90s Computers in Jurassic Park: An Engineer’s Guide
▼ Summary
– The film “Jurassic Park” is known for memes about the line “This is a Unix system, I know this!” and its unusual 3D file manager.
– The production team meticulously sourced accurate PCs for the sets, reflecting writer Michael Crichton’s computing background and attention to detail.
– Google engineer Fabien Sanglard conducted a hobbyist investigation, identifying every piece of hardware visible in the film and providing specs and context.
– The analysis compiled known technology details into one readable post, gaining traction on Reddit and Hacker News amid renewed interest from actor Sam Neill’s recent death.
– Identified hardware includes five Thinking Machines CM-5 systems, a Motorola Envoy PDA, and SGI workstations like an IRIS Crimson and R4000 Indigo.
The infamous line “This is a Unix system, I know this!” from Jurassic Park has become a perennial meme, often poking fun at the film’s quirky 3D file manager interface. Yet behind those jokes lies a surprising truth: the production team went to extraordinary lengths to ensure the computers on screen were authentic for the early 1990s. Given author Michael Crichton’s own computing background and his famously meticulous research for the novel, this dedication to hardware accuracy should come as no surprise.
A recent deep dive by Google software engineer Fabien Sanglard brings this technical precision into sharp focus. Sanglard meticulously combed through the film, cataloging every identifiable piece of hardware visible in the background. He then compiled their specifications, historical costs, and the fascinating backstory of how each machine ended up on the set. While fans have discussed Jurassic Park‘s technology for decades, Sanglard’s analysis distills this information into a single, highly readable post that recently resurfaced on Reddit and Hacker News. The timing also feels poignant, given the recent passing of beloved actor Sam Neill, which has kept the film in the public conversation.
Among the standout pieces of hardware identified are no fewer than five Thinking Machines CM-5 supercomputers, a Motorola Envoy PDA, and multiple cutting-edge SGI workstations including an IRIS Crimson and an R4000 Indigo. For deeper context, Sanglard pulled a revealing quote from The Making of Jurassic Park book, where special effects coordinator Cory Faucher explained the rationale behind these choices. The result is a compelling reminder that even a blockbuster about resurrected dinosaurs took its technology seriously.
(Source: Ars Technica)