5.0 and some industrial software in an EPROM emulated drive, and another R/W unit emulated in SRAM. I was able to get the documentation and software and I will be experimenting on my most retro-oldest system. maybe change the burned soft by something more interesting
 
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Windows 3.1 / 3.11 was the worst. Adobe and Corel apps would ALWAYS crash, modems would fail data transfers. Ended up using IBM OS/2 Warp with little-known 3rd party apps which worked way better, that is until Windows 95 arrived.
 
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Vanderlinde said:
Getting spare hardware for that stuff is becoming more and more difficult as time progresses.
Click to expand...
I have seen warehouses filled to the brim with old hardware, even from the mid-70s. or recycling centers where you can also find it. so it still exists and in some quantities. but it must be sought, rescued and preserved. At least what is useful, necessary or relevant.
 
This proves that Microsoft is engaged in a conspiracy to create computer hardware waste. Windows 11 requires TPM/New Processors/etc.?? 🤣 What a bunch of Crap, Microsoft!
 
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wiyosaya said:
This proves that Microsoft is engaged in a conspiracy to create computer hardware waste. Windows 11 requires TPM/New Processors/etc.?? 🤣 What a bunch of Crap, Microsoft!
Click to expand...

You'll find even more ancient hardware running simple logistics in large warehousing(s).

They don't need anything special for the purpose it's doing it.

Some machines even come with a ROM Based chip - which does not require a harddrive, but simply reads from ROM to function.
 
Where and how can I contact the German railways? I have worked a lot with improving the reliability of ancient legacy DOS and Windows 3.1 systems and I can do a lot to make these systems more reliable. I would love a high-paying 6-month gig there. Seriously.
 
I know this stuff. Long time Linux user but found Windows for Workgroups 3.11 to be quite pleasant for the time. I wonder if they at least have a plan to run some virtualization? Or see if dosbox or wine will do it (wine did, at least in the past, maintain compatibility for the old 16-bit apps). I mean, I wouldn't bother implementing it while they still have spare hardware. But it might be good to look into, once parts become unavailable for their existing systems it would be nice to have a plan B rather than have to write up a replacement system in a panic.
 
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hwertz said:
I know this stuff. Long time Linux user but found Windows for Workgroups 3.11 to be quite pleasant for the time. I wonder if they at least have a plan to run some virtualization? Or see if dosbox or wine will do it (wine did, at least in the past, maintain compatibility for the old 16-bit apps). I mean, I wouldn't bother implementing it while they still have spare hardware. But it might be good to look into, once parts become unavailable for their existing systems it would be nice to have a plan B rather than have to write up a replacement system in a panic.
Click to expand...
FWIW, DOSBox was developed by gamers for gamers to play old DOS games on modern hardware and 64-bit Windows. I do not think it is generally suitable for non-gaming DOS programs. Instead, try VDOS or one of its successors.
 
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Ben Myers said:
Where and how can I contact the German railways? I have worked a lot with improving the reliability of ancient legacy DOS and Windows 3.1 systems and I can do a lot to make these systems more reliable. I would love a high-paying 6-month gig there. Seriously.
Click to expand...
If only you knew someone with access to a network of globally linked computers.
 
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DOS/3.1 has a perfect advantage over later operating systems. It's naturally air gapped and has very few security concerns not having internet access. And IMHO that's really your biggest concern with a infrastructure system, keeping the system secure. It's easy enough to plan for maintenance down time if your smart about it.
 
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Vanderlinde said:
You'll find even more ancient hardware running simple logistics in large warehousing(s).

They don't need anything special for the purpose it's doing it.

Some machines even come with a ROM Based chip - which does not require a harddrive, but simply reads from ROM to function.
Click to expand...
much industrial hardware is like that. As I mentioned before, coincidentally I now have three old cards that allow me to do this, and to experiment a little , now in a Super Socket 7 but latter in an IBM PS/2 model 50, and finally an PC XT clone.
 
I guess critical infrastructures are always running on the most ancient and outdated technologies because there is never a good time to upgrade.
 
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