Slashdot Mirror
Slashback: Crusher, Satellites, Silence
That fetid odor continues to rise. cconnell writes "In September, Slashdot and Developer.com were kind enough to publish an article I wrote titled Most Software Stinks!. The article generated 748 comments on slashdot, making it one of the most active stories in recent months. Here is a follow up piece I wrote which responds to some of the comments."
Silence, fool! The Panther! writes "Here's an article I wrote that shows step by step how to achieve some measure of silence in my home office. It's different from most in that it approaches damping existing hardware rather than buying new. Some ideas were suggestions of Slashdot readers from a previous article. Lots of photos for the reading-impaired." Hemos may have been going for a rather normal-looking but quiet PC, but The Panther sure isn't.
Step 39: With your dremel strapped to the hamster, gently nudge the billiard ball ... Now that the famous pencil trick isn't an option for would-be AMD overclockers, more complicated means have been found to unlock and reclock. Carlos writes: "I saw that you have a scoopage on the unlocking of the Athlon XP by Tom's Hardware and there is a better and more reversible way by VR-Zone."
200 years is a long time even for a Congressman. Michael H. writes "Woohoo! Congress has given a $30 million shot in the arm to the Pluto-Kuiper Belt mission, previously feared canceled. CNN story here. There's still no guarantee that it won't be canceled later, but at least Congress is listening to the fact that it would take ~200 years for the next window if we missed this one."
Hey, that guy's too old to be a kernel maintainer -- we'll make him an actor. bahamat wrote yesterday: "I'm hanging out in Wil Wheaton's chat room (#rfb on undernet) and he's just announced that he's going to be making a cameo as Wesley Crusher in the new Star Trek X." Apparently, the news hit quite a few readers, too -- and for those who haven't, check out our interview with Wil. Maybe he'll get to be on The Tick, too.
Now that the famous pencil trick isn't an option for would-be AMD overclockers
What exactly is this famous pencil trick?
(don't bother modding up for a stupid question, just bear with my ignorance and maybe someone can clue me in?)
Hmm... you obviously don't know much about Civil Engineering...
Oh well, as a software engineering student (yes, Software Engineering, not Computer Science. When I graduate I will have an Engineering degree), I know lots of Civil, Mech, Comp, etc engineers. Software Engineering is very similar to those other engineering disciplines, software is just easier. You still have to design and build something using lots of math and different techniques. But with software engineering you don't (usually) have to worry about climate, weather, the safety of the people who will use your product, the safety of the people who will build your product, unintended uses of your product, etc, etc, etc (as well as all the things software people have to account for, like traffic, use of the product long after its intended lifetime, and hurricanes. I hate having to make software withstand hurricanes).
It's well worth it. I think the current interest in quiet PCs is encouraging. Computers are plenty fast for most of us, so the next big push is going to be making them easier to live with. FireWire/USB, screwless cases, and "quiet" PCs are going to be increasingly popular in the future. I think that Apple's quiet and handy little Cube was a hint of things to come. Too bad they overcharged...
Interestingly enough, the automobile industry followed a lot of the same trends. Horsepower and size were initially everything. There were always the economy models, but the real push was for bigger and faster cars. Now that even a Honda Civic has enough horsepower to get the job done, people are buying for different reasons. Style, comfort, and ease of use are BIG selling points for cars now, while horsepower is just another "nice feature" and the power enthusiast is relegated to a niche market.
You can already see the trend at work. The Athlon is a kick-ass processor, but needing a monster heatsink and fans doesn't make them easy to live with. Ditto for the P4. The Crusoe is making inroads right now just for its' low heat output and the fact that it's "good enough". The main selling point for Seagate's Barracuda ATA IV is its' silence, despite the swarm of larger or faster drives (I bought one). Bulky/noisy/hot overclocker machines will always be there, but I'd look for mainstream PCs to get a LOT more friendly in the next couple years.
This
I coulda sworn his real name was Wil Wheaton, and cameos were appearances as yourself.