Are there any airliners that have flown for 24 years non-stop?

It seems when people think of a server today, they think of a single computer, if not some software server somewhere in the cloud. These subject kinds of servers are far closer to complex systems of separate components, more like a network system, it’s why components of what are really separate networked computers can and need to be replaced.

An airliner is of course also made up of components that are also systems, however at least in my mind, the difference is the actual expected use case. An airliner is not a good comparison because it is never expected to remain in continuous operation, e.g., that at least one engine is always running even when it is being overhauled or repaired, to satisfy a requirement of continuous operation.

VOS was intuitive and did what I needed. Nothing flashy. Just useful. I miss that sometimes. Give me a tool that works; if it also happens to be great, lovely.

I didn't work much with the Stratus hardware, but reading about it was fascinating. I wish I remembered more of it.

Speaking of reliable beasts, I own(ed) a HP PA-RISC workstation that never crashed in six years, and it was even purchased refurbished (second hand, and educational rebate, and still the cost of a car in 1996 - but worth every penny).

I'd add "R.I.P. HP 9000 715/75" but of course she is STILL working now, twenty years later, and she is sitting right next to me (also got a second 715/100XC for spare parts in case on day they are needed).

Apparently the latest VOS release was in 2025, which means that somewhere there's a team of developers maintaining it. That's really the thing I find the most interesting, that there exists teams developing operating systems like VOS, strange DOS clones or UnixWare (perhaps less so these days). Must be a strange anonymous life.