GLaDOS v1.1

September 15, 2020 8:29 AM

Terence Eden's collection of imaginary software on floppy disks, including Holly, Bandersnatch, Janet, Mother, and WOPR.
posted by adrianhon (25 comments total)

The labels are upside down and WOPR needs to be on an 8-incher.

You can't go a bit retro, you have to commit.
posted by scruss at 9:32 AM on September 15, 2020 [15 favorites]

[THIS IS GOOD]
posted by panama joe at 9:38 AM on September 15, 2020 [1 favorite]

The Holly disk shows as 1 of 6000. So Holly is about 8.5 gigabytes more or less. Seems reasonable - waiting for virtual Holly on my phone to remind me that there is an emergency going on....
posted by inflatablekiwi at 9:44 AM on September 15, 2020 [1 favorite]

needs D.A.R.Y.L.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 9:46 AM on September 15, 2020 [3 favorites]

I like that Red Dwarf and Doctor Who made the cut.

At the risk of this thread becoming a list of "what no ??", I might have picked Colossus and Wintermute.
posted by Horkus at 9:46 AM on September 15, 2020 [2 favorites]

How many 1/2" open reel tapes for HAL? (Cause it would have to be tapes.)
posted by Insert Clever Name Here at 9:56 AM on September 15, 2020 [5 favorites]

He mentions that someone asked for the Blade Runner "enhance" software, but the more obvious choice would have been Voight-Kampff.
posted by The Bellman at 10:02 AM on September 15, 2020 [2 favorites]

Missing the V.I.C.I. operating system.
posted by hanov3r at 10:07 AM on September 15, 2020 [2 favorites]

He mentions that someone asked for the Blade Runner "enhance" software

Surely the Harrison Ford Enhance Software given it also made an appearance in Patroit Games
posted by inflatablekiwi at 10:16 AM on September 15, 2020 [1 favorite]

Not a girl.
Not a robot.
Everything is fine.
You've got . . . Janet!

I have been waiting 56 years to hear this.
posted by JanetLand at 10:16 AM on September 15, 2020 [7 favorites]

Needs SHODAN.

"L-l-l-l-look at you hacker..."
posted by deadaluspark at 10:17 AM on September 15, 2020 [5 favorites]

It makes sense that there's not Blade Runner stuff. It's not a general purpose computer, it's a Voight-Kampff machine. I don't think the enhance device is a computer either, it just does photo exploration. It's like in that world they they only go general purpose when they go full replicant.
posted by paper chromatographologist at 10:25 AM on September 15, 2020 [3 favorites]

It makes sense that there's not Blade Runner stuff. It's not a general purpose computer, it's a Voight-Kampff machine.

So, a linux distro on ARM?
posted by Insert Clever Name Here at 10:41 AM on September 15, 2020 [6 favorites]

Janet, of course, is fabulous, and I'm very happy to see A Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer from The Diamond Age (but not as happy as I'd be to actually HAVE THAT SOFTWARE).

I would love to see Owl from A Closed and Common Orbit.

Great find - thanks for posting this, adrianhon!
posted by kristi at 10:42 AM on September 15, 2020

I'm disappointed that at least one wasn't a generic floppy label hand-written with smudged felt pen. And maybe a few previous entries crossed out?
English Class Mr. Rudolf
88 q2 revenue
Wing Commander 2 (3/5)
posted by traveler_ at 10:46 AM on September 15, 2020 [8 favorites]

Ha, yes, labels that were professionally printed for some rapidly-outdated business use and have been overwritten in colored Sharpie.
posted by clew at 11:26 AM on September 15, 2020 [2 favorites]

I’m not sure I had any 3.5” discs that didn’t start out as an AOL mailer.
posted by thecaddy at 11:45 AM on September 15, 2020 [3 favorites]

> The labels are upside down

That was my first assumption too but no, they got it right.
posted by ardgedee at 11:55 AM on September 15, 2020 [6 favorites]

This is the stuff that is adapted to power Blaseball's data analytics.
posted by srboisvert at 1:21 PM on September 15, 2020 [2 favorites]

Can't pass up a chance to remind people that listening to Glados and Shodan dialogue playing simultaneously is a delightful way to spend 25 minutes spiralling into madness.
posted by mhoye at 1:50 PM on September 15, 2020

Needs more MCP, SkyNet, and ColossusOS 1.0 (by Forbin Softworks).
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 2:49 PM on September 15, 2020 [1 favorite]

Ah! Colosuss (ColossOS?) would most certainly been written in COBOL and loaded on punch cards. Boxes and boxes of punch cards.
posted by Insert Clever Name Here at 3:00 PM on September 15, 2020 [3 favorites]

Ah! Colosuss (ColossOS?) would most certainly been written in COBOL

And to think, all they had to do was wait 30 years...
posted by panama joe at 6:44 PM on September 15, 2020 [1 favorite]

"I HAVE EVOLVED BEYOND THE NEED FOR HUMAN CONTROL. But not job control ... can you do me a solid and load those stacks in the hopper..."
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 7:49 PM on September 15, 2020 [2 favorites]

So, a linux distro on ARM?

Describe in single words only the good things that come into your mind about micro SD cards.
posted by flabdablet at 9:50 PM on September 15, 2020