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Comment by dingdingdang | Hacker News Reader

Why not simply put the software onto a PC? All it would need is a Windows license and a Cloanto License (https://www.amigaforever.com/) to run the emulation? WinUAE has been stable for years now and the ease with which the system could be automated should make up for any smaller issues encountered in terms of hardware interop.

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Likely due to the 1200 baud modem used having some traits that aren’t easily handled and would require some very specialized code to handle. Great, now you have two pieces of esoteric code that need to be supported. They likely have a comfort level in repairing the physical Amiga that they wouldn’t have on staff with an emulation system.

Sounds like AX.25 packet radio. So probably possible to replace with more modern hardware. But yeah, a little more than a typical public school building maintenance staff probably wants to deal with.

Why not leave it as is?

If it's not broken, don't fix it.

They are going to spend $2 millions breaking something that works. And that's if they are lucky and it doesn't go over budget.

It's going to break at some point, so you can either plan for that and take a little bit of time to analyse the current setup and design something that could run for another 30 years ... or wait until it breaks and then build a new system

This. Complicated systems built in a hurry without proper planning cause so much misery and cost more.

Do you really think it will cost 2 million when it breaks?

It has worked 30 years so Bayes says it is likely to keep working.

Where did I say that?

I’d be very impressed and delighted to see this running in 30 years time ... but realistically there’s vanishingly small chance the hardware would last that long without some sort of failure. For now they’ve said they were able to scrounge replacements for broken parts, but that cannot last

A modern system is likely to be more efficient and offer finer-grained control that is better matched to heat and AC demand. Across 19 buildings, that will add up to significant energy (and thus $) savings over time.

The same reasons that something like a Nest thermostat can save you money at home.

> The same reasons that something like a Nest thermostat can save you money at home.

What are the odds that the new system will save them > $1M over its life?

that's where the consultants that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars come in, negating any cost savings should the consultants find that it would save them money

Assuming a 30 year lifespan and 19 buildings, 1 mio. $ breaks down to 1750$ per building per year. That seems entirely achievable to me.

It's also in Grand Rapids Michigan. Murphys law says this breaks at 2am on January 1 when it's -15 outside. No one is available to fix, and pipes start freezing causing millions more in damage.

I imagine it is something like a new building, or perhaps the original heating system being replaced.

The article tells us that various pieces of it have broken, already.

Exactly. No need to invest in a new equipment: just replace the Amiga by a cheap PC (or even a Raspberry Pi!) and run everything in UAE (you don't even need a Windows license).

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