from Hacker News

SF MUNI approves $212M technology from Hitachi to replace floppy disks by 2028

by thoughtpeddler on 10/20/24, 5:16 AM with 41 comments

  • by suhastech on 10/22/24, 2:34 PM

    This isn't really about the floppy disks; it's about the installation of a new signalling system but it does make a good headline.

  • by DerekL on 10/22/24, 8:37 PM

    A previous news story claimed that the system used 5.25-inch disks, instead of 3.5-inch, which would have been strange for a system that was purchased in 1998. It turns out that it actually was 3.5-inch disks.

    The correction is in this article: https://sfist.com/2024/08/07/muni-to-update-train-control-sy....

  • by DerekL on 10/22/24, 4:50 PM

    The title is misspelled. It should be “Muni”, like the article's title, not in all caps.

  • by _fat_santa on 10/22/24, 2:35 PM

  • by ww520 on 10/22/24, 3:26 PM

    A lot of subways have accepted the use of contactless credit cards or debit cards by touching the readers at the gates to pay for the fares. BART and MUNI still use Clipper card only.

    I’ve asked someone work inside and he said the suppliers of the readers won’t upgrade them. Not sure what the deal is.

  • by rsynnott on 10/22/24, 2:36 PM

    The headline's kinda clickbait (they're not charging $212M to replace some floppy drives or anything; it's a whole new system).

    However, I always wonder with these weird old floppy-dependent systems... Where on earth are they getting the floppy disks at this point? They don't last forever. As far as I can see, no-one actually makes them anymore; are they just depleting a reserve supply?

    The other slightly odd part is that the system was put in in _1998_, at which point floppy dependence was already a _bit_ on the archaic side. Possibly Hitachi just had an old system going cheap...

  • by more_corn on 10/23/24, 3:28 PM

    Perhaps this time they’ll put a maintenance and upgrade path clause into the contract so they don’t get into the same bad state as before. Who am I kidding there’s no way.

  • by andbberger on 10/22/24, 6:18 PM

    will it lead to muni running more service for less money? (it won't) then they shouldn't be doing it

    seltrac is fine. MBTA's green line does just fine with block signaling

  • by iamleppert on 10/22/24, 2:58 PM

    "Whole new system" means basically putting Wifi AP's in the station, and on the trains and using WiFi localization technology that has been around for ages. Most of the money in that quote comes from the 20 year service plan (read: paying a few techs making $30-40/hr to be on call for 20 years). Should it really cost that much? Probably not.

  • by doublerabbit on 10/22/24, 4:49 PM

    They should upgrade to minidiscs and truly welcome the cyberpunk dystopian future.

  • by purpleblue on 10/22/24, 2:36 PM

    For $212M I think keeping the floppy disks are worth it.

  • by Clamchop on 10/22/24, 5:14 PM

    Shamefully dishonest headline.

  • by rasz on 10/20/24, 5:41 PM

    Sounds much better than $20 Gotek /s