Slashdot had an article today with a simple question: what's the oldest complete piece of computer code still running? Doesn't have to be a full program, but it has to be a complete entity like a function or algorithm and not just a single disembodied line of code.

My guess is nobody'll get an answer. The oldest currently-running code probably dates back to the early 60s or so, and it lives in the custom-designed in-house mainframe accounting application of a large bank or major company so there's zero chance of anybody who knows about it discussing it outside the company. And it's probably either COBOL or RPG code. There's a reason IBM's mainframes have maintained the same instruction set for so long.

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