Splash-screen memories from a Bangkok ticket machine

Bork!Bork!Bork! There's no keeping an obsolete operating system down, although keeping it operational can sometimes be a challenge, if public terminals are any indication. Today's bork uses an OS that dates back 26 years, but is still serving up train tickets.

Windows 2000 Professional seems to be a popular choice for ticket machine operators: a small footprint, bombproof reliability, and content to sit in the background while the customer's software takes center stage.

Unfortunately, that reliability was not on display in this ticket machine, spotted in Bangkok by an eagle-eyed Register reader. A reboot has brought Windows 2000 Professional out of the shadows, and the loading screen is visible.

Despite the age of the software on show, the ticket machine looks to be in remarkably good condition. Our reader told us it was for the Bangkok Metropolitan Rapid Transit ...