disclaimer_mode_on I've never used Ada, nor have I even ever seen it. This is just a general comment that would apply here. disclaimer_mode_off
I tend to disagree; OO programming languages in general feel very bloated and clunky to me. I really don't have a good reason for this, other than it's just my opinion (and no, it's not because it's cool to say/believe that). It is my opinion that many of the professional programming world like OOP because that's what they learned on, not because it's any better You do have a point about an Ada kernel, however, it is more of a trade-off than anything. Ada would be easier to maintain than C, and prolly more portable (not sure about that one). OTOH, Ada (and OOP languages in general) is not as efficiant as C. Besides, if you really want to, you _can_ write OO code in C (I should know, I've done it before).
Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems the article was implying that fpga-based systems would replace current tech for cpu's. This all seems like a bunch of hype to me.
From what I'm seeing in the above comments, fpga's aren't really that good at general-purpose computing. Great. How about we use fpga's as add-on co-processors, programmed by the software that supports their use. Such a system could be used for video acceleration, sound processing, algorithmic acceleration (think: encryption, simulation, etc.), and it would be worlds better for performance, b/c there is still a traditional cpu in the machine.
I agree with you. However, I think it's not so much what the patent says as it is what the patent implies/means. If everyone is right about what this is all about, then I think Transmeta really *is* doing something cool. Otherwise, I think they need to go ahead and disclose what they are working on, just so we aren't hyping a non-product.
they're almost all wrong, IMHO. Star Wars, contrary to what many people (including Mr. Brin, it seems) believe, is just a series of movies. That's it. If you look at them as being more than that, you walk into a vast array of problems with it.
Something I feel I must point out, is the opening of "A New Hope" where it says "Long ago in a galaxy far, far away." This means that they are not on our tech' tree, and they aren't in our civilization. They aren't to be expected to act like us.
I like Star Wars, and I think it's one of the better stories' (movies') out there. I think it's interesting to see how they all go together. I get entertained by them, and that's all I ask of them.
Something else to point out, IMHO, is that integer performance is not that big of a deal anymore. It's kinda like 2d acceleration; pretty much everyone has it figured out. Sure, I'd like a cpu that runs 45% faster on integer, but that's not going to happen on x86. The big optimizations are still fp.
"How has this been violated? Anyone who wants to is free to download Netscape.... They have not been prevented from doing so."
Netscape, I must point out, no longer exists. It is now a subsidiary of AOL. *That* is the point. Microsoft's business practices wrt web browsers made their competitor go under, in effect making themselves a monopoly in this market. To do this, they used their OS monopoly, and "forced" their way into the browser market. That is what the trial is all about.
I'm gonna go out on a limb here, but I think that it wouldn't be terribly hard to do a dual-arch boot prom w/an x86 bios emulater. All you would have to do is put the x86 bootstrap code at the correct address (ffffh:0000h (or ffff0h linear), I believe), then have the Alpha bootstrap code at another address (prolly down low, below 2000h linear). they already are going to make boot prom's for both arch's for each high-end board (that's most of the point behind k7 using ev6, and alpha going to slot-B), so why not just put in a hack to make both work? As far as the firmware, I don't know. AFAIK, they are going to merge the two, such that they only need one set for both cpu's. Of course, that's pure rumor on my part, so...
Anyone who would know want to blow some holes in this one?
I think that maybe the 'Code of Ethics' thing isn't quite coming across right here.
Crackers, just as every other online community, have their own CoE, and just like in real life, they can choose to abide by it, or they can ignore it.
Personally, if my system gets cracked, and nothing gets destroyed (I don't lose anything valuable, or that can't be fixed in a few minutes), then I'll just do what the Great AC above says to do. Then I'll figure out what went wrong, and I'll fix it. Otherwise, I'll try to track down the person who cracked my system, and I'll turn in the info to the police/FBI.
Malicious cracking is the problem, not finding your security holes for you.
I've noticed some problems with the swapping code in the > 2.2.5 stable kernels. Sometimes, under a heavy CPU/memory load, the kernel locks into a loop in the virtual paging code. The system quits responding, and the HD's run steadily. The Andrea patches fix it (sorry, I don't remember his whole name). I think the 2.3 kernels have the bug, as well, but I don't know. I would submit a bug report, but I don't have enough info to do so. Oh well. =)
SLI stands for Scan Line Interleave. One card gets a scan line, the other the next, then the first gets the next after that, ad infinitum. It's effectively like having a single card with 4 texture units on it, each having their own private 4 megs of texture memory. And I agree, voodoo2 SLI is the way to go right now, if you can afford it.
Well, it really doesn't matter who wrote the vgafb, it just matters who uses it better. IMHO, Debian is ahead of everyone else in this respect, so I think they will have the better one. Of course, I'm sure RH and SuSE will do an excellent job with theirs. =)
I've read a lot of comments here talking about us needing an unbiased comparison between Linux, Unix, and NT. Well then, let's do it.
Here's what I propose. An independant testing center -- one with world-wide respect -- will conduct a test, benchmarking all three different systems against each other. The hardware, of course, would be identical. Have a MCSE from Microsoft install and tune the NT box, a Linux guru install and tune the Linux box, and a Unix guru to install and tune the Unix box.
If this doesn't allow for unbiased testing, then I personally don't think it's possible.
Remember, we need to treat the other OS's as equals before we can be accepted as one ourselves.
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disclaimer_mode_on
/believe that). It is my opinion that many of the professional programming world like OOP because that's what they learned on, not because it's any better
I've never used Ada, nor have I even ever seen it. This is just a general comment that would apply here.
disclaimer_mode_off
I tend to disagree; OO programming languages in general feel very bloated and clunky to me. I really don't have a good reason for this, other than it's just my opinion (and no, it's not because it's cool to say
You do have a point about an Ada kernel, however, it is more of a trade-off than anything. Ada would be easier to maintain than C, and prolly more portable (not sure about that one). OTOH, Ada (and OOP languages in general) is not as efficiant as C. Besides, if you really want to, you _can_ write OO code in C (I should know, I've done it before).
Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems the article was implying that fpga-based systems would replace current tech for cpu's. This all seems like a bunch of hype to me.
From what I'm seeing in the above comments, fpga's aren't really that good at general-purpose computing. Great. How about we use fpga's as add-on co-processors, programmed by the software that supports their use. Such a system could be used for video acceleration, sound processing, algorithmic acceleration (think: encryption, simulation, etc.), and it would be worlds better for performance, b/c there is still a traditional cpu in the machine.
Anyways, just my US$.02
-- ioctl
I agree with you. However, I think it's not so much what the patent says as it is what the patent implies/means. If everyone is right about what this is all about, then I think Transmeta really *is* doing something cool. Otherwise, I think they need to go ahead and disclose what they are working on, just so we aren't hyping a non-product.
Just my US$.02
they're almost all wrong, IMHO. Star Wars, contrary to what many people (including Mr. Brin, it seems) believe, is just a series of movies. That's it. If you look at them as being more than that, you walk into a vast array of problems with it.
Something I feel I must point out, is the opening of "A New Hope" where it says "Long ago in a galaxy far, far away." This means that they are not on our tech' tree, and they aren't in our civilization. They aren't to be expected to act like us.
I like Star Wars, and I think it's one of the better stories' (movies') out there. I think it's interesting to see how they all go together. I get entertained by them, and that's all I ask of them.
Just my US $.02. =)
-- ioctl
Hi, I'm Ghost, the vapor-sig.
Something else to point out, IMHO, is that integer performance is not that big of a deal anymore. It's kinda like 2d acceleration; pretty much everyone has it figured out. Sure, I'd like a cpu that runs 45% faster on integer, but that's not going to happen on x86. The big optimizations are still fp.
I have to address one of your statements:
.... They have not been prevented from doing so."
"How has this been violated? Anyone who wants to is free to download Netscape
Netscape, I must point out, no longer exists. It is now a subsidiary of AOL. *That* is the point. Microsoft's business practices wrt web browsers made their competitor go under, in effect making themselves a monopoly in this market. To do this, they used their OS monopoly, and "forced" their way into the browser market. That is what the trial is all about.
I'm gonna go out on a limb here, but I think that it wouldn't be terribly hard to do a dual-arch boot prom w/an x86 bios emulater.
All you would have to do is put the x86 bootstrap code at the correct address (ffffh:0000h (or ffff0h linear), I believe), then have the Alpha bootstrap code at another address (prolly down low, below 2000h linear). they already are going to make boot prom's for both arch's for each high-end board (that's most of the point behind k7 using ev6, and alpha going to slot-B), so why not just put in a hack to make both work?
As far as the firmware, I don't know. AFAIK, they are going to merge the two, such that they only need one set for both cpu's. Of course, that's pure rumor on my part, so...
Anyone who would know want to blow some holes in this one?
-- ioctl()
I think that maybe the 'Code of Ethics' thing isn't quite coming across right here.
Crackers, just as every other online community, have their own CoE, and just like in real life, they can choose to abide by it, or they can ignore it.
Personally, if my system gets cracked, and nothing gets destroyed (I don't lose anything valuable, or that can't be fixed in a few minutes), then I'll just do what the Great AC above says to do. Then I'll figure out what went wrong, and I'll fix it. Otherwise, I'll try to track down the person who cracked my system, and I'll turn in the info to the police/FBI.
Malicious cracking is the problem, not finding your security holes for you.
I've noticed some problems with the swapping code in the > 2.2.5 stable kernels. Sometimes, under a heavy CPU/memory load, the kernel locks into a loop in the virtual paging code. The system quits responding, and the HD's run steadily. The Andrea patches fix it (sorry, I don't remember his whole name). I think the 2.3 kernels have the bug, as well, but I don't know. I would submit a bug report, but I don't have enough info to do so. Oh well. =)
Just my $.02
SLI stands for Scan Line Interleave. One card gets a scan line, the other the next, then the first gets the next after that, ad infinitum. It's effectively like having a single card with 4 texture units on it, each having their own private 4 megs of texture memory. And I agree, voodoo2 SLI is the way to go right now, if you can afford it.
Well, it really doesn't matter who wrote the vgafb, it just matters who uses it better. IMHO, Debian is ahead of everyone else in this respect, so I think they will have the better one. Of course, I'm sure RH and SuSE will do an excellent job with theirs. =)
I've read a lot of comments here talking about us needing an unbiased comparison between Linux, Unix, and NT. Well then, let's do it.
Here's what I propose. An independant testing center -- one with world-wide respect -- will conduct a test, benchmarking all three different systems against each other. The hardware, of course, would be identical. Have a MCSE from Microsoft install and tune the NT box, a Linux guru install and tune the Linux box, and a Unix guru to install and tune the Unix box.
If this doesn't allow for unbiased testing, then I personally don't think it's possible.
Remember, we need to treat the other OS's as equals before we can be accepted as one ourselves.