I have not read the article, but this seems to lead to an interesting problem:
What is preferrable: Open sourced software which everybody (including 'bad corporations') can use or closed source in order to prevent those bad corporations from taking away some freedom?
We were doing a term paper here at the ETH. This involved designing our own chip. The problem I see with Open Source chips (at least ASICs): the software is too expensive! (because there is no Open Source software for those problems (silicon compiling, place & route, clock distribution, ERCs, etc.)) We were using about 4 different software tools which were provided from the coresponding companies for free (free as in beer) to use in student projects. As far as I understand the working of these programs they are really complex. A lot of routing, placing, etc (NP problems).
In hardware design you can't use 'hacking' in the regular sense: you have to do testing (simulation) too and this is where another problem arises: that software uses a lot of experience (both human and in electronics, like test runs, which are even more expensive). Only then, if you are completely sure that your design (in VHDL, Verilog, etc.) is correct, it goes out for production. If the chip doesn't work, you loose a lot of money and time (about 3-4 months). I doubt that anybody would invest that much money (about 250000$ for one ASIC) and then release the result to the Community!
As for Open Source: a year ago I searched the web and found next to nothing (please correct me if I am wrong). As I said above, those software tools have to be very clean and bugfree (betas are next to useless!). So you'd have to use non-free software (which is very non-free, like very expensive) to create a free design. I doubt that the Open Source gurus would welcome that:).
Oh yes, if you are talking about a CPU: in those projects are about 300 people and to be honest: I don't think that the bazar aproach works here, because: some parts are done in hand layout, testing is very important (and who wants to be testing? I am not talking about compiling, trying some new window manager, etc. I mean testing of waveforms, interpretation of those results, etc. that testing is just a pain in the...).
I don't know too much about programmable chips, but I assume that the situation will be much better here...
Oh, one more thing: I hope you don't think I tried to flame the Open Source Community or something like that --- I tried to state my experience...
Here in Switzerland there is a tax on CDRs specifically for music. This means: you go to a hardware shop and can buy a CDR specifically for music (the best thing is they claim that the music quality will be better, as if the bits would care...) or regular CDRs. The only difference is that the music CDR is about 5 times as expensive and someone other than the manufacturer gets a very large share of the price.
Needless to say that you hardly find a lot of those CDRs.
To me (not having a dictionary ready) lingua franca does not mean the language most spoken, but the language most understood.
This has a huge impact on the discussion. First of all, most europeans of a younger age (
Second it means that a simple language should be found of all the available ones. And having studied my share of languages (only european: german, french, italian, english and hungarian; german as mothertongue) a learners of english are rather quickly able to express themselves.
Now, only as third comes the assumption, that a language should be widely spread.
With those three assumptions/statements/opinions you can say that english is rather a good choice, since because of 3 it is rather wide spread and because of 2 it is easy.
As for mandarin, the additional problem arises: should everybody learn 15'000 pictograms just to be able to read a basic text? Changing everything into vocals is not really a solution, because then, everybody would have to learn a foreign language (some speaking and some reading (since in my understanding the chinese don't read vocal)).
Well, maybe the Red Cross does real good, but how about education? While for some reason Micro$oft charges schools for its products. Free has a different meaning for schools.
Let's face it: old (elder) people control money and what do they do with it? (semi-rethoric question).
I know don't a country that invests enough money into its school system and in computers too (at least not all schools, let's assume that education should be provided for free by the state (any state) and that computer education is an important part of this). So for these kids free does not only mean gratuit, but it also means their future.
I spent a year in the us as an exchange student. The thing about politics I was most surprised at is, that (at least where I was) you have to register in order to vote.
Now, I don't claim that our system is any better, but in Switzerland everybody is registered anyways (as in the us too (say health care number)) you get your documents for voting sent to you by mail!
Ok, you could say this is expensive, but who said that a democracy is cheap?
Anyways, our participation isn't this great either, but I for one would never vote if I had to go to city hall to register (or get one of those thingies and send 'em in).
Also, you can vote by mail. If you have privacy issues: don't do it. I for that matter don't care who knows how I voted and I send those things in, so I don't have to go to the boots myself.
my 2 Rappen
you don't win a dollar if you cheat, since you wasted your time -- and your time is wasted if you don't know the conclusion. besides: the dilema here is a bit more complex: if king says that he won't releice the rest of the novel, a lot more people may pay. and if he says that he will never reliece it, people may download it without paying.
Are we talking about computer scientists or programmers?
i study cs and only about 20% is programming. almost all cs finally comes to programming, but design, testing etc. is even more important. about 5% of us are women. they do not seem to have real problems (at least they do not differ from men's).
i believe that the issue is mostly social, there is no question that women are better pilots, however, how many times have you flown a plane with a female captain? most people just don't trust a woman to fly a plane and wouldn't board one.
there is some effort to bring women to our university, but those are very close to sexism: week long classes are given to highschool students (girls) but not to boys. maybe the outcome does justify the means.
there was a department for women's issues which was lead by female students. however, it had to be closed a year ago, because there weren't enough volunteers.
And don't forget his Permutation City novel. The copies move to this virtual city... Great book, altough it has some problems focusing on one idea -- he tried to pack too much into one book.
Slashdot Mirror
I have not read the article, but this seems to lead to an interesting problem:
What is preferrable: Open sourced software which everybody (including 'bad corporations') can use or closed source in order to prevent those bad corporations from taking away some freedom?
We were doing a term paper here at the ETH. This involved designing our own chip. The problem I see with Open Source chips (at least ASICs): the software is too expensive! (because there is no Open Source software for those problems (silicon compiling, place & route, clock distribution, ERCs, etc.)) We were using about 4 different software tools which were provided from the coresponding companies for free (free as in beer) to use in student projects. As far as I understand the working of these programs they are really complex. A lot of routing, placing, etc (NP problems).
:).
...).
In hardware design you can't use 'hacking' in the regular sense: you have to do testing (simulation) too and this is where another problem arises: that software uses a lot of experience (both human and in electronics, like test runs, which are even more expensive). Only then, if you are completely sure that your design (in VHDL, Verilog, etc.) is correct, it goes out for production. If the chip doesn't work, you loose a lot of money and time (about 3-4 months). I doubt that anybody would invest that much money (about 250000$ for one ASIC) and then release the result to the Community!
As for Open Source: a year ago I searched the web and found next to nothing (please correct me if I am wrong). As I said above, those software tools have to be very clean and bugfree (betas are next to useless!). So you'd have to use non-free software (which is very non-free, like very expensive) to create a free design. I doubt that the Open Source gurus would welcome that
Oh yes, if you are talking about a CPU: in those projects are about 300 people and to be honest: I don't think that the bazar aproach works here, because: some parts are done in hand layout, testing is very important (and who wants to be testing? I am not talking about compiling, trying some new window manager, etc. I mean testing of waveforms, interpretation of those results, etc. that testing is just a pain in the
I don't know too much about programmable chips, but I assume that the situation will be much better here...
Oh, one more thing: I hope you don't think I tried to flame the Open Source Community or something like that --- I tried to state my experience...
Here in Switzerland there is a tax on CDRs specifically for music. This means: you go to a hardware shop and can buy a CDR specifically for music (the best thing is they claim that the music quality will be better, as if the bits would care...) or regular CDRs. The only difference is that the music CDR is about 5 times as expensive and someone other than the manufacturer gets a very large share of the price.
Needless to say that you hardly find a lot of those CDRs.
To me (not having a dictionary ready) lingua franca does not mean the language most spoken, but the language most understood.
This has a huge impact on the discussion. First of all, most europeans of a younger age ( Second it means that a simple language should be found of all the available ones. And having studied my share of languages (only european: german, french, italian, english and hungarian; german as mothertongue) a learners of english are rather quickly able to express themselves.
Now, only as third comes the assumption, that a language should be widely spread.
With those three assumptions/statements/opinions you can say that english is rather a good choice, since because of 3 it is rather wide spread and because of 2 it is easy.
As for mandarin, the additional problem arises: should everybody learn 15'000 pictograms just to be able to read a basic text? Changing everything into vocals is not really a solution, because then, everybody would have to learn a foreign language (some speaking and some reading (since in my understanding the chinese don't read vocal)).
Well, maybe the Red Cross does real good, but how about education? While for some reason Micro$oft charges schools for its products. Free has a different meaning for schools.
Let's face it: old (elder) people control money and what do they do with it? (semi-rethoric question).
I know don't a country that invests enough money into its school system and in computers too (at least not all schools, let's assume that education should be provided for free by the state (any state) and that computer education is an important part of this). So for these kids free does not only mean gratuit, but it also means their future.
I spent a year in the us as an exchange student. The thing about politics I was most surprised at is, that (at least where I was) you have to register in order to vote.
Now, I don't claim that our system is any better, but in Switzerland everybody is registered anyways (as in the us too (say health care number)) you get your documents for voting sent to you by mail!
Ok, you could say this is expensive, but who said that a democracy is cheap?
Anyways, our participation isn't this great either, but I for one would never vote if I had to go to city hall to register (or get one of those thingies and send 'em in).
Also, you can vote by mail. If you have privacy issues: don't do it. I for that matter don't care who knows how I voted and I send those things in, so I don't have to go to the boots myself.
my 2 Rappen
you don't win a dollar if you cheat, since you wasted your time -- and your time is wasted if you don't know the conclusion.
besides: the dilema here is a bit more complex: if king says that he won't releice the rest of the novel, a lot more people may pay. and if he says that he will never reliece it, people may download it without paying.
Knuth[123]>Bible
Are we talking about computer scientists or programmers?
i study cs and only about 20% is programming. almost all cs finally comes to programming, but design, testing etc. is even more important. about 5% of us are women. they do not seem to have real problems (at least they do not differ from men's).
i believe that the issue is mostly social, there is no question that women are better pilots, however, how many times have you flown a plane with a female captain? most people just don't trust a woman to fly a plane and wouldn't board one.
there is some effort to bring women to our university, but those are very close to sexism: week long classes are given to highschool students (girls) but not to boys. maybe the outcome does justify the means.
there was a department for women's issues which was lead by female students. however, it had to be closed a year ago, because there weren't enough volunteers.
The interesting similarity is that the Chinese in 2010 did this to everyones surprise...
And don't forget his Permutation City novel. The copies move to this virtual city... Great book, altough it has some problems focusing on one idea -- he tried to pack too much into one book.