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User: Anonymous+Freak

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  1. Re:Itanium *IS* x86 compatible. on AMD's 64-Bit Chip · · Score: 1

    I never said it was the first, I didn't even say it was the best. It's just that by Intel and AMD getting into the 64 bit market, I know they'll gain majority market share between them, within a couple years. Especially with Compaq and HP (oh, wait, there is no 'AND' anymore) going full force with the Itanium 2-based IA64. (HP was co-designer of the McKinley aka Itanium 2 processor.)

    Not to be mean to them, as I used to support a couple MIPS machines that were the best machines I ever supported, but MIPS is dead. Yes, they may still make procs, but Sun, IBM, and HP killed them, and Intel and AMD are just nails in the coffin. Sun will always be with us, and IBM's Power series will probably stay alive for awhile, but even IBM is going to use IA64 for at least some uses. Especially since PowerPC co-owner Motorola has basically given up on PPC for the high end.

  2. Itanium *IS* x86 compatible. on AMD's 64-Bit Chip · · Score: 2, Informative

    Just not the way you might think. An Intel Itanium-based computer running Linux64, Win64 (the codename for the 64-bit version of Windows 2000) or Windows XP 64-bit can run x86 (386, Pentium, Pentium Pro, etc) binaries unmodified. It will be significantly SLOWER than an equivalent x86 processor, because it does do it via hardware emulation, but it does do it.

    Where the Itanium (and, I'm assuming, the Opteron/64-bit Athlon) really matter is in in large database and high-end workstation solutions. Basically, anything that needs more than 4GB of RAM. In these uses, it's not actually the processor speed that is needed, it's the RAM. The Itanium is meant for servers, yes. That is all the Itanium was designed for.

    The cleverly named Itanium-2, however, is a horse of a different color. Not only is it faster (both MHz and IPC,) but it's cheaper, too! (You can get an Itanium-2 based system for about $3000.) The Itanium 2 at 900MHz is about twice as fast as the 'old' Itanium at 800MHz, performance-wise.

    The only thing AMD has going for them (literally) is x86 compatibility. If it can run x86 code reasonably fast (i.e., a 1GHz Opteron running Pentium code at least as fast as a Pentium 3 1GHz) then it will be likely to take over the Workstation market from the Itanium 2. Unfortunately, I don't think anything could cause the Opteron to win over Itanium 2 in the high end server market.

  3. base-10 feasable, but 13 months really needed. on Isn't it Time for Metric Time? · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Yes, you could divide days into funny measurements, and change weeks; but the most needed change is away from the 28/29/30/31-day months (yes, only one has 28, and only once every 4 years is there 29...) The year could be almost perfectly divided into 13 28-day months. (hence the origin of 'month', look it up.) Then you'd be left over with one 'extra' day. It would be perfect for new years. Heck, I also think that the seasons should be CENTERED on the equinoxes and solstices, shouldn't they? So that the very MIDDLE of Summer is the longest day of the year, instead of the very END? And, the year should begin either on the Winter Solstice, or halfway between then and the spring equinox, shouldn't it?

    But, enough of my rambling. I think a 13 28-day month calendar, with 4 perfect 7-day weeks a month, is better. Yes, then you could change the individual days to have metric times, such as 10 'hours', with 100 'minutes' per hour, and 100 seconds per minute. That comes out to 1.14 new seconds per old second. (so a 'new second' would be only slightly faster/shorter than an old second.)

    While we're at it, we need to re-number the years. One: Most of the world isn't Christian. Two: It has been determined that the current calendar is something like 6 years off. So, based on when Jesus was actually born, it should really be A.D. 2008. (I think. I know the 'real' figure has been determined, I just can't remember what it is.) We should re-number based on something definite, that we know factually exactly when it happened. There was one organization a few years back that was trying to get it re-numbered based on the moon landing (it also recommended a 13-month calendar, with 'new years' falling on what is currently July 20, being newly called 'Armstrong Day', and leap day would be 'Aldrin Day', to keep all 13 months always at 28 days.)

    Unfortunately, what havok would THAT cause to computers?!

  4. Re:Gandalf Spoiler on LotR Two Towers Trailer Online · · Score: 1

    Yes, my sister hasn't read the books, so I'm going to have to tell her to avoid the trailer now.

    Funny, she's never been in to fantasy, never had any desire to read the books; but when she saw the preview for FotR, she "...just had to go see it." Three times. In the theater. And she's only been to the theater 6 times in the past two years! Including those three trips!!

  5. Re:It's a portable desktop... on Flip-Pad Voyager: Dual-screen Laptop · · Score: 1

    Three? Why not pare it down to one or two? An iMac with blutooth would be perfect. All you plug in is the power cord, and the kb/mouse are wireless, the network is wireless, and the monitor is integrated. That's what I'm hoping Apple will go for next, removing the wires.

    For the more power-hungry user, you can do with only two cords. PowerMac with only power and ADC. You plug in the power cord, then you plug the monitor in. Again, kb/mouse/net is wireless.

    My PC (I'm one of those odd people who honestly doesn't prefer one platform over the other. I have an iMac running OS X 10.5 sitting next to my PC which dual boots WinXP Pro and SuSE 7.3) already uses Logitech wireless kb and mouse, and I have the reciever box taped inside one of the 5.25" drive bays, so you don't even see that box outside the box. (One of these days I'm going to get around to soldering the wires directly to the PS/2 connectors on the bottom of the motherboard so I don't have the wire going from the exterior ports back in.)

  6. Re:MiniDisc not worth it on Philips Blue Laser Itty Bitty Disc Drive · · Score: 1
    The MiniDisc is not so mini, and it requires lossy compression to store a full album.

    Hmmm, it uses a form of compression called ATRAC. It compresses at 4:1, so the 175MB MiniDisc can hold a full 80 minutes of music. ATRAC is less compression than mp3, with higher sound quality. (I am very picky about such things as my speakers and headphones, and I can't tell the difference between an original CD and a digitally transferred MD. I can certainly identify an mp3, though, even encoded at 320kbps.) Newer MD recorders/players even offer the option to record at higher compression, so you can fit more for slightly worse quality (haven't listened to it, so I can't comment on it.) Remember, lossy does not always equal crap. A jpeg at maximum quality is almost indistinguishable from an uncompressed file, yet is significantly smaller.

    I've never seen a non-Sony MD player. Is the technology licensed to any other companies?

    Well, since your first statement makes it obvious that you are biased against MD, you would have no reason to take notice, would you? While MD has been waning in the U.S. for a copule years, it is still VERY popular in Europe and Asia (where people understand that a 2.5" hard-shelled disc is vastly superior to a 12cm easily scratched medium.) In the U.S., MD seemed to have its heyday between 3 and 5 years ago. At that point, I remember seeing models (portable, mini-system, component, and car) from Sharp, Aiwa, Sony, JVC, Pioneer, Blaupunkt, and Kenwood. I currently, or have in the past, owned models from Sony, Sharp, JVC, and Pioneer. All purchased in the U.S. from major retailers, not specialty import electronics stores. Currently, Crutchfield has 20 models from 4 different manufacturers. And, according to the 'fan' site, MiniDisc.org, all major Japanese manufacturers currently make MD recorders/players for sale in Japan.

  7. Re:Isn't this old news? on Apple Acquires Silicon Grail · · Score: 1

    Probably. Quite often, it takes a month or two for some of the more obscure news to make it to slashdot. They just (at the time of this writing) had a story about the cartoon 'Tripping the Rift' being picked up by the Sci-Fi network. When you link to the page, it's dated sometime in April...

  8. hehe.. Slashdotted on 1394 Trade Association Adopts FireWire Brand · · Score: 3, Funny

    Okay, am I the only one who sees the irony in a 'lack of bandwidth' error on the home page for a trade association whose product is defined by its bandwidth?

  9. Re:Talk about something cool to make me want Xbox on E3 Controller Previews · · Score: 1

    Yup. But, for any good mech simmer, you need rudder pedals. If you've never played with them, shame on you. Go get a pair. Map them to 'torso twist'. Yeah, a twisting joystick handle works, but you have better control with pedals. (And, it's more intuitive.)

  10. With Matrox Parahelia on a PC, this would be... on E3 Controller Previews · · Score: 1

    Perfect.

    Look at that sucker. Add the new Matrox video card with three 22" LCDs, and you've got the perfect Mech sim box.

  11. Production and marketing budgets? on The Empire Stumbles · · Score: 1

    Okay, I can't find it right now, but various news sources reported that Spider-Man cost about twice as much to make as Attack of the Clones. PLUS, the studio spent a VERY large amount on marketing Spider-Man, with very little spent on Star Wars. I don't know about you, but I didn't see a single TV ad for Attack of the Clones, while I saw plenty for Spider-Man. And, as has been shown time and time again, marketing alone can cause large initial grosses, even for horrible movies. My estimate is that in a month, Star Wars will still be earning $50m a week, and Spider-Man will be down to $10m. In the long-haul, SW will crush Spider-Man. Spider-Man will be out of first-run theaters within two months, whereas Star Wars will be in first-run (admittedly, it will be in theater 10 of a 10-screen multiplex...) until it hits video.

    I had no desire to see Spider-Man, but lots of my friends did. None of them plans on going to see it again in the theaters. While I'm not a huge Star Wars fan, I did see it in the theater (about a week after release,) and will probably go see it again, as will most of the people I know. (Including my sister, who only goes to two movies a year in theaters; and my mom, whose last theater trip before Episode 2 was for Jurrasic Park 1. And she's only seen the original trilogy maybe 3 times, and didn't even like Episode 1!!!)

  12. WTF?? on Review: Dogtown and Z-Boys · · Score: 1
    ... Zephyr skating team, whose LA guerrilla style shook up the mainstream types...

    Who wrote this? The director? The marketing agency? What kind of 'hacking' phrase is ``LA guerrilla style''??? I don't normally rip on Jon Katz, but come on! He didn't even follow Slashdot's own review form!

  13. Re:I only have one things to tell you. on Building a Wireless Network for an Apartment Complex? · · Score: 1

    Well, I have to assume that (from his wording) he is not going to be doing it for free. He (or another hired tech person) will be paid, it's the apartment complex that will do it for free. Or, probably more technically accurate, the cost will be included in the rent.

  14. Re:Under what Authority? on Microsoft vs. Northwest Schools Part III · · Score: 1

    The license give Microsoft every authority do it. Read a Microsoft license agreement sometime. It gives the supreme power over your computers. If you have even ONE computer with even ONE Microsoft product on it, they can demand you prove that any Microsoft software on any of your computers is properly licensed. No, you can't just say "This is the only computer with MS software", you have to prove it. And if you're wrong, and have, say, an unlicensed copy of the Microsoft Mouse driver for MS-DOS, version 8.1 (from about 1992) installed on that OpenDOS system, that's a copyright violation, and they can get you fined a lot of money. Ah, the joy of copyright laws.

    If you refuse to audit yourself, they only need your said probable cause to come in and do it forcefully. Then they get to bill you for it. Probable cause is (as their obnoxious ads remind us) a single pissed off employee calling the BSA.

    Yes, you could have an all Sun shop, without a single Intel-based system in sight, and MS can still come in and (try to) audit you, and (again, try to) stick you with the bill.

    And, when Microsoft finds that piece of unlicensed software (come on, you know it has to be there.) you're in deep doo-doo. While the audit process is expensive, getting caught with even one piece of unlicensed software is even more expensive. Microsoft's 'Education' license is just protection money. "Come on, you pay us this set amount a year, and we don't care what software you've got on it.. ... ...What's that? It's too expensive you say? Okay, I got my buddies here, Bubba, Sammy, and Arturo. You can have a talk with them out back...."

    Personally, I think the BSA ads are a great ad AGAINST Microsoft. "If you have pirated MS software, we're going to get you." So... Just ditch Microsoft! I did just that because of their ads. (I really will miss Microsoft Flight Sim, though...)

  15. Re:There may be already one application.... on New 100GB Optical Disk From Taiwan · · Score: 1

    By "2-pound", I assume you mean the money, British Pound, not the weight measurement, Imperial pound. Last time I checked, a CD weighed nowhere near two pounds. (Although, I would think that the discs would cost a little more than £2 a piece, at least in the beginning.

  16. Re:I'm puzzled... on Apple Introduces Xserve Rackmount Servers · · Score: 1

    Well, AGP 2x is the same speed as PCI 64-bit, 66MHz, so it doesn't really matter as far as raw speed is concerned. (No video cards have yet shown a speed improvement in 4x mode vs. 2x mode.) It's the direct access to the memory that would be more important. (Come on, I know I want one on my desk too, but how many customers of this will be using it for gaming enough for it to matter.)

    PCI 32/33 = 133MB/s
    PCI 64/66 = 533MB/s
    AGP 2x = 32/66/DDR = 533MB/s
    AGP 4x = 32/66/QDR = 1066MB/s

  17. Re:Spam? (Was: Re:Why?) on RoadRunner Co-Opting "Organization" Headers · · Score: 1

    Hey, I didn't say my theory was right, I just said it was a theory... :-)

    Yes, that's what X-Complains is for, and RR does, in fact, use that field. I don't honestly know why they're pushing the organization through..

  18. Re:Spam? (Was: Re:Why?) on RoadRunner Co-Opting "Organization" Headers · · Score: 1
    I wonder if some sort of copyright notice could be appended to ones posts allowing their reproduction, but explicitly prohibiting the alteration of headers.

    prohibiting alteration from when? By merely sending it, the headers are altered by each and every server that recieves the message. If you post via, say, Earthlink, you'll see different headers reading it via Earthlink than you will reading it via AT&T, which will be different than reading it via RR...

  19. Spam? (Was: Re:Why?) on RoadRunner Co-Opting "Organization" Headers · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The biggest reason I can see is to help cut down on spam. If people try spamming through RR, the recipient will KNOW it came from a RR server, and know where to complain. (Not sure how that HELPS RR, but it's a theory.)

  20. Re:Alright Already... on The Lone Gunmen Are Dead · · Score: 1

    Well, hey. I had it TiVo'd, I was going to watch it when I got home from work tonight. Now it's ruined. It's that simple. The Lone Gunmen are lots of geek's favorite characters on the show, so just out-and-out saying it is, well, SPOILING, it. It doesn't even matter if that is the main plot point of the show, just knowing it happens is bad. (It was like buying the Star Wars Episode I soundtrack, looking on the back, and reading the title of the tracks 'Qui-Gon's Noble End' and 'Qui Gon's Funeral' before seeing the movie. Just kind of ruined it.)

  21. Re:My experienses with windows nerds on Teaching Linux/Unix Basics to Microsoft Junkies? · · Score: 1
    Dont even bother showing vi. Somehow it doesnt work for windows people.Use kwrite instead.

    Hey! I'm a Windows people, and I love vi! (Then again, back in the MS-DOS days, I liked edlin more than edit...)


    While I am a Windows geek (yeah, I have those paper-placemats that Microsoft calls certifications,) I have tinkered with various *nices to know my way around the CLI. Haven't played with X enough to use it, and I always forget where all the configuration files and useful commands are.

  22. Re:It was a Samsung Ad that was pulled on 11 Things About Spider-Man · · Score: 1

    In fact, what's really silly about 'The Hunted' is that there are ads for a local TV station's news that are on all of the trains (they used Portland's real Light Rail trains for long camera shots in the movie, but for closeups had a mockup built on a different bridge than the one the trains actually cross.) Because of those ads, the movie uses the real reporters from that station for its fake news segments, so they didn't have to digitally edit out all those ads from the real-train footage.

  23. WiFi faster than DVD... on Wireless Monitors? · · Score: 1

    I already watch DVD wirelessly... Well, sort of. I rip the movie to my server, then watch it on my Powerbook. DVD is approx 9Mbps, WiFi (Airport, IEEE802.11b, whatever) is 11Mbps. No need for compression and local storage, just transfer the raw data.

    And if you get 802.11a or g, it's even faster.

  24. Dang, and it's not even April 1 anymore! on OS X for Intel · · Score: 2

    Shoot. I saw this story directly on MacObserver on 1 April, and immediatly dismissed it as an April Fools prank. Now, a few days later, I go to /.Apple for the first time in a week, and almost fall for it. (My initial impression was 'woah, maybe MacObserver was right, and it wasn't a prank!' Until I read that it was from MO, and noticed the posting date.) Had me fooled for a good 5-10 seconds...

  25. Re:Works for me... on Sony Intentionally Crashes Customers' Computers · · Score: 2, Informative

    Did you buy the european version of the CD? As stated in the story, only SOME european versions of it are this way. The American verison isn't crippled. (Yet.)