I want to virtually whap the person who modded the original poster as a troll.
You are substantially correct that the reason why Itanium has not been widely successful is the there are few operating systems and software that take full advantage of the Itanium chip. It also doesn't help that Itanium CPU's are still exorbitantly expensive compared to Pentium 4 and Athlon XP CPU's.
Yes, Linux does support the Itanium CPU but does it support all of its functional features? I also think that the 64-bit version of Windows XP Professional doesn't fully support the Itanium CPU, too; this is unlike the 32-bit Windows XP Professional, which does support MMX, SSE, SSE2 and/or 3DNow! extensions found on today's high-end Intel and AMD CPU's.
Because to support Itanium's native registers requires knowledge of VLIW, I still think the Itanium will probably remain pretty much a niche market CPU unless someone comes out with a way to convert current IA-32 compatible programs to run in IA-64 mode really cheaply and easily.
I think EarthLink could keep most of its dial-up users if they upgraded their POP's to support V.92 connections, which allow for faster upload speeds, faster initial connect times and also safe temporary interruption of service when call-waiting is activated.
Besides, isn't EarthLink heavily involved with broadband themselves? I think if EarthLink was smart they should ally themselves with AT&T Broadband, Time-Warner Cable and Cox Cable to become the primary ISP for cable-modem connections.
Your suggestion of using a high-powered cannon to shoot an object into LEO is NOT a good idea. The reason is simple--the initial physical force need to get the projectile to near-orbital speed is so high that very few components can survive that shock.
I really doubt an APU explosion is the cause of the breakup.
The reason is simple: the APU units are one of the most closely-monitored systems on the space shuttle. From what I've read about the port side wing sensor failures I think it's more likely the port wing had one of the tiles on the leading edge of the wing fail and there was a burn-through situation that caused the wing to literally melt away and cause the shuttle to tumble out of control.
Here's what I think probably happened:
1. A tile on the leading edge of the port wing--probably damaged during launch--was ripped away around 0753 hours CST.
2. The result was overheating of the port wing, as noted by the various sensor failures on that wing.
3. During the final communication with the astronauts, the port wing overheating caused the left wheel well to overheat, as noted by the temperature anomality NASA reported to the astronauts.
4. Right around 0800 hours CST, the overheated wing fails and starts to break off, as noted by the first trail of debris separating from the shuttle.
5. The shuttle loses aerodynamic control, and starts to tumble wildly. The tumbling at 12,500 mph results in too much physical stress on the rest of the shuttle, and the shuttle physically breaks up (that sudden bigger contrail was caused by the shuttle literally exploding from the initial breakup).
I think it's time that NASA takes a look at the Delta Clipper design again and eventually develop it into the primary method of carrying astronauts into space. Heavier loads will be launched by a new generation of rockets such as the heavier Delta IV variants with the large strap-on boosters.
That way, in the future astronauts will be ferried to ISS via Delta Clipper and space station supplies and ISS expansion components will be lofted up by unmanned heavy booster rockets.
Perhaps some Heavy Delta or Ariane launches could be substituted but I would imagine that would take a couple years at the least to set in motion.
The only problem is that many of the components of ISS are probably too big even for the heavier Delta IV variants with the two large strap-on booster rockets to lift into the LEO altitude of ISS. For example, both ESA and the Japanese are planning large scientific modules for ISS, and they're not going to fit on top of the Delta IV rocket, that's to be sure.:-(
I think it's time that NASA seriously looks at the replacement for the Space Shuttle that will be operational early in the next decade--a vehicle that will be far safer to fly and will cost much less in terms of per pound costs to lift to LEO.
Given the speed of Columbia when it broke up, it's likely most of the remaining fuel may have ignited during the breakup. They'll be lucky to find parts larger than 300 mm in size given the speed at the time of the breakup, which would impose extremely severe stresses on the remains of the shuttle.
They'll be very lucky if they can find pieces of Columbia more than 300 mm (circa 12 inches) in size.:-(
You have to remember it broke up at 200,000 feet at 12,500 mph, and at those speeds the physical forces of the breakup would be horrendous indeed. This isn't like the Challenger explosion in 1986, when the shuttle exploded when it was travelling at around Mach 5 or so.
The problem is right now there are very few operating systems for desktop/small server machines that support 64-bit operations; AMD has wisely decided to concentrate on the Barton-core Athlon XP's, which will offer immediate performance benefits to today's operating systems (the current Linux distributions and Windows 2000/XP).
My guess is that the Athlon XP 3000+ will be priced very agressively, and will likely outperform the Intel Pentium 4 3.06 GHz CPU on certain operations that require pure CPU performance.
And you wonder why support for Sun's competing Liberty Alliance project has not gone as well as Sun has hoped.
Since Microsoft has pretty much allowed Mono to proceed, this is actually VERY bad news for the Liberty Alliance project because why would you want to pay Sun licensing fees for Liberty Alliance code when you can implement the.NET framework at GPL prices using Mono? Imagine Windows users and Linux users all using.NET services--Sun's project will be left holding the bag.
You are correct that the biggest factor helping VHS was the fact it could record longer than Beta.
Right from the start, VHS had a time recording advantage over Beta--the T-120 tape could record 120 minutes in SP mode, 240 minutes in LP mode, and 360 minutes in EP/SLP mode. At 360 minutes per tape you could easily record six 60-minute episodes of your favorite TV series or a full sporting event complete with overtime!
Beta's visual quality advantage also vanished when Super VHS arrived in the late 1980's--I've seen S-VHS recordings done at SP mode and the picture quality is outstanding; the only better widely-available home consumer videocasette formats today are the MiniDV/MicroDV digital camcorder formats that have a resolution of just over 500 lines, almost as good as a professional studio TV camera.
I believe that another huge factor was that because VHS was invented by JVC (a Matsushita Electric subsidiary by 1977), it had the backing of the gigantic Matsushita Electric corporation. That meant companies around knew the VHS format could survive using Matsushita's huge worldwide marketing muscle with the Panasonic brand name.
The sound quality of the copy done through the digital-to-analog then analog-to-digital connection will definitely be inferior to the original. I think the pirates want direct digital copies without the kludgey process I just mentioned.
I think if the Iraqis think they can jam GPS signals they're going to be sadly mistaken.
People forget that commercial GPS receivers found on handhelds and automobiles rely on a single antenna, which is relatively easy to "spoof." Military GPS receivers found on JDAM and JSOW precision-guided munition systems use multiple antennas to receive GPS signals, so they are far less suspectible to "spoofing" by jamming devices. Besides, turning on the jammer is going to make it real susceptible being attacked by a HARM missile.
Okay, Windows CE isn't the best thing for automobile control systems.
But what about alternatives? What OS does DaimlerChrysler use for their COMMAND system used on high-end S-class models and the new Maybach limousine? And what about the systems used by Lexus and Infiniti? On the lower end scale, what about the electronic computer system used by Toyota on the Prius? Are they Linux-based, used a customized version of a commercial UNIX variant, or some custom operating system?
Which Java VM will Microsoft use? Will it be Sun's current 1.4.1 (which works best in Windows 2000 and XP)? Or will it be one that is supposed Sun-compatible from the likes of HP, IBM, and so on?
The reason why we're still using spinning hard drives is the fact the mechanical technologies of hard drives are pretty much mature and drive reliability is pretty good.
However, I believe that IBM is right now working on high-density non-volatile storage that uses non-mechanical means; once the technology is mastered we maybe talking 50 to 60 GB of storage on something the size of a Type II CompactFlash card, more than enough to accommodate Windows XP Professional, several applications and application data. Since there is no speed delay caused by the mechanical read/write process of hard drives, imagine the complete boot process of WinXP Pro completed in around five seconds! The limitation at this point will become the I/O interface between this storage device and the motherboard; this is where Serial ATA and UltraSCSI 160/320 connections really becomes useful.
Look at RedHat. They took the same product, spent large amounts of capital developing a product, and sold not only that product, built on freely available technology, but support services and add-ons that people want to buy.
I think what really saved Red Hat was the very fact they were among the first to develop an installation process for Linux that better emphasized ease of use--and also because a lot of hardware OEM's liked Red Hat Linux, this distribution has pretty much become the de facto reference standard for Linux at least in North America. Right now, when anyone with some computer knowledge mention what's the most familiar distro of Linux they'll invariably say Red Hat.
I think if the mass media were reasonably unbiased something akin to the Voter News Service might actually work fairly well.
The big problem is that most of the companies that contributed to VNS had a perceived political agenda that could "create" stories that could skew the election. This unfortunately caused the fiasco of the 2000 Presidential election in the USA; we are fortunate that VNS was kiboshed on 5 November 2002, which meant the networks couldn't "create" stories that could have affected the elections across the USA.
If you're asking about my skepticism about the mass media read Bernard Goldberg's book Bias: A CBS Insider Exposes How the Media Distort the News (Regnery Publishing, 2001, ISBN 0895261901). That book--which became a #1 best seller in the USA--is a contributing reason why many mass media outlets in the USA is suffering massive losses in TV viewers, radio listeners, and newspaper/periodical readers.
I think another thing that doomed VNS is the fact that it might be possible the way the system was programmed could have been biased towards one political party or another. Unfortunately, this could have bad effects on the election, as the 2000 Presidential election fiasco showed.
Actually, if you want a reasonably priced graphics card that supports DirectX 9.0, get the ATI Radeon 9500 Pro or ATI OEM cards that is the equivalent of Radeon 9500.
The Radeon 9500 Pro (which sells for around US$190 to US$200) not only performs as fast as graphics cards that use the nVidia GeForce4 Ti4600, but also will support DX9 features in hardware. That means games coming out later this year that support DX9 will run quite well on the Radeon 9500 Pro.
I expect that the next major improvement in low-cost desktop hard drives will NOT be storage space, but faster spindle speeds, larger on-drive memory caches and lower temperatures.
I wouldn't be surprised if we see within 18 months 200 GB Serial ATA drives that spin at 10,000 rpm but gives off much less heat than today's 7200 rpm drives. The on-drive memory cache will be substantially larger, probably in the 32 MB range.
If you can get Mopar-built racing parts for your Viper, you'll smoke any non-turbocharged/supercharged rice car in no time flat.:-) 750+ bhp and a big fat torque curve?
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I want to virtually whap the person who modded the original poster as a troll.
You are substantially correct that the reason why Itanium has not been widely successful is the there are few operating systems and software that take full advantage of the Itanium chip. It also doesn't help that Itanium CPU's are still exorbitantly expensive compared to Pentium 4 and Athlon XP CPU's.
Yes, Linux does support the Itanium CPU but does it support all of its functional features? I also think that the 64-bit version of Windows XP Professional doesn't fully support the Itanium CPU, too; this is unlike the 32-bit Windows XP Professional, which does support MMX, SSE, SSE2 and/or 3DNow! extensions found on today's high-end Intel and AMD CPU's.
Because to support Itanium's native registers requires knowledge of VLIW, I still think the Itanium will probably remain pretty much a niche market CPU unless someone comes out with a way to convert current IA-32 compatible programs to run in IA-64 mode really cheaply and easily.
I think EarthLink could keep most of its dial-up users if they upgraded their POP's to support V.92 connections, which allow for faster upload speeds, faster initial connect times and also safe temporary interruption of service when call-waiting is activated.
Besides, isn't EarthLink heavily involved with broadband themselves? I think if EarthLink was smart they should ally themselves with AT&T Broadband, Time-Warner Cable and Cox Cable to become the primary ISP for cable-modem connections.
Your suggestion of using a high-powered cannon to shoot an object into LEO is NOT a good idea. The reason is simple--the initial physical force need to get the projectile to near-orbital speed is so high that very few components can survive that shock.
I really doubt an APU explosion is the cause of the breakup.
The reason is simple: the APU units are one of the most closely-monitored systems on the space shuttle. From what I've read about the port side wing sensor failures I think it's more likely the port wing had one of the tiles on the leading edge of the wing fail and there was a burn-through situation that caused the wing to literally melt away and cause the shuttle to tumble out of control.
Here's what I think probably happened:
1. A tile on the leading edge of the port wing--probably damaged during launch--was ripped away around 0753 hours CST.
2. The result was overheating of the port wing, as noted by the various sensor failures on that wing.
3. During the final communication with the astronauts, the port wing overheating caused the left wheel well to overheat, as noted by the temperature anomality NASA reported to the astronauts.
4. Right around 0800 hours CST, the overheated wing fails and starts to break off, as noted by the first trail of debris separating from the shuttle.
5. The shuttle loses aerodynamic control, and starts to tumble wildly. The tumbling at 12,500 mph results in too much physical stress on the rest of the shuttle, and the shuttle physically breaks up (that sudden bigger contrail was caused by the shuttle literally exploding from the initial breakup).
I think it's time that NASA takes a look at the Delta Clipper design again and eventually develop it into the primary method of carrying astronauts into space. Heavier loads will be launched by a new generation of rockets such as the heavier Delta IV variants with the large strap-on boosters.
That way, in the future astronauts will be ferried to ISS via Delta Clipper and space station supplies and ISS expansion components will be lofted up by unmanned heavy booster rockets.
Perhaps some Heavy Delta or Ariane launches could be substituted but I would imagine that would take a couple years at the least to set in motion.
:-(
The only problem is that many of the components of ISS are probably too big even for the heavier Delta IV variants with the two large strap-on booster rockets to lift into the LEO altitude of ISS. For example, both ESA and the Japanese are planning large scientific modules for ISS, and they're not going to fit on top of the Delta IV rocket, that's to be sure.
I think it's time that NASA seriously looks at the replacement for the Space Shuttle that will be operational early in the next decade--a vehicle that will be far safer to fly and will cost much less in terms of per pound costs to lift to LEO.
Given the speed of Columbia when it broke up, it's likely most of the remaining fuel may have ignited during the breakup. They'll be lucky to find parts larger than 300 mm in size given the speed at the time of the breakup, which would impose extremely severe stresses on the remains of the shuttle.
:-(
A sad day indeed.
They'll be very lucky if they can find pieces of Columbia more than 300 mm (circa 12 inches) in size. :-(
You have to remember it broke up at 200,000 feet at 12,500 mph, and at those speeds the physical forces of the breakup would be horrendous indeed. This isn't like the Challenger explosion in 1986, when the shuttle exploded when it was travelling at around Mach 5 or so.
I agree with your assessments.
The problem is right now there are very few operating systems for desktop/small server machines that support 64-bit operations; AMD has wisely decided to concentrate on the Barton-core Athlon XP's, which will offer immediate performance benefits to today's operating systems (the current Linux distributions and Windows 2000/XP).
My guess is that the Athlon XP 3000+ will be priced very agressively, and will likely outperform the Intel Pentium 4 3.06 GHz CPU on certain operations that require pure CPU performance.
And you wonder why support for Sun's competing Liberty Alliance project has not gone as well as Sun has hoped.
.NET framework at GPL prices using Mono? Imagine Windows users and Linux users all using .NET services--Sun's project will be left holding the bag.
Since Microsoft has pretty much allowed Mono to proceed, this is actually VERY bad news for the Liberty Alliance project because why would you want to pay Sun licensing fees for Liberty Alliance code when you can implement the
Why do I have this feeling the game will be decided by either a Martin Grammatica (#7 Buccaneers) or Sebastian Janikowski (#11 Raiders) field goal? :-/
You are correct that the biggest factor helping VHS was the fact it could record longer than Beta.
Right from the start, VHS had a time recording advantage over Beta--the T-120 tape could record 120 minutes in SP mode, 240 minutes in LP mode, and 360 minutes in EP/SLP mode. At 360 minutes per tape you could easily record six 60-minute episodes of your favorite TV series or a full sporting event complete with overtime!
Beta's visual quality advantage also vanished when Super VHS arrived in the late 1980's--I've seen S-VHS recordings done at SP mode and the picture quality is outstanding; the only better widely-available home consumer videocasette formats today are the MiniDV/MicroDV digital camcorder formats that have a resolution of just over 500 lines, almost as good as a professional studio TV camera.
I believe that another huge factor was that because VHS was invented by JVC (a Matsushita Electric subsidiary by 1977), it had the backing of the gigantic Matsushita Electric corporation. That meant companies around knew the VHS format could survive using Matsushita's huge worldwide marketing muscle with the Panasonic brand name.
Fortunately, unlike many past Super Bowls, the game will be good. =)
;-) I for one am definitely wanting to see what the previews for the upcoming summer movies will be like.
Expect a slugfest with the Raiders finally winning 24-21 on a late TD.
And yes, I will be watching the ads, too.
The sound quality of the copy done through the digital-to-analog then analog-to-digital connection will definitely be inferior to the original. I think the pirates want direct digital copies without the kludgey process I just mentioned.
I think if the Iraqis think they can jam GPS signals they're going to be sadly mistaken.
People forget that commercial GPS receivers found on handhelds and automobiles rely on a single antenna, which is relatively easy to "spoof." Military GPS receivers found on JDAM and JSOW precision-guided munition systems use multiple antennas to receive GPS signals, so they are far less suspectible to "spoofing" by jamming devices. Besides, turning on the jammer is going to make it real susceptible being attacked by a HARM missile.
Okay, Windows CE isn't the best thing for automobile control systems.
But what about alternatives? What OS does DaimlerChrysler use for their COMMAND system used on high-end S-class models and the new Maybach limousine? And what about the systems used by Lexus and Infiniti? On the lower end scale, what about the electronic computer system used by Toyota on the Prius? Are they Linux-based, used a customized version of a commercial UNIX variant, or some custom operating system?
Here's the big question.
Which Java VM will Microsoft use? Will it be Sun's current 1.4.1 (which works best in Windows 2000 and XP)? Or will it be one that is supposed Sun-compatible from the likes of HP, IBM, and so on?
The reason why we're still using spinning hard drives is the fact the mechanical technologies of hard drives are pretty much mature and drive reliability is pretty good.
However, I believe that IBM is right now working on high-density non-volatile storage that uses non-mechanical means; once the technology is mastered we maybe talking 50 to 60 GB of storage on something the size of a Type II CompactFlash card, more than enough to accommodate Windows XP Professional, several applications and application data. Since there is no speed delay caused by the mechanical read/write process of hard drives, imagine the complete boot process of WinXP Pro completed in around five seconds! The limitation at this point will become the I/O interface between this storage device and the motherboard; this is where Serial ATA and UltraSCSI 160/320 connections really becomes useful.
Look at RedHat. They took the same product, spent large amounts of capital developing a product, and sold not only that product, built on freely available technology, but support services and add-ons that people want to buy.
I think what really saved Red Hat was the very fact they were among the first to develop an installation process for Linux that better emphasized ease of use--and also because a lot of hardware OEM's liked Red Hat Linux, this distribution has pretty much become the de facto reference standard for Linux at least in North America. Right now, when anyone with some computer knowledge mention what's the most familiar distro of Linux they'll invariably say Red Hat.
If the rumor is based on reality I'm definitely preordering the DVD's. =)
Anyone who hasn't seen Castle in the Sky will be in for a treat--it has some of the most AMAZING hand-drawn backgrounds you've ever seen.
I think if the mass media were reasonably unbiased something akin to the Voter News Service might actually work fairly well.
The big problem is that most of the companies that contributed to VNS had a perceived political agenda that could "create" stories that could skew the election. This unfortunately caused the fiasco of the 2000 Presidential election in the USA; we are fortunate that VNS was kiboshed on 5 November 2002, which meant the networks couldn't "create" stories that could have affected the elections across the USA.
If you're asking about my skepticism about the mass media read Bernard Goldberg's book Bias: A CBS Insider Exposes How the Media Distort the News (Regnery Publishing, 2001, ISBN 0895261901). That book--which became a #1 best seller in the USA--is a contributing reason why many mass media outlets in the USA is suffering massive losses in TV viewers, radio listeners, and newspaper/periodical readers.
I think another thing that doomed VNS is the fact that it might be possible the way the system was programmed could have been biased towards one political party or another. Unfortunately, this could have bad effects on the election, as the 2000 Presidential election fiasco showed.
Actually, if you want a reasonably priced graphics card that supports DirectX 9.0, get the ATI Radeon 9500 Pro or ATI OEM cards that is the equivalent of Radeon 9500.
The Radeon 9500 Pro (which sells for around US$190 to US$200) not only performs as fast as graphics cards that use the nVidia GeForce4 Ti4600, but also will support DX9 features in hardware. That means games coming out later this year that support DX9 will run quite well on the Radeon 9500 Pro.
I expect that the next major improvement in low-cost desktop hard drives will NOT be storage space, but faster spindle speeds, larger on-drive memory caches and lower temperatures.
I wouldn't be surprised if we see within 18 months 200 GB Serial ATA drives that spin at 10,000 rpm but gives off much less heat than today's 7200 rpm drives. The on-drive memory cache will be substantially larger, probably in the 32 MB range.
If you can get Mopar-built racing parts for your Viper, you'll smoke any non-turbocharged/supercharged rice car in no time flat. :-) 750+ bhp and a big fat torque curve?