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jdunlop
jdunlop
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Your sludge emits radio noise

Computers are compliant with FCC 15 that states "accepts all interference, including those that may cause undesired operation". So in order to make a modern computer unstable, you only need to provide interference on its data lanes strong enough to cause random bit flips. It can be done in numerous ways, one of them is actual communication in radio by the alien lifeforms, which could require them to produce quite a power in order to be heard at a distance. This alone could cause enough interference for computers to fail. Calculators would still work to a degree, because they process data faster (in lessfewer steps) thus less possibility for a data corruption, yet the calculations should be verified anyway.

The particles in the air are fissile/unstable

Another way to cause random bit flips is high radiation, this works due to modern RAM chips having a very small area designated for a single bit, thus a collision of a random high energy particle with a chip will either break that storage cell or randomly set the value (0 or 1) inside, probably leading to "bit sticking" problem known to aerospace engineers. Either way, simple computers could plain break from the amount of charged particles that are the result of alien particles' fission.

The magnetic field on the planet is absent or too weak

Kind of self-explanatory, without Earth's magnetic field whatever solar flares would cause massive radio bombardment, evenbombardment; there were even events, historically, that penetrated Earth's magnetic field disrupting communications, inducing voltage peaks on power lines, up to destroying some weaker parts of telecommunication systems of that time, eventhough not exactly "modern computers". Calculators survive due to not requiring an external power supply and also being small enough to not have enough current induced by particle flux.

The planet's core emits heavy radiation, and sludge is just a protection layer

This one is harder to implement IMHO as constant or semi-constant high energy radiation originating from below won't allow high-organized life to evolve, at least the life as we know it, yet you can assume that sludge appeared first as some pseudo-living substrate that feeds on radiation converting it into usable energy gradient, so life could emerge within while being protected from too much extra damage. Eventually that life should cover the entire core with this sludge, though, and humans discovering a planet full of sludge might have to plain retreat due to its overall toxicity and depth. (In fact water is sort of this kind of protective layer, both from below and above high energy radiation, but you depict sludge as non-liquid)

Yet, all these things can be overcome

Ye olde Faraday cage with an air lock could allow bunkered PCs to still work, any data coming to and from them could use optical media to be passed through the cage, as well as providing galvanic protection to internal communication lines, in the field various protection systems could be employed like for example ECC-based memory with fine-grained control over what cells still are working reliably and what are stuck/damaged, together with analog computers that control navigation by radio emitters, analog data channels being used similar to say PAL TV system to transmit image data, additional telecommunication protocol design to implement error control over L1, maybe more. So while initially Earth-based PCs will NOT work, eventually the humanity could overcome any difficulties and design computers that WILL work in alien planetary conditions.

Your sludge emits radio noise

Computers are compliant with FCC 15 that states "accepts all interference, including those that may cause undesired operation". So in order to make a modern computer unstable, you only need to provide interference on its data lanes strong enough to cause random bit flips. It can be done in numerous ways, one of them is actual communication in radio by the alien lifeforms, which could require them to produce quite a power in order to be heard at a distance. This alone could cause enough interference for computers to fail. Calculators would still work to a degree, because they process data faster (in less steps) thus less possibility for a data corruption, yet the calculations should be verified anyway.

The particles in the air are fissile/unstable

Another way to cause random bit flips is high radiation, this works due to modern RAM chips having a very small area designated for a single bit, thus a collision of a random high energy particle with a chip will either break that storage cell or randomly set the value (0 or 1) inside, probably leading to "bit sticking" problem known to aerospace engineers. Either way, simple computers could plain break from the amount of charged particles that are the result of alien particles' fission.

The magnetic field on the planet is absent or too weak

Kind of self-explanatory, without Earth's magnetic field whatever solar flares would cause massive radio bombardment, even there were events that penetrated Earth's magnetic field disrupting communications, inducing voltage peaks on power lines, up to destroying some weaker parts of telecommunication systems of that time, even not exactly "modern computers". Calculators survive due to not requiring external power supply and also being small enough to have enough current induced by particle flux.

The planet's core emits heavy radiation, and sludge is just a protection layer

This one is harder to implement IMHO as constant or semi-constant high energy radiation originating from below won't allow high-organized life to evolve, at least the life as we know it, yet you can assume that sludge appeared first as some pseudo-living substrate that feeds on radiation converting it into usable energy gradient, so life could emerge within while being protected from too much extra damage. Eventually that life should cover the entire core with this sludge, though, and humans discovering a planet full of sludge might have to plain retreat due to its overall toxicity and depth. (In fact water is sort of this kind of protective layer, both from below and above high energy radiation, but you depict sludge as non-liquid)

Yet, all these things can be overcome

Ye olde Faraday cage with an air lock could allow bunkered PCs to still work, any data coming to and from them could use optical media to be passed through the cage, as well as providing galvanic protection to internal communication lines, in the field various protection systems could be employed like for example ECC-based memory with fine-grained control over what cells still are working reliably and what are stuck/damaged, together with analog computers that control navigation by radio emitters, analog data channels being used similar to say PAL TV system to transmit image data, additional telecommunication protocol design to implement error control over L1, maybe more. So while initially Earth-based PCs will NOT work, eventually the humanity could overcome any difficulties and design computers that WILL work in alien planetary conditions.

Your sludge emits radio noise

Computers are compliant with FCC 15 that states "accepts all interference, including those that may cause undesired operation". So in order to make a modern computer unstable, you only need to provide interference on its data lanes strong enough to cause random bit flips. It can be done in numerous ways, one of them is actual communication in radio by the alien lifeforms, which could require them to produce quite a power in order to be heard at a distance. This alone could cause enough interference for computers to fail. Calculators would still work to a degree, because they process data faster (in fewer steps) thus less possibility for a data corruption, yet the calculations should be verified anyway.

The particles in the air are fissile/unstable

Another way to cause random bit flips is high radiation, this works due to modern RAM chips having a very small area designated for a single bit, thus a collision of a random high energy particle with a chip will either break that storage cell or randomly set the value (0 or 1) inside, probably leading to "bit sticking" problem known to aerospace engineers. Either way, simple computers could plain break from the amount of charged particles that are the result of alien particles' fission.

The magnetic field on the planet is absent or too weak

Kind of self-explanatory, without Earth's magnetic field whatever solar flares would cause massive radio bombardment; there were even events, historically, that penetrated Earth's magnetic field disrupting communications, inducing voltage peaks on power lines, up to destroying some weaker parts of telecommunication systems of that time, though not exactly "modern computers". Calculators survive due to not requiring an external power supply and also being small enough to not have enough current induced by particle flux.

The planet's core emits heavy radiation, and sludge is just a protection layer

This one is harder to implement IMHO as constant or semi-constant high energy radiation originating from below won't allow high-organized life to evolve, at least the life as we know it, yet you can assume that sludge appeared first as some pseudo-living substrate that feeds on radiation converting it into usable energy gradient, so life could emerge within while being protected from too much extra damage. Eventually that life should cover the entire core with this sludge, though, and humans discovering a planet full of sludge might have to plain retreat due to its overall toxicity and depth. (In fact water is sort of this kind of protective layer, both from below and above high energy radiation, but you depict sludge as non-liquid)

Yet, all these things can be overcome

Ye olde Faraday cage with an air lock could allow bunkered PCs to still work, any data coming to and from them could use optical media to be passed through the cage, as well as providing galvanic protection to internal communication lines, in the field various protection systems could be employed like for example ECC-based memory with fine-grained control over what cells still are working reliably and what are stuck/damaged, together with analog computers that control navigation by radio emitters, analog data channels being used similar to say PAL TV system to transmit image data, additional telecommunication protocol design to implement error control over L1, maybe more. So while initially Earth-based PCs will NOT work, eventually the humanity could overcome any difficulties and design computers that WILL work in alien planetary conditions.

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Vesper
Vesper
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Your sludge emits radio noise

Computers are compliant with FCC 15 that states "accepts all interference, including those that may cause undesired operation". So in order to make a modern computer unstable, you only need to provide interference on its data lanes strong enough to cause random bit flips. It can be done in numerous ways, one of them is actual communication in radio by the alien lifeforms, which could require them to produce quite a power in order to be heard at a distance. This alone could cause enough interference for computers to fail. Calculators would still work to a degree, because they process data faster (in less steps) thus less possibility for a data corruption, yet the calculations should be verified anyway.

The particles in the air are fissile/unstable

Another way to cause random bit flips is high radiation, this works due to modern RAM chips having a very small area designated for a single bit, thus a collision of a random high energy particle with a chip will either break that storage cell or randomly set the value (0 or 1) inside, probably leading to "bit sticking" problem known to aerospace engineers. Either way, simple computers could plain break from the amount of charged particles that are the result of alien particles' fission.

The magnetic field on the planet is absent or too weak

Kind of self-explanatory, without Earth's magnetic field whatever solar flares would cause massive radio bombardment, even there were events that penetrated Earth's magnetic field disrupting communications, inducing voltage peaks on power lines, up to destroying some weaker parts of telecommunication systems of that time, even not exactly "modern computers". Calculators survive due to not requiring external power supply and also being small enough to have enough current induced by particle flux.

The planet's core emits heavy radiation, and sludge is just a protection layer

This one is harder to implement IMHO as constant or semi-constant high energy radiation originating from below won't allow high-organized life to evolve, at least the life as we know it, yet you can assume that sludge appeared first as some pseudo-living substrate that feeds on radiation converting it into usable energy gradient, so life could emerge within while being protected from too much extra damage. Eventually that life should cover the entire core with this sludge, though, and humans discovering a planet full of sludge might have to plain retreat due to its overall toxicity and depth. (In fact water is sort of this kind of protective layer, both from below and above high energy radiation, but you depict sludge as non-liquid)

Yet, all these things can be overcome

Ye olde Faraday cage with an air lock could allow bunkered PCs to still work, any data coming to and from them could use optical media to be passed through the cage, as well as providing galvanic protection to internal communication lines, in the field various protection systems could be employed like for example ECC-based memory with fine-grained control over what cells still are working reliably and what are stuck/damaged, together with analog computers that control navigation by radio emitters, analog data channels being used similar to say PAL TV system to transmit image data, additional telecommunication protocol design to implement error control over L1, maybe more. So while initially Earth-based PCs will NOT work, eventually the humanity could overcome any difficulties and design computers that WILL work in alien planetary conditions.