Nostalgia? Pfft. These 7 retro PCs are still doing serious work today

There are things in this world that you simply wouldn’t expect, like an aircraft carrier with Windows XP, a nuclear weapon control system on floppy discs, or a Commodore 64 as a cash register system in a bakery.

While most people replace modern devices after a few years, these technology dinosaurs fight their way through decades–sometimes as faithful helpers, sometimes as potential security risks. Here’s an overview of what are probably the scariest retro technology moments of our time.

Further reading: This retro monitor looks like it fell off the OG Enterprise

Bitcoin mining with the Commodore 64

A hobbyist has proven that a Commodore 64 can actually mine bitcoins–if you have a lot of time on your hands that is. The 8-bit processor, clocked at 1 MHz, manages just 0.3 hashes per second. By comparison, a graphics card like the RTX 3080 can do 100 million of them. So, if you want to get rich with the C64, you need to be patient and wait about a billion years, to be precise.

The legendary Nintendo Game Boy from 1989 can also mine Bitcoins (at least in theory). YouTuber “stacksmashing” has managed to connect the handheld to the internet via a Raspberry Pi Pico and run mining software.

However, at 0.8 hashes per second, the Gameboy is barely faster than the C64 and around 125 trillion times slower than a modern ASIC miner. The math is clear. For a single Bitcoin, the Gameboy would have to work longer than the universe exists. Getting rich is out of the question, but it’s still impressive.

This car workshop has been using a C64C for 30 years

In a workshop in Gdansk, Poland, a Commodore 64C has been running continuously for over 30 years now, helping the mechanics with drive shaft calculations. Not even a flood could stop the computer.

The C64C defies time and shows that old technology is sometimes more robust than its modern successors. Only the mechanical fan could capitulate at some point, but until then it will continue to run as if it were still 1986.

An American bakery uses the 64 as a POS system

A bakery in Indiana has been using the Commodore 64 as a POS system since the 1980s, a literally fitting application for the “bread box,” as the computer is also known in the trade. Modern POS systems often struggle with software updates and occasional failures. The C64, on the other hand, runs reliably and without grumbling, supported by lovingly labelled keys depicting various baked goods.

The USA controls nuclear weapons with 8-inch floppy discs

Things get even more absurd when it comes to defense. An IBM computer from 1976 still controls the US nuclear force using 8-inch floppy discs as a storage medium. These floppy discs store no less than 80 kilobytes of data, which is less than an average WhatsApp message.

Although there are plans to modernize this IT, the fact that nuclear weapons are based on technology from the era of disco music is kind of frightening.

Retro flair for the German navy, too

The German navy also continues to rely on 8-inch floppy discs to control its systems on its Brandenburg-class frigates. Although these warships, built in the 1990s, have state-of-the-art weapons technology, the data storage could bring tears to the eyes of nostalgic IT fans. There are plans to modernize the systems, but the use of a floppy disk emulator suggests that the old days are not quite over yet.

Windows XP on a ship worth billions

The British aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth impresses with modern technology–apart from the operating system. It runs Windows XP, which has not been supported by Microsoft since 2014. Although the Royal Navy emphasizes that extensive security measures have been taken, at a cost of £3.5 billion you would somehow expect… something else.

The situation is similar on the British nuclear submarines Vanguard, Victorious, Vigilant, and Vengeance, which are still running Windows XP for the operation of a system that controls intercontinental missiles. The British government reassures that the systems are not connected to the internet. However, an update is not planned until 2028.

Windows 3.1 paralyzes the airport

While we’re on the subject of Windows, let’s talk about the 2015 system failure at the Paris-Orly airport. The reason? A computer running Windows 3.1, an operating system from the early 90s, crashed. The “DECOR” software, which provides pilots with weather data, stopped working and take-offs had to be suspended for safety reasons. Perhaps the computer simply wanted to upgrade to Windows 95?