december 15th, 2015:Amiga 2000

[xoxoxoBruce]

Whazat, you say, when it's clearly an Amiga 2000 personal computer from Commodore.
......

This was the latest offering from Commodore in 1987, and it's a stock photo since I couldn't get a good shot of the one I'm going to tell you about, which is not customary protocol for IOtD, so sue me.

Anyway, shortly after the introduction of this PC the Grand Rapids, MI, School District bought one, not for the students, or the teachers, not even for the big wigs. They bought it for the maintenance dept. With the Amiga's 1200-bit modem and wireless radio signal, they used it for controlling the heat and A/C in 19 schools. And near 30 years later, it still does. How many PCs have you had during that time?

It was expected the outdated system would be replaced in 2011 when voters passed a "Warm Safe and Dry" bond to release money to the district schools for upkeep and maintenance purposes. Because the computer was still functioning just fine, it didn't make the list of projects. Instead, the money was spent replacing boilers and roofs and removing asbestos.

Now, nearly three decades after its installation, the school district is ready to replace it completely instead of replacing broken functions with parts purchased on eBay. A new system will cost up to $2 million, and will be installed if voters pass a $175 million bond for school spending.

Yes, they said $2 million to replace a system that ain't broke.