Computer senility is a fictional concept developed in the Red Dwarf television series that considers how a sentient computer might develop mental instability if left alone for millions of years. Computer senility would therefore be a product of lasting loneliness.

The sentient computer in question is Holly. Initially having an intelligence quotient (IQ) of six thousand (6,000), Holly becomes very strange after Red Dwarf has drifted through deep space for three million (3,000,000) years. One of Holly's odd activities alone included Hol Rock, a form of decimalized music with two extra notes that Holly invented, "H" and "J." He also has a collection of singing potatoes to keep himself sane. He also came up with an idea of serving a two year prison sentence in just fourteen weeks. Unfortunately for Lister, he'd have to become a dog. His current IQ is only 68.

Holly brings Dave Lister out of stasis partly because s/he (Holly underwent a "head sex change" later in the series) is so lonely, and partly because the radiation from Red Dwarf's engine failure had dropped to a safe background level.

Holly briefly regains more than twice her original IQ in a scheme devised by Kryten and tested on Talkie Toaster.

Kryten also claims that he knew a fellow mechanoid who was senile, whose name was Gilbert but preferred being called "Rameses Niblick the Third Kerplunk Kerplunk Whoops Where's My Thribble". The "droid rot" suffered by Kryten's Spare Head Three is presumably a related condition. This seemed to manifest itself in outraged rants against Kryten, made in a Yorkshire accent.

A vending machine on Red Dwarf also seems to suffer from computer senility. It speaks with a lisp and gets black coffee mixed up with a bucket.

See also: Queeg 500, Norman Lovett, Hattie Hayridge

In reality, computer senility can be quite apparent. This condition occurs when a computer has been operating for too long. Real computer senility is manifested in redundant glitches. It would be equivalent to the human condition of tiredness.

See also: computer science

External link

• Computer senility with the Windows OS