I don't think they're talking about this being used directly as a combat platform, but more as being a reconaissance platform. At ten grand, this would be inexpensive enough to send a fleet of them out to keep tabs of any fleeing enemies in a firefight. Of course, your suggestion of a self-destructing vehicle would be useful as well - once you get to the area of troops you want to perform damage, just blow the chopper up and let the parts act as shrapnel.
Re:Humm... aren't they a bit late?
on
Intel's Big Chip
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· Score: 2, Insightful
You're missing the market. These chips, at least until they get them up to X86 speeds, aren't going to be used very much in the workstation market. These chips are going to be used in such places as database servers, where the current hack of 36 bit addressing used in Intel's current high end chips, the Xenons, is starting to fall apart. 64 bits doesn't mean much performance wise - in some applications, it's slower than 32 bits, but it means a world of difference when talking about storage. Instead of having hacks to get around the 4 gig barrier, one could, in theory at least, keep an entire database in memory.
I wonder if knowing how to disconnect the display would be equally handy for someone not running linux.
But then,what am I saying? Linux guys are all about disconnecting stuff. And besides who in their right mind would want to run Linux on a LCD display like the one on that iMac?
RTA. This is about removing the monitor from a broken iMac with a bad CRT so it can still be used as a server without having to send it in for service. As this was an older iMac which was not being used as a workstation, the monitor was, if anything, merely a waste of electricity to begin with. If this was simply about removing a monitor for the sake of removing the monitor, I'd be with you in saying so what.
Also, I take offense with you saying that Linux guys are all about disconnecting stuff. Linux guys are about making things work the way they want them to. Sometimes that means taking something apart so you can put it back together so it works better and/or faster, sometimes it means creating modifications which may not be as aesthetically pleasing to the iMac's original market. Y'know, choice is always a good thing, it makes things better.
It gets better, it's a shady corporation with a disconnected Manhattan phone number, whose servers are located mostly in the midwest.
The investigation I did on this company after reading about it on two other weblogs is enlightening. Whoever these guys are, they don't want to be found.
I was reading the article when this sentance jumped out at me:
It would also be nice to be able to promote a page to a Story, but that's probably further down the road.
Why not use a wiki to handle the submission queue? Let users create articles in the wiki, and have the slashdot editors and other users suggest changes for making an article better before posting it on the main site. That way, marginal articles will be improved, the chance of factual errors is diminished, and story quality is increased. Once the story's good enough, just migrate it to the front page. Story rejection can be handled in a similar way as it currently is, witht the possible addition of having a story expire if there are no additions/changes after a given time frame.
If AOL wants a Linux distro why don't they just make their own?
Probably because Redhat has a huge talent base. If you're going to enter a new market, wouldn't you want some talent, like Alan Cox, working for you? Yes, there are scores of distros out there, but only a few with people high up in the Linux chain of power. Besides, Redhat is The Name in Linux; they'd be able to better negotiate with third parties if they had Redhat in their posession.
After all, AOL has been all about limiting the broader potential of the Internet and charging more money for less real net access and in exchange offering lots of useless cluttery crap. It's a ridiculous premise, but they pulled it off so far. Why would they suddenly get cozy with a distro that makes their core business irrelevant?
I'd say that it's more giving the average person what they want. Face it, having a different program for every internet function is great for techies, but it's too complicated for the average person. Besides, I'd say having an OS they can control in its entirety is a plus for AOL - they can control exactly where it's going, and how to program for it, instead of having to twostep with the other 800 pound gorilla.
Also, for the average person, the internet is moving away from being a computer thing, and more towards being part of the home entertainment system, integrated into the TV and/or cable box. AOL is no dummy, they know that Microsoft is going to go in that market with both guns blazing trying to push a Windows/MSN service on these boxes, and shove AOL right out of the market. Trust me, AOL's going to need an OS if they're going to stay alive in the changing market.
I don't know though, like most/.ers, I never understood how in the world AOL ever became so widespread and probably never will.
Just like Microsoft, they weren't the best solution, they just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Yeah. they're not the best, but they're good enough for most people. Remember the 85% rule here. As long as it's good enough for 85% of a market, you're pretty much set. The other 15% is marginalized enough that it would be a waste of resources to attempt to take it over. AOL's ust not concerned about the technically inclined segment of the market.
You bring up a pretty interesting point here with bringing it to a car analogy. Right now, compiling a kernel requires a working knowledge somewhere around changing a car's brake pads - most people with a weekend and a Haynes guide could figure it out, but most people would rather take it to a shop (read local guru). Now with changing the brake pads, there's a definite need to do it right; you don't you could very well end up dead if something goes wrong, so it's probably best to take it to a shop. A bad kernel can mean losing data and/or a non-booting system. Now there's little that can be done about changing the necessarily complex braking system, but with compiling a kernel, the developers should be aiming to place it somewhere between washing a car and changing the oil - done right, it's more of a minor hassle than a mental challenge.
I like playing around with Linux like you do, and it's sometimes tricky for me to build a working kernel that supports my configuration. Of course, I may be the special case as I've got a shitload of hardware in my system, some of which conflicts with other hardware unless everything's set just right. The more I look at how the kernel autoconfigurator works, the more it looks like it'll get it close to the changing the oil level, where I can let it set it so it's close to optimal, and do the few tweaks here and there to fit my personal preferences. Hackers should be looking forward to this software, it'll mean less miscompiles even for the most experienced kernel configurer.
Soon as I'm able to, I'll throw up a few pics of the case on my website. It's actually a Sun IPC with a fairly tame mod, just a nice thick coat of bronze spray paint. The few people who have seen it seem to think its pretty cool. I'd probably do more, but the case is not designed for case modding; everything's to packed together. Maybe I'll mod that SS 1+ when I get home, paint it black, put a window in it.
I've seen a few sites here and there about overclocking non-x86 architechtures. To overclock one of the other architechtures is much more difficult, usually involving desoldering the clock chip. Also, most of the overclocking involves CPUs of a few generations prior; you don't overclock that brand new, $10,000 ultrasparc-III, unless you are clinically insane.
One of the few sites I've found where the guy has been insane enough to try overclocking a non PC is obsolyte.org.
Even then, he overclocked a fairly old sun from back when they used 68k processors.
Although as a semi-related topic, you also don't see people talking about case mods on their non-PC systems. Am I the only one out there crazy enough to mod a case for a sun? Please tell me someone else has done it.
I'd vote that the first combat appplication would be one of the centaur flatbed models Hemos feels is less cool. A model like that would have the holding capacity for an internal combustion engine and fuel supply, and the capability of bringing in some fairly large weponry. Use one of them to bring in all of the reserve ammuntion, etc a squadron would need, and lessen the need for an emergency airdrop when things get too thick. Or use one of them as a walking ambulance if there is a battlefield injury.
But the straight biosuit is too limited for anything other than a short engagement. About the only true combat utility I would see is if they were to be used in a small, confined area like a cave or a building. Out in the open, there are just too many variables.
Think about it, running with a bullet in you leg?
Sounds kinda painfull..
Not nearly as painful as bleeding to death on the battlefield. Plus, I'm sure they could probably put a syringe of morphine somewhere in the exoskeletal suit if the pain gets too bad. Trust me, the military has got some good meds.
Better bandwidth than 802.11a? Bullshit. Both 802.11a, and 802.11g offer 54mbit/sec. Plus, 802.11g runs on the 2.4 gigahertz band, which means things like cordless phones, and even microwave ovens will kill your bandwidth, which is a limitation 802.11a doesn't have. So I guess, you could say that apple is going with a lower quality solution for compatibility's sake. Isn't that what apple lovers claim PCs do?
Still, you have neglected to answer my question about the availability of high end video cards on lower priced macs. When are you going to be able to upgrade your iMac to a GF3?
So I was wrong about the video cards, I'll admit it. Of course, you've got to spend a couple thousand dollars for the "privlidge" of a halfway decent video card. I can get a PC with such a card for a thousand dollars or so.
Of course, you haven't answered me about the wireless solutions. When is Apple going to offer wireless with decent speed, ie 802.11a?
Well, of course, the Wireless solutions in this show are the 802.11a adapters, instead of the slower 802.11b adapters found in the mac. Of course, you've also neglected to realize that Macs live in the niche markets. PCs usually don't get items such as DVD burning until they're reasonably priced - few people were going to buy a DVD burner when blank DVDs were $30 a piece.
Though I must ask you, when's apple going to start putting some real video cards, like the GF3 or the Radeon 8500 in their boxes (or spheres or whatever shape they want to make them this year)?
Most Word users, I expect, want to write letters to their mothers, not recompile the application.
So you think that most Linux users say "oh what the hell, I'm gonna recompile my entire system after I've gotten everything stable?" Well, think again, buddy. About the only time I compile stuff is when I get a new version that doesn't have binaries pre-made. After I've gotten everything installed and stable, I just use it. Linux is about choice - you can recompile if you want to, but there's no one pointing a gun to your head saying you have to.
You know, your post was so right on it's damn near depressing. The day is going to come where you're going to have to click through a eula in order to view a web page. Don't like the eula, you're going to have to go home. All it's going to take is a handful of javascript and you're going to see some of the nastiest legalese anywhere.
Goddamn lawyers, why do they have to ruin everything?
Most stores are usually very lenient on this policy wrt gifts, especially around Christmas time. My mother received a scanner a couple years ago as a Christmas present, and the light bulb in the scanning mechanism had burned out. After Umax gave her a cock and bull story about it being that the USB ports on her computer gave the scanner to much current and that blew the bulb out, and they weren't going to cover it under the warranty. After trying to do it the "easy" way, she took it back to the store. Even though it was after 30 days, they took it back without a problem. So yeah, with a legitimate store, after 30 days is usually no problem.
You know what, I don't think that restricting supercomputer sales would have much of an affect on someone who truly wants to blow something up. The threat most people are giving is that $ROGUE_STATE is going to buy themselves one of them new-fangled supercomputer doohickies, and they're suddenly going to be a nuclear superpower. Guess what, folks? I am not a nuclear engineer, but I could probably create plans for a nuclear delivery system in a month or so, much shorter than that if you've got a few expendable bodies to control the delivery system using far less computing power than in the desktop you're using right now.
Honestly, the hardest part of creating a viable nuclear threat is refining the fuel, and we (the US), have been doing that for decades now. Sending the payload is actually fairly simple.
Now you may just be trolling here, but your story pegged my bullshit meter. This story is an important story, and probably should have been posted at an hour where more US readers would have seen it.
...hundreds of thousands or millions of people in 3rd world countries have nutrition they wouldn't otherwise have, thanks to genetically engineered foods
This may technically be true, but it could also be said that many of the large companies which create genetically modified foods are also causing much starvation by not allowing developing countries to become prosperous. By creating self-destructing vegetables, farmers are lured into being forced to pay for seed year after year after year. Instead of being able to save a small amount of seed for the next year's crop and becoming self sufficient, Monsanto is forcing farmers in these poor countries to come back to them year after year and beg for more seed.
whether or not this story belongs on/. is subject to the decision of the majority
Nope, it belongs to the people who own the site. They have entrusted Michael with editorial powers and the ability to post stories. If you do not like this fact, then I suggest you should probably take it up with the owners, instead of the readership at large.
Michael's personal political agenda surfaces (yet again), in order for him to stroke his own ego, by starting another round of trolling and flamebating on another story that have very little connection to computers, computing or computing technology
But that's not the exclusive focus on this site, now is it? If you remember, this site is "News for Nerds, Stuff That Matters," not "All Tech News, All the Time." I don't know about you, but stories about the continued health of the planet that I live on is definitely newsworthy. If you don't like the fact that this story shines a light on a subject certain parties want to keep secret, then tough. Sometimes the most important stories aren't all that pretty.
A strong person is willing to have their values checked. I for one try to make it a point of looking at things from the other side. Do you have that same courage and strength?
Kernel development is a funny beast. Sometimes, things just work, and kernels only have to be released when there's a significant amount of hardware. Other times, things don't work and you have to put out a lot of fixes - the early days of the 2.4 VM system sucked; it only started to really rock about 2.4.10 or so. What you didn't take into account with your guestimates is that kernel 2.2.x also had some growing pains in the early stages; it just took a bit longer for 2.4.x to get stable. Just take into consideration the 2.0.x series, they're getting close to a.40 for that line. Trust me, 2.0.x is still being used; there are some vendors who supplied binary-only patches for the 2.0.x series which don't work with the newer lines.
And, yeah, if you live in a cave, WinNT ACLs are a far more advanced permissions system than *nix ever dreamed.
Bzzzt. Wrong. But thanks for playing anyways. You did know that ACLs were innoveted quite a while back on non-NT systems, such as Unix, right? Yeah, stock Linux currently doesn't have ACLs, but most other unices have had ACL support for several years now.
So I take it that this poster's comment was fairly off-base? Or is that one of those things that you can neither confirm nor deny, nudge nudge, wink wink?
I'd love to see you in another sci-fi series, especially if you get to play some kind of villanous character. Get you a mohawk, maybe some odd facial tattoo, you'd be perfect.
There's the cash to employ the team of engineers to monitor it, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. You've got to worry about the costs of securing antenna time (not cheap), the costs of computing time (also not cheap), and the costs of maintaining the facilities that could be used for other purposes; space ain't cheap, and any funding they secure for this project has to come at the detriment of another, possibly more interesting , project. This unit was designed to be more of a testbed than anything else, so its already fulfilled its mission objectives. The first comet flyby was done simply because NASA thought it would be interesting to try, it's not designed to handle several missions like this, as the satelite floats out there, the greater the chance that something will catastrophically fail. NASA simply decided that it was time to give this bird a kind send-off.
Slashdot Mirror
I don't think they're talking about this being used directly as a combat platform, but more as being a reconaissance platform. At ten grand, this would be inexpensive enough to send a fleet of them out to keep tabs of any fleeing enemies in a firefight. Of course, your suggestion of a self-destructing vehicle would be useful as well - once you get to the area of troops you want to perform damage, just blow the chopper up and let the parts act as shrapnel.
You're missing the market. These chips, at least until they get them up to X86 speeds, aren't going to be used very much in the workstation market. These chips are going to be used in such places as database servers, where the current hack of 36 bit addressing used in Intel's current high end chips, the Xenons, is starting to fall apart. 64 bits doesn't mean much performance wise - in some applications, it's slower than 32 bits, but it means a world of difference when talking about storage. Instead of having hacks to get around the 4 gig barrier, one could, in theory at least, keep an entire database in memory.
RTA. This is about removing the monitor from a broken iMac with a bad CRT so it can still be used as a server without having to send it in for service. As this was an older iMac which was not being used as a workstation, the monitor was, if anything, merely a waste of electricity to begin with. If this was simply about removing a monitor for the sake of removing the monitor, I'd be with you in saying so what.
Also, I take offense with you saying that Linux guys are all about disconnecting stuff. Linux guys are about making things work the way they want them to. Sometimes that means taking something apart so you can put it back together so it works better and/or faster, sometimes it means creating modifications which may not be as aesthetically pleasing to the iMac's original market. Y'know, choice is always a good thing, it makes things better.
It gets better, it's a shady corporation with a disconnected Manhattan phone number, whose servers are located mostly in the midwest. The investigation I did on this company after reading about it on two other weblogs is enlightening. Whoever these guys are, they don't want to be found.
Why not use a wiki to handle the submission queue? Let users create articles in the wiki, and have the slashdot editors and other users suggest changes for making an article better before posting it on the main site. That way, marginal articles will be improved, the chance of factual errors is diminished, and story quality is increased. Once the story's good enough, just migrate it to the front page. Story rejection can be handled in a similar way as it currently is, witht the possible addition of having a story expire if there are no additions/changes after a given time frame.
Questions, comments?
No, yahoo is FreeBSD. Google is Linux pretty much always has. There have been a few articles here about Google's fairly massive Linux cluster.
I'd say that it's more giving the average person what they want. Face it, having a different program for every internet function is great for techies, but it's too complicated for the average person. Besides, I'd say having an OS they can control in its entirety is a plus for AOL - they can control exactly where it's going, and how to program for it, instead of having to twostep with the other 800 pound gorilla.
Also, for the average person, the internet is moving away from being a computer thing, and more towards being part of the home entertainment system, integrated into the TV and/or cable box. AOL is no dummy, they know that Microsoft is going to go in that market with both guns blazing trying to push a Windows/MSN service on these boxes, and shove AOL right out of the market. Trust me, AOL's going to need an OS if they're going to stay alive in the changing market.
Just like Microsoft, they weren't the best solution, they just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Yeah. they're not the best, but they're good enough for most people. Remember the 85% rule here. As long as it's good enough for 85% of a market, you're pretty much set. The other 15% is marginalized enough that it would be a waste of resources to attempt to take it over. AOL's ust not concerned about the technically inclined segment of the market.
I like playing around with Linux like you do, and it's sometimes tricky for me to build a working kernel that supports my configuration. Of course, I may be the special case as I've got a shitload of hardware in my system, some of which conflicts with other hardware unless everything's set just right. The more I look at how the kernel autoconfigurator works, the more it looks like it'll get it close to the changing the oil level, where I can let it set it so it's close to optimal, and do the few tweaks here and there to fit my personal preferences. Hackers should be looking forward to this software, it'll mean less miscompiles even for the most experienced kernel configurer.
Soon as I'm able to, I'll throw up a few pics of the case on my website. It's actually a Sun IPC with a fairly tame mod, just a nice thick coat of bronze spray paint. The few people who have seen it seem to think its pretty cool. I'd probably do more, but the case is not designed for case modding; everything's to packed together. Maybe I'll mod that SS 1+ when I get home, paint it black, put a window in it.
I've seen a few sites here and there about overclocking non-x86 architechtures. To overclock one of the other architechtures is much more difficult, usually involving desoldering the clock chip. Also, most of the overclocking involves CPUs of a few generations prior; you don't overclock that brand new, $10,000 ultrasparc-III, unless you are clinically insane.
One of the few sites I've found where the guy has been insane enough to try overclocking a non PC is obsolyte.org. Even then, he overclocked a fairly old sun from back when they used 68k processors.
Although as a semi-related topic, you also don't see people talking about case mods on their non-PC systems. Am I the only one out there crazy enough to mod a case for a sun? Please tell me someone else has done it.
But the straight biosuit is too limited for anything other than a short engagement. About the only true combat utility I would see is if they were to be used in a small, confined area like a cave or a building. Out in the open, there are just too many variables.
Not nearly as painful as bleeding to death on the battlefield. Plus, I'm sure they could probably put a syringe of morphine somewhere in the exoskeletal suit if the pain gets too bad. Trust me, the military has got some good meds.
Still, you have neglected to answer my question about the availability of high end video cards on lower priced macs. When are you going to be able to upgrade your iMac to a GF3?
Of course, you haven't answered me about the wireless solutions. When is Apple going to offer wireless with decent speed, ie 802.11a?
Though I must ask you, when's apple going to start putting some real video cards, like the GF3 or the Radeon 8500 in their boxes (or spheres or whatever shape they want to make them this year)?
Have you tried LyX? It's a very powerful multiplatform typesetting program. Seems to do everything you want it to do.
Goddamn lawyers, why do they have to ruin everything?
Most stores are usually very lenient on this policy wrt gifts, especially around Christmas time. My mother received a scanner a couple years ago as a Christmas present, and the light bulb in the scanning mechanism had burned out. After Umax gave her a cock and bull story about it being that the USB ports on her computer gave the scanner to much current and that blew the bulb out, and they weren't going to cover it under the warranty. After trying to do it the "easy" way, she took it back to the store. Even though it was after 30 days, they took it back without a problem. So yeah, with a legitimate store, after 30 days is usually no problem.
Honestly, the hardest part of creating a viable nuclear threat is refining the fuel, and we (the US), have been doing that for decades now. Sending the payload is actually fairly simple.
Now you may just be trolling here, but your story pegged my bullshit meter. This story is an important story, and probably should have been posted at an hour where more US readers would have seen it.
This may technically be true, but it could also be said that many of the large companies which create genetically modified foods are also causing much starvation by not allowing developing countries to become prosperous. By creating self-destructing vegetables, farmers are lured into being forced to pay for seed year after year after year. Instead of being able to save a small amount of seed for the next year's crop and becoming self sufficient, Monsanto is forcing farmers in these poor countries to come back to them year after year and beg for more seed.
Nope, it belongs to the people who own the site. They have entrusted Michael with editorial powers and the ability to post stories. If you do not like this fact, then I suggest you should probably take it up with the owners, instead of the readership at large.
But that's not the exclusive focus on this site, now is it? If you remember, this site is "News for Nerds, Stuff That Matters," not "All Tech News, All the Time." I don't know about you, but stories about the continued health of the planet that I live on is definitely newsworthy. If you don't like the fact that this story shines a light on a subject certain parties want to keep secret, then tough. Sometimes the most important stories aren't all that pretty.
A strong person is willing to have their values checked. I for one try to make it a point of looking at things from the other side. Do you have that same courage and strength?
Kernel development is a funny beast. Sometimes, things just work, and kernels only have to be released when there's a significant amount of hardware. Other times, things don't work and you have to put out a lot of fixes - the early days of the 2.4 VM system sucked; it only started to really rock about 2.4.10 or so. What you didn't take into account with your guestimates is that kernel 2.2.x also had some growing pains in the early stages; it just took a bit longer for 2.4.x to get stable. Just take into consideration the 2.0.x series, they're getting close to a .40 for that line. Trust me, 2.0.x is still being used; there are some vendors who supplied binary-only patches for the 2.0.x series which don't work with the newer lines.
Bzzzt. Wrong. But thanks for playing anyways. You did know that ACLs were innoveted quite a while back on non-NT systems, such as Unix, right? Yeah, stock Linux currently doesn't have ACLs, but most other unices have had ACL support for several years now.
I'd love to see you in another sci-fi series, especially if you get to play some kind of villanous character. Get you a mohawk, maybe some odd facial tattoo, you'd be perfect.
There's the cash to employ the team of engineers to monitor it, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. You've got to worry about the costs of securing antenna time (not cheap), the costs of computing time (also not cheap), and the costs of maintaining the facilities that could be used for other purposes; space ain't cheap, and any funding they secure for this project has to come at the detriment of another, possibly more interesting , project. This unit was designed to be more of a testbed than anything else, so its already fulfilled its mission objectives. The first comet flyby was done simply because NASA thought it would be interesting to try, it's not designed to handle several missions like this, as the satelite floats out there, the greater the chance that something will catastrophically fail. NASA simply decided that it was time to give this bird a kind send-off.