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Open Source Moving in on the Data Storage World
pararox writes "The data storage and backup world is one of stagnant technologies and cronyism. A neat little open source project, called Cleversafe, is trying to dispell of that notion. Using the information dispersal algorithm originally conceived of by Michael Rabin (of RSA fame), the software splits every file you backup into small slices, any majority of which can be used to perfectly recreate all the original data. The software is also very scalable, allowing you to run your own backup grid on a single desktop or across thousands of machines."
If I understand it correctly, then this is really slick.
s/really slick/complete overkill/
OK, this is fascinating and I have an appreciation for theoretical stuff. How does this help me build a bridge (one that carries real life cars, people, trains, etc.) in the real world?
"Ah-ha!" you might say. "This helps to design better chips so that the CAD programs you use to build such things are much better."
Pfft. For large-scale engineering projects, CAD has actually become somewhat of a hindrance, what with competing, expensive programs that are incompatible with each other. It fragments design talent into "which bidders use our software"-type situations. You can design a building to one-tenth of a millimetre, but big projects can only be practically built to much larger tolerances.
Assembly-line robots are a different story, but people rarely live in, drive on or swim in machine-made facilities.
Thank God for the internet and computers. Without them there'd be much more unemployment.