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Sure, no probs, I probably should have done that in my post first time round...

For PowerPC, Motorola actually roll their own there was a Slashdot article about it a while back. The Motorola ones are particularly cool because they are dual CPU and dual on board ethernet (and of course are regular ATX form factor). You could also get an AmigaOne board (ATX) (currently Pre-Order), or a Pegasos Dual board http://www.amigasuperbit.com/indexcataloge/531.htm (MicroATX).

You can a motherboard and CPU for ~600 Euro from these guys, which is not at all bad.

There are other sites too, but you do have to Google for them. All of these run Linux, and while they may not seem that fast from reading the specs, of if you've ever tried a Power Macintosh of a similar spec that seemed slow on that speed of CPU, don't worry as Linux is extremely fast in comparison to Mac OS X (quite amazingly so, especially as gcc does not optimise compiled code for Altivec (work currently being sponsored by Red Hat, and being done by Alan Cox I think I read...). I've posted this before, but Linux runs much faster than Mac OS X on my G4 PowerBook than Mac OS X does, there is so much difference it's in speed it's scary (and it's not just Mac OS X's GUI that slows the system down, general IO is slower, meaning *everything* (networking, disk access, memory usage) is slower [which is :-) or :-( depending on your position on Linux/Mac OS X :] ).

For SPARC, the SPARC Product Directory web site has quite a few places you buy them from. Tadpole are particularly cool as they make SPARC laptops. A lot of companies simply re-sell Sun parts they buy OEM.

One company, Sun Rise (UK) buy Sun motherboards, CPU's etc OEM from the US and resell them in their own cases in interesting & powerful configurations. Apparently this pisses of Sun UK, but Sun US are quite happy to keep selling them the parts, so they continue to build systems that way...

They are really very good systems and the midrange systems are a much better (and much cheaper) than anything Sun offers, there support is good too, but I think their sales & marketing side of things lets them down I think (their web site is appalling and they don't really seem to know how to drum up business with technology oriantated firms, e.g. ISP's, Telco's, the seem to be after other markets...). They are still worth looking at though...you will save 50% on the cost of hardware (compared to buying from Sun), and you'll get a much better midrange system than anything Sun currently offer.

NB: Sun Rise actually sell business (not consumer) products, but I thought this might be interesting to some people none the less.

Prices vary quite a bit for them (none charge as much as Sun though, most are less than half the cost). Second hand might be best if cost is a big consideration, a complete Dual CPU SPARC system can be had on ebay for ~700 USD.

As for Alpha systems, apart direct from HP/Compaq there are a few component sales in Google like these guys, but most of them are complete systems, badged as 'Workstations', an example is Microway who sell a reasonably affordable complete system (even ships with Red Hat or Windows 2000 (if you like that sort of thing ;)).

Alpha systems are more expensive than SPARC (and twice as much as PPC systems), and while I think the PPC systems are better value for money, if you did want to go 'all out' and get an Alpha system you can get one for around 1,300 USD (CPU + Motherboard).

This isn't exactly what I'd call `practical' computer math, but I would by all means try to expose people to it. I first heard of it when our Computer Science teacher (12th grade; language was Pascal, to give an idea when this was) read some of it to us, to try and illustrate the concept of recursion and recursive algorithms...

Reading this book, years ago, first gave me the inkling that mathematics and computer programming could be interesting and cool in and of themselves, and eventually this grew into the impetus to learn more.

Of course, when you tell people that you really became interested in Computer Science because you were interested in Godel's Theorem, they think you're pretty strange. But, from a learning standpoint, it's easier to learn if you have a genuine interest in something; and for me, it's these strange, paradoxical-seeming branches of math that don't necessarily seem to have any practical applications (like Godel's Theorem, or Cantor's countable and uncountable infinities, or Quine's Paradox) that made the rest of math come alive.

I'm sure this is a little off topic, because I'm speaking of make I like, not math I use. I just couldn't resist plugging the book that got me interested in math in the first place... A good review can be found here, Google will find a lot more. Oh, what the heck, I'll save you a few keystrokes: here.

When you get right down to it, Intel and AMD fans really do believe that the performance rating of the CPU is its clock rate.

Okay, tell me what processor is faster than the current high end AMD or Intel processors? Please feel free to link examples of single processor competitor systems that trounce the high end AMD or Intel options on widely respected benchmarks. The reality is that the el-cheapo $200 Althlon holds its own and surpasses the majority of lauded, super-duper "RISC" (I use that laughably as most users of the term seem to have pulled a PC Magazine out of their 1988 archives, and don't understand the current state of processors) processors, but fans of UltraSparc, Alpha, etc, presume superiority just because it's rare, sort of like how the anti-Pop are sure that their particular music favourites are superior because they're "alternative".

As far as clock cycles/instruction, all current processors have superscalar instruction pipelines and generally perform at least one instruction per clock cycle (20 or 30? Geesh, you looking at an 8088 timing book?).

Sun, HP, etc all, haven't sold processors that are higher performing than the high end consumer processors for years. They make up for this by, as mentioned, implementing extreme, and astoundingly costly, SMP.

(I cribbed the SPEC scores from here. It was the best site I could find with a good historical overview.)

I use http login and server side tracking. No cookies required but you do need to get the users to register first.

I was going to use unique URI's like :
http://www.genie.co.uk
It redirects you to a big url with a 20 digit number.

Maybe the real problem is in ipv4, NAT'd IPs mean individual machines can't be discrimanted.

So whatever protocols are introduced will only be a fad that's here to stay! (thanks Matt Groening)

Here in the UK, phone calls are never cheaper than text messages. we don't have to pay for text messages or WAP, because we've got companies like Genie Mobile that offer free and extremely reliable services. Most people use Nokia phones like this which have predictive text which means you only press one key for each letter you want. People can type on their phones without looking, and while doing other things, which also brings new problems such as people texting while driving.

Compaq has released the compilers on linux now, which is a good short-term help. In the long run, gcc still needs to get up to speed for the platform, of course. This is an issue on all RISC architectures - all those lovely registers don't do much good if the compiler doesn't know about them.

For a replacement board you might try DGC - it's the only discount outlet for Alpha hardware I know about at the moment. They don't seem to be advertising the boards, but they do make their own, give em a call, it can't hurt. This guy in england sells boards, prices look real high though. You might check usenet too...

Smaller and smaller, more memory, digital, SMS, GSM 1800 instead of 900, second line, faxdata capability, dual band, triple band, address books, games, dictionaries, radios, WAP, GPRS, etc., etc. there will always be found a reason to sell phones, just as people are still buying computers (although I know the analogy is slightly skewed).

As for looking trendy in front of potential employers, if you leave your phone on during an interview and it rings, or show it off to a potential employer in Europe you won't get the job. It is way beyond that. For an example of what I mean, try looking at how you can customise your phone at Iobox or Genie.

Here in the UK, we have WAP already, and despite the industry's best efforts to prove the contrary, it's damn boring. Ok, great, I can surf "webpages" for 5 pence a minute (~ 8 cents) in 96x96 pixel resolution. Now what.

Incidentally, if you have a cellphone which can send SMS messages, check out Excell which converts SMS to email for free (150 character limit, though). Also, I think Quios convert email to SMS for free, although I can't ever seem to get it working properly ;-) For UK users, email to SMS is free and (semi) reliable at Genie.

Lots more gory info at MobilServer, which seems to be written in Czech sometimes *frown*

Ok, enough advertising

--Remove SPAM from my address to mail me

Slightly offtopic, I know... but the current European killer app is the GSM Short Messaging Service. You can send about 160 chars (varies by network) to any digital phone (and we're all digital, here) for a few pennies. Furthermore, in the UK, you can get free email forwarding to SMS (http://www.genie.co.uk), so integration is well on its way. Tastic

--Remove SPAM from my address to mail me

I live in what is called a "conservation area" which forms part of a rural area of the UK called the Cotswolds. Think Agatha Christie murder mysteries or Jeeves and Wooster and you've about pictured my neighbourhood ( We Are Here). This means:

• Telephone bandwidth limited to 33.6kbps. No "Home Highway" (lo-cost ISDN), in fact no ISDN at all.
• I am not allowed to put a satellite dish on my house nor in my garden.
• The roof tiles must remain as clay thus preventing me from putting a dish in the loft (clay blocks signals).
• I'm not anywhere near a town with cable. In fact not anywhere near a town at all.
• Due to low population my area is "low priority" for digital terrestrial TV (digital multichannel TV through an arial).

Now what I want to know is why people in towns need high bandwidth. If you want to go shopping, chat with friends, or watch movies, you just go to the mall, the pub or the cinema, right? I can't do this without having to drive a heck of a long way first.

So I would be prepared to pay MORE for high bandwidth. It would save me money (travel).

Rural areas have the greatest need for bandwidth- and are prepared to pay more- yet where is the bandwidth the worst? Rural areas, of course. And then we get hit for petrol (gas) tax because we use our cars more! WTF???

Now what I really want is a 512kbps satellite downfeed which I could then redistribute along our row of cottages using a LAN (I already have a home LAN).

Thankfully I don't live in the USA so at least I have excellent digital mobile 'phone reception with free email to my handset. Nice.

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