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nineteen999 • today at 8:15 AM • 3 replies • view on HN

We use to run Stratus VOS on Continuum series hardware at a lottery/poker machine company I worked at in the mid 2000's. It handled the jackpot system which decided which of 13,500 poker machines in our state would jackpot at any given time.

A reliable beast - never failed once in the entire time I worked there. Based on PA-RISC if I recall correctly.


Replies

jll29 • today at 8:32 AM

Great story, thanks. I wish it said more about the architecture and also VOS.

Speaking of reliable beasts, I own(ed) a HP PA-RISC workstation that never crashed in six years, and it was even purchased refurbished (second hand, and educational rebate, and still the cost of a car in 1996 - but worth every penny).

I'd add "R.I.P. HP 9000 715/75" but of course she is STILL working now, twenty years later, and she is sitting right next to me (also got a second 715/100XC for spare parts in case on day they are needed).

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mech422 • today at 10:04 AM

IIRC, Stratus was M68K (like 12 per cpu board organized into 3 logical cpu's for fault checking)

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zorked • today at 10:48 AM

The poker machines are connected? Why wouldn't they just jackpot locally and indepdendently?

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