W.O.P.R - War Games (like you didn't know already)

Stat Brother

Well-known member

NSC Patron

Jul 11, 2003

73,640

West west west Sussex

• May 4, 2015

• #1

We watched War Games last night, and good fun it was too.
All Galaxian, dial up, flashing lights and floppy discs

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086567/

So tech geeks, now for the standard question.
When compared to modern day devices how powerful is/was WOPR & Broderick's PC?
They were state of the art in 1983.



Naturally I said to the kids, 'my phone is now more powerful than that lot'.

 

KZNSeagull

Well-known member

Nov 26, 2007

19,791

Wolsingham, County Durham

• May 4, 2015

• #2

Blimey, there is a blast from the past. I enjoyed that film when I was 16.

In answer to your question, WOPR and Broderick's PC were both props, so your toaster is more powerful than them.

 

beorhthelm

A. Virgo, Football Genius

Jul 21, 2003

35,287

• May 4, 2015

• #3

the PC was modeled on something like a Commodore 64. iirc they used the chip from that in a music toy recently. in terms of compute power it would be many orders of magnitude below a low end phone.

the WOPR was doing some hardcore simulation and bruteforcing codes. it was probably ahead of its time in power and today would be rivaled by a high end gaming PC (more than a phone).

 

CorgiRegisteredFriend

Well-known member

May 29, 2011

8,316

Boring By Sea

• May 4, 2015

• #4

Some more retro technology. Still a very scary film.

 

B

backson

Registered Mis-user

Jul 26, 2004

2,386

• May 4, 2015

• #5

As a geeky kid (and working in IT now) I loved that film.

Even the odd things, like when he types "Let's play global thermonuclear war" and it sounds as if he's typed 300 keys.

(Not quite as odd as, why did someone like that be attractive to Ally Sheedy?)

 

T

TomandJerry

Well-known member

Oct 1, 2013

11,437

• May 4, 2015

• #6

It is a good film!