A Commodore 64 is still running a Polish auto shop after more than 25 years of non-stop service, and shows no signs of slowing down after surviving a flood.
An auto repair shop in Poland has made waves after a photograph surfaced revealing that the shop's trusty mechanics have relied on a Commodore C64C to keep their oil change payments processed for the past 25 years, and all without any major hiccups along the way. We've seen a gamer that kept a Nintendo plugged in for 20 years straight, but this is right up there with regards to the persistence of technology.
The 8-bit Commodore 64, complete with its 5.25" floppy disc drive and green text visuals, seems like it would be right at home in an abandoned Fallout vault. While it would be impressive for having lasted this long in a sterile environment, the Polish auto shop obviously gets a little dirty on occasion, and it's clear to see from the image above that the original C64 casing has seen its fair share of oil, dirt, and dust (and probably more, but who's counting?) as the years have gone by.
The beautiful beige C64C hasn't exactly had an easy time running things, either. The fact the machine still runs after so much undue wear-and-tear is a testament to the durability of the old console, which survived a garage flood during its 25+ year tenure as the shop's main computer. According to the Polish woman who originally posted the photographs, the computer regularly gets hit by rainfall from a nearby open window, and has likely taken abuse from local bird droppings over the years - and it's not like it has a GoPro case to protect it from those elements.
The C64 is still running to this day, and we hope a day doesn't come soon when the old beast refuses to turn on once more. It's always a difficult task transitioning business records to a new platform, and we couldn't fathom how long moving 25 years of transaction histories from 5.25" floppy discs to a more modern system would take. It goes without saying that it was a different world when the Commodore 64 came out in 1982 - Reagan was president, Mario had just made his first appearance as Jumperman, and few would have predicted computers would have grown by the leaps and bounds they've taken since.
Gamers hungry for a taste of the retro 8-bit gaming can go on the prowl for free C64 emulators, which at the moment are actually easier to find than an N64 emulator on the Xbox One Store.
No news on if the auto shop staff ever loaded up the original Prince of Persia, though.
What do you think about the Commodore 64, Ranters?
Source: Geek