DS9 Computers and Systems...

[Thespeckledkiwi]

I was curious about this last night (I don't know why) but did the Federation ever change the panels and consoles of the DS9 system to basic Federation text or was it still in Cardassian? I mean in Ops, were all the consoles still Cardassian made or did they replace them with Federation? Or did they change the text, so one of the ensigns or someone else could actually read it.

I mean just imagine being a transfer and looking at the panel and going, what the hell? Uh...what does this button do?

How long do you think it would have taken to completely overhaul the systems to change it to regular Federation basic?

 

[Luckyflux]

I have thought about that too. I would imagine that they overhauled the internals and converted everything to Starfleet standards. I seem to remember O'Brien mentioning something about having a double redundant system and someone else said (maybe a Cardie) said why would have two backup systems, and O'Brien said in case the first backup fails, dumbass.

But wasn't the transporter always Cardassian? I don't think they ever changed the look of a transport from the Cardie orange to the Fed blue (it's been awhile since I have seen DS9 so I might be wrong on that account).

As for how long it would take? Wow, well that would depend on how quickly Starfleet would want it done. If a large attachment of engineers and supplies, like equipment and cabling were sent to DS9 then it would probably take 1-2 months. If it was just O'Brien doing it, then it was probably never completed since he always complained about being overworked.

Of course the old 'boot to the panel' could get anything done on a Cardassian control panel.

 

[Wil has a posse]

I'm guessing that with Universal Translator technology of the 24th century, it wouldn't be too tough to have a computer display text in a language other than it's default of Cardassian.

Hell, even Adobe Photoshop can do that.

 

[Thespeckledkiwi]

I was wondering about the Universal Translator. Does it translate text along with voice?

 

[AdmiralGarak]

It's odd, but I can't immediately think of any point in which the computers on the station printed English text. It was always either stylish but meaningless shattered-frame diagrams or columns of tiny incomprehensible symbols.

 

[Thespeckledkiwi]

Yeah...That's what I'm trying to figure out on the LCARs

 

[Timo]

It does seem that O'Brien did relatively little to the original Terok Nor computer systems - or was able to do relatively little. He reshuffled some of the internal resources to create that double redundancy as per "Destiny", but apparently he never quite did the sort of "root canal" he threatened to do in "The Forsaken".

Sisko of course quickly exchanged his desktop viewer for a Starfleet model, but that was pretty much the extent of modifications...

As for the UT translating text, Rom in "Necessary Evil" was able to read a Bajoran list of names easily enough, even subconsciously. And people like Kira and Worf easily cope with English text, although at least the former would have had few incentives to actually learn the language. Examples to the contrary are missing AFAIK.

Probably the UT is primarily some sort of a brain implant that intercepts incoming signals, be they visual or aural, and screws with them before sending them forth for the usual processing. The Starfleet commbadge would be just an external augmentation device whose extra computing power is necessary for deciphering new alien languages, and perhaps the memory for storing the vocabularies of some already known ones.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Braxton]

They did put in Federation panels in the Wardroom, another room was later seen to have Klingon panels, and I believe the Romulans also had their own panels put in but for the most part, they left the Cardassian tech and panels in place. I would suspect that Starfleet may put in all Federation tech at a later date (or do it over a certain number of years).

 

[Thespeckledkiwi]

That's gotta suck for some newbie on the job ...

"I can't read Bajoran or Cardassian! What does this button do?"

"You just fired on the Defiant..."

"Crap..."

 

[votd]

It could be that most of the computer systems are embedded so deep that it would be easier to build a new station than to replace all the computers with Starfleet standard.

 

[Deks]

Changing the outlook of the Cardassian systems would probably be possible if the computer core is outfitted with a Federation standard software.
I think the panels and everything would be able to display LCARS interface ... but it's also possible the Federation wanted to retain the Cardassian systems in order to get better informed about it.
BEsides, you would hardly have an issue working on an alien interface if everything is translated automatically to your native language.
Meaning you would only have to get used to the interface layout (which wouldn't take long to do).

And the Feds can easily augment existing software/systems if they know how it all operates.
O'Brien did have issues with upgrading the station of course (which wasn't until the opening of Season 4).
I very much doubt the upgrades would take 3 years to do ... more to the point, several weeks at best ... but previous situations for DS9 were not as threatening to SF like the potential war with the Dominion and tensions with the Klingons.

 

[Timo]

Changing the outlook of the Cardassian systems would probably be possible if the computer core is outfitted with a Federation standard software.

But that, apparently, was the one thing O'Brien could not make the system do. He could make the Cardassian software do his bidding in adherence to Federation safety regulations and the like, but it was still the original Cardassian software, with all the embedded booby traps and other surprises.

I for one doubt O'Brien and his little people could have done it even in those three years. They might have figured out how most of it works in a year or so, but there'd always have been the risk that a wrong keypress would blow up the station. This even if the software weren't maliciously booby-trapped - but O'Brien would suspect it was, right from the beginning, and would know for sure after "Civil Defense".

It would be a vast undertaking today to revamp something like the East Coast power grid, even with the programmers having actual access to the original documentation and perhaps some of the people originally involved. Now imagine being a Russian specialist invited to do it after the Americans withdrew and the Injuns called for foreign aid...

Timo Saloniemi

 

[matthunter]

Also, don't forget that the majority of the station's personnel were Bajorans, most of whom grew up under the Occupation. Since that went on for sixty years and the Cardies would've clamped down on Bajorans writing in a language they didn't understand (to prevent secret messages being passed), it's possible most Bajorans only understand Cardassian text, or at least it's the language they're most familiar with when operating equipment (assuming that the Resistance and other groups stole much of their equipment from their oppressors).

 

[Thespeckledkiwi]

True a lot of Bajorans but it was also a Starfleet outpost.

 

[matthunter]

ChristmasGhost said:
True a lot of Bajorans but it was also a Starfleet outpost.

Owned by Bajor. Starfleet doesn't tend to barge in and demand people change operating procedures just to suit them, despite what Eddington might have thought. Odo enforced Bajoran - not Federation - law, for example.

 

[Timo]

Indeed. And if Bajor saw utility in maintaining the station, we might think they would also want to continue operating other pieces of Cardassian equipment. They'd really, really hate it if Starfleet ripped out the Cardassian computer system when all the planetside facilities now under Bajoran control had that system as default.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Deks]

IThe Feds filled DS9 with their own technology ever since they took over.
The station might have been Bajoran, but it had Federation tech inside of it.
It was a joint project after all.
And the Federation personnel would use deciphering programs for all interfaces.
So it's possible that the computer core was upgraded as far as the memory expansion, capabilities, speed and similar hardware upgrades are concerned, but that the software remained Cardassian in origin which was further modified to function with Federation tech and software.

As I said, they have universal translators, and it's far more likely to postulate from on screen evidence that the OS for example (as far as we understand the term) was the one Cardassians installed originally and that everyone used translators all the time to man their station.