The Terminator from an IT Perspective Options

[richfolkes]

The Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger), for those who seen the movie started a franchise which has gone on for more than 25 years. In this film, Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn) said to Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) that the terminator was not a man but a machine; and that she cannot bargain, nor reason with it and would never stop until she was dead.

In this thread, I'll be discussing the terminators the machines they are. By and large, the Cyberdine Systems model T-800 is a computer, same as all the other models of Cyberdine Systems products which have appeared in the movie's sequels and the series The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Hence this thread being in this sub-forum.

As we all know, a computer consists of hardware, software (applications, utilities and so on) and most importantly the operating system, which is like the keys to a car. Without the operating system the computer cannot be used. There are basically three different kinds of software used in a computer: drivers which allow peripheral devices to work with the computer; applications which are used with the computer and utilities, which are used to perform certain tasks to increase the computer's productivity.

The drivers installed in the terminator include:

• Sensory drivers, allowing the machine to see, hear and smell
• Locomotion drivers allowing the machine to walk and run.
• Motor drivers allowing the machine to use implements, drive vehicles and operate machinery.
• Communication drivers allowing the machine to interact with people.

The motherboard, CPU, RAM and hard drive of the terminator is located inside the cranial cavity of the skull, same as the brain in a human being. Here is a detailed description of the T-800's functions as carried out in the movie. The T-800 prior to being sent back to 1984 has its data, including its mission settings, applications and utilities installed onto its hard drive by a SkyNet server. The T-800 starts with three basic routines. The first being to acquire clothes. In this case, T-800 locates three punks at the Mulholland drive lookout and an application loads to scan the sizes and statures of the trio. One of which, the size and stature matches. Then the speech application is launched. "Give me your clothes.". When the three punks (one drawing a knife) rebuke him, saying "**** you ***hole!" A self defense application is then launched at the presence of the knife. Note the phrase is saved onto the T-800's local drive and used later in the movie (the 'Got a dead cat in there?' scene).

After acquiring the clothes, the second routine is launched; acquire weapons. The T-800 goes to The Alamo gun shop and seeks the firearms which were listed on the SkyNet database the server uploaded to it. On that database, a firearm from 2026 (phased plasma rifle in the 40 watt range) is listed, possibly due to a server side software error. Here is the list of firearms uploaded to the T-800 by the SkyNet server:

• Armalite AR-18 rifle
• 12 Gauge autoloading shotgun
• .45 longslide with laser sighting
• Uzi 9mm
• Westinghouse M95A1 Phased Plasma Rifle (included due to a database error on on the SkyNet server)

The third basic routine is to acquire a vehicle. Which the device accomplishes by punching through the driver's side window. The T-800 then launches a motor mechanics application to start the car without keys and drives off.

Now, the T-800's operating system's mission settings come into play; find and kill Sarah Connor. Because the SkyNet servers have only limited information on the assigned target, which is Sarah Connor's name and location, being Los Angeles, the T-800 goes to a payphone and looks up the name Sarah Connor, to which there are three entries. The T-800's settings include dealing with anyone or anything interfering with its mission.

In speculation here, suppose to say that Sarah Connor were to have had an unlisted number, after taking out the names listed in the phone book, the T-800 would be flummoxed by the inability to complete its mission due to lack of data and crash in a manner similar to Windows throwing up a Blue Screen of Death.

Other software installed on the T-800 include:

• A digital sampling and synthesis program, allowing the device to use the voice of the person sampled, primarily to lay a trap.
• A gunsmithing application containing data for manufacturing and installing illegal machine gun conversion kits and stocks for converting semi auto firearms such as the AR-18 and the Uzi from semi to full auto, and for manufacturing original Uzi parts to replace the ATF approved stock and barrel of the weapon.
• An application for driving motor vehicles.
• A database containing California traffic laws current for 1984 along with a street directory for Los Angeles.
• A self repair utility for fixing mechanical damage caused during the course of its mission.

In Terminator, the device sent back by the resistance to protect young John Connor is a Cyberdine Systems T-850, which is an upgraded version of the T-800.

The operating system of the T-850 has a learning feature, which allows John to teach the device, one of which is not to kill anyone. Another being various phrases such as "Hasta la vista, baby!".

The rival device SkyNet sends to deal with the T-850 and kill John Connor is the T-1000 (played by Robert Patrick) which is manufactured from liquid metal. The Operating system of this device features a physical sampling and synthesis program allowing the device to take the shape of any person it touches. The device also has a utility program allowing the device to form edge weapons with its body.

After trying to kill Miles Dyson, Sarah, John and the T-850 explain the unforeseen ramifications which had arisen from his research, Miles then cooperates with the Connors and the T-850 and set out to destroy all his research (at the cost of his own life, of course). However, as with any major business of a corporate scale, Cyberdine Systems has insurance and disaster recovery and contingency planning in place. This plan includes the storage of company data on offsite data storage facilities allowing fast recovery of data loss resulting from a disaster such as the police siege and the spectacular explosions that took place in the main building where Dyson's research was kept. Because the implementation of the disaster recovery and contingency plan allowed Cyberdine systems as a business entity to recover, Judgment Day became inevitable as a result.

In Terminator 3 - Rise of the Machines, the the rival machine sent by SkyNet is the T-X (played by Kristanna Loken). A feminine machine which is a hybrid of the T-1000 and T-850. The T-X was assigned to deal with multiple targets including John Connor and Kate Brewster. Software applications of the T-X include:

• A DNA sampling program coupled to a database containing the device's targets.
• A telephony application allowing the device to produce special tones.
• A remote control application allowing the device to operate other computers and their associated devices.
• A motor vehicle and aircraft operation application.
• An application for dealing with rival terminators provided by the resistance.
• A utility allowing the T-X to upload a virus into the operating system of any terminator from the T-800 series.

Fortunately for John and Kate, his 2026 counterpart installed an antivirus program into the T-850. To which the device launched a scan and removed the virus upon rebooting.

I hope this is of some interest to those into computers.

This post has been edited by richfolkes: Apr 28th 2012, 7:26 AM

[Revan]

Random

[JTMAG1]

Random

LOL, I miss responses like this to posts like that!

[Revan]

LOL, I miss responses like this to posts like that!

Half the fun of being on a forum is the absurd posts and accompanying replies.

I don't have an objection to an healthy outlet for imagination