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by monocasa 25 days ago
Basically why my car is so old it doesn't even have a CAN bus.

Roslin: I heard you're one of those people. You're actually afraid of computers.

Adama: No, there are many computers on this ship. But they're not networked.

Roslin: A computerized network would simply make it faster and easier for the teachers to be able to teach-

Adama: Let me explain something to you. Many good men and women lost their lives aboard this ship because someone wanted a faster computer to make life easier. I'm sorry that I'm inconveniencing you or the teachers, but I will not allow a networked computerized system to be placed on this ship while I'm in command. Is that clear?

Roslin: Yes, sir.

Adama: Thank you. 'Scuse me.

6 comments

The man (character) was a rightful, respected, hard-ass. But made good points with evidence to explain the _why_; a true leader.
But they used Floppy disks and data chip thingies for transferring data. If the Cylons were any good they’d have eventually created a self perpetuating virus. Even humans have pulled that off (Stuxnet and Iranian nuclear centrifuges)
And everybody circulating virus for PCs and other systems in the 80s and 90s.

I wonder if there was a floppy disk virus for CP/M in the 70s.

The typically cited first microcomputer virus in the wild was for the Apple II in 1982.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elk_Cloner

Same. Want to update the firmware in the computer? Sure but you'll need to unscrew the driver's seat, unscrew the desktop PC sized ECU, unscrew its four pencil-thick battery connections, unplug its 27 connectors, unscrew the 50 screws in three slightly different sizes holding the top cover on, remove the heatsinks, unscrew the eight screws holding the motherboard in, and desolder both the 144-pin 68HCxxx chips that do all the thinking.

Refitting is the reverse of removal.

Yes, I have actually already done this.

Surely there's a parallel EPROM somewhere in there you can bake with a UV light and program.
No, it's all on-chip.

There's a big custom chip made by GEC Plessey that has a small flash chip beside it, but it's totally undocumented. They also make the custom chips in the door, window switch, and seat outstations. I found some very very general documentation about them but nothing enough to start picking the firmware apart.

The 68HCxxx's typically have on chip ROMs.
Battlestar Galactica. Just finished watching the remake. Spoiler for a 25yr old series: they network them anyway.
They had to calculate jump fast to join the fleet and the only way was to break the taboo - connecting the computers.

Cylons seized the opportunity and despite of the software firewall they managed to periodically disturb this network. In the end all computers were disconnected. IIRC Gaeta later had to wipe drives and install operating systems again, from these fancy octagonal "cds".

Found the clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CkDyc1TLrQ

I never understood this. They're networked? So what? Don't connect it to other ships, or the Baltarnet or whatever they call it. Is the idea that if a Cylon gets on the ship, they can access the CIC from the thermostat in the bathroom? Did I miss something? Did I watch it wrong?
> Is the idea that if a Cylon gets on the ship, they can access the CIC from the thermostat in the bathroom?

Yeah, it was intended to limit lateral movement from compromised systems.