Originally posted by: Bowfinger
Oh you kids these days, you think IBM compatible PCs were the only computers. 😉
There were computers of all sorts and sizes available then, from microprocessor-based systems (Tandy, Apple, multiple CP/M business-type machines. various single-board and specialty systems) to all sorts of minicomputers perfectly suited for such applications (various DECs, IBM Series 1, Honeywell, Data General, dozens of others). Plenty of languages besides COBOL and Fortran too, though I would expect assembler or some other low-level, macro-based "language" for something like this. C was also available, but I doubt it had enough history and install base then to show up in commercial applications.
I agree with etech, however. The real question mark in the story is the implication that off-the-shelf software was available for such a specific application. It's not out of the question; it might also be possible there was some sort of a standardized application framework sold for controlling pipelines that was then customized for individual implementations. If that were true, I can see how one might plant bugs within the framework. That seems a stretch. I would love to see more details of how this was (allegedly?) pulled off.
