The Computer at the Bottom of a Canal
negroniventurestudios.com
July 18, 2026
14 min read
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52/100
Summary
A custom silicon processor, shipped by a Scottish hi-fi company in 1988, was designed to check memory access types and bounds in hardware, perform garbage collection, and treat memory and disk as a unified persistent object store. This innovative technology is now buried in the silt at the bottom of the Forth and Clyde Canal.
Key Takeaways
- The Rekursiv, a custom silicon processor developed by Linn Products in the 1980s, was designed to manage memory access and garbage collection in hardware, treating memory and disk as a unified object store.
- The Rekursiv's innovative architecture, which included a unique object-oriented programming model, was ahead of its time and has influenced modern silicon designs from companies like Arm.
- Linn Products invested approximately £10 million to develop the Rekursiv, which was fabricated by LSI Logic and featured four custom chips named NUMERIK, LOGIK, OBJEKT, and KLOK.
- The Rekursiv's design prevented programmers from accessing memory addresses directly, enhancing safety by checking memory access types and bounds in hardware.
Community Sentiment
Positives
- The idea that hardware is now cheap enough to make special purpose hardware viable is a game-changer; AI has shifted the landscape so dedicated hardware can finally shine.
- It's inspiring to see how a small group of innovative thinkers can break free from conventional wisdom and drive tech forward despite market pressures.
Concerns
- The skepticism around the commodity curve being over highlights concerns that we might still be stuck in cycles of tech fads rather than genuine progress.
- Comments on the fleeting nature of technology, with dedicated hardware potentially being overshadowed by the next big trend, raise doubts about its long-term viability.
