I'm not denying any of what you said, but there is one important detail you didn't mention: the Playstation 2 is the superior machine. Period. They're not even on the same level. Dreamcast barely beats the existing consoles while PSX 2 is a quantum leap over existing consoles.
I'm not a very big console fan, but I'm thinking that I might actually buy a PSX 2. For one thing, it will be a long while before the PC is actually powerful enough to make emulation practical. The PSX 2 may cost a lot, but you get what you pay for. I can't wait for Final Fantasy IX on the playstation 2.
You do know that you can get VII for the PC, right? Sure, it's windoze, but it's better than nothing (the only reason I still have windoze on my computer is to play games). Since VII for the PC was commercially successful, VIII for the PC will be released only a couple of months after the (english) PSX version, rather than having to wait forever like I did for VII. By the way, I don't know what you're talking about bleem playing VI: VI is a SNES game. If you want it, go download the ROM for free.
"radio waves travel at the speed of sound not light"
AAAAAARRRRGGGGHH! Please tell me you're joking...please!!! Nobody's really that stupid, are they?! ACK! Get away from me! You must be sick or somethng!
First of all, the speed of sound varies. Through a vaccum it's 0. You do know that radio waves are part of the electromagnetic spectrum, right?!
By the way, I was under the impression that the nearest discovered planet was about 10 light years away. The nearest star is about 4 and for all we know could have a planet. We're not very good at seeing planets yet.
You watch SOF? I thought I was like the only one in the world who watched that show. I was watching SNL one night and didn't bother to turn off the TV afterwards and there it was. It's actually a pretty good show (at least compared to most of the crap that's on prime time), it just has an awful timeslot. Is it on any other time?
There is a big difference between simply being able to run x86 programs and being able to run them well. Excuse my language, but if you buy a Merced to run x86 software YOU'RE A FUCKING MORON!
Think about it: the entire point of the Merced is to place the burden of optimizing a processor's operation on the compiler rather than the processor itself. Merced's performance is totatly reliant of the quality of the compiler. In x86 most of the work is done in hardware. But the Merced is not an x86 processor, it is an IA-64 processor with x86 emulation. This means that the Merced will simply lack the hardware to optimize x86 operations. It propably won't be able to do any branch prediction, out of order execution, and will be unable to use more than one pipeline. Basically, it will run like a high clocked 386, if that well. Did I mention that it will also cost a freakin fortune? I don't know why they even bothered to include x86 compatability. It sure as hell isn't worth anything. The Merced needs its own software in order to succeed.
Re:1gHZ in November? Yeah right!
on
Athlon Reviews
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· Score: 1
Invest? I already did.
Get a clue, will you? We aren't talking about an air cooled processor. We're talking about a Kryotech system cooled to -40 degrees C. I'd be damned surprised if they couldn't get it to 1 Ghz by November. It's already running at 650 mhz air cooled.
Um...it has the same name and it's the same general type of game, but it's not the same thing as the old AOL version. It's being developed from scratch, it will use a 3D engine so it will have a zoomable, rotatable camera, and it's based on the 3rd edition AD&D rules. While I've never played the old AOL version ('cause I've never used AOL), I don't think you have to worry about it not having the same playability. Have you ever played Baldur's Gate? In my opinion, it's the best roleplaying game ever. Period. Bioware knows their stuff.
I've been a serious gamer for a while now, and I find myself spending an absurd amount of time anticipating yet to be released titles, but this one takes the cake. I have never been more excited about an upcoming release. The fact that there's a Linux version is just an unexpected bonus. I want this game.
Yeah, I've heard a lot of things about this thing, but it was announced so far from its release that people didn't really pay any attention (good for them, I wish I had that kind of common sense).
This thing has a huge coolness factor. Not just because its damn fast, but also because of the way in which it was designed. Basically, the entire thing was designed with an advanced hardware simulator. They actually had completed drivers before they had any hardware. In fact, I believe they still don't have any hardware. That, when combined with the fact that it was announced so early, kind of makes people think it's vaporware. I sure hope it isn't, but I don't have much to support that hope.
Re:can we please get rid of overload mode ?
on
Super Quick Quickies
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· Score: 1
Agreed. Or at least make it an optional preference. What is the point of it?
Honestly, how much money do you think they lost because of this? Were there really that many people who would prefer to spend hours downloading a movie with poor visual quality, the borders cut off, and crappy sound to spending $4.50 to see the real thing? Heck, most of the people who did download the thing were probably big Star Wars enthusiasts who saw in a couple times in the theater as well, and just couldn't get enough Jar-Jar.
I don't think that this is the end of movies. And it'll probably take more effort to stop than it's worth. To George Lucas: Live with it. It doesn't really matter.
Why pay MORE for something that has less memory and shorter battery life than the Palm IIIx? The only thing that the Palm V has going for it is a snazzy new case. Wee. It also costs about $150 more than the IIIx. It's fine for somebody who has more money than brains, but if you actually want to do something with your Palm besides showing it off, than the IIIx is the way to go.
The Palm VII is interesting if you have a LOT of money. It not only costs a heck of a lot to begin with, but the service is about $25 a month. Who wants to pay that much to browse the internet with a tiny screen and very poor bandwidth? Sure, it sounds cool, but I doubt it's worth it. Maybe some day. Technology is always getting better and prices are always dropping (Except on the Palms, which seem to be getting more and more expensive with each model. Hmm...).
Most consumer PC motherboards have 3-4 DIMMs. With 256 megs on a DIMM, that makes a maximum of 1 GB of RAM. The exact same number as the Amiga. Sure, servers can have more memory, they have more DIMMs! The poster you were replying to was saying that it's a motherboard limitation, and I agree. There's no reason you couldn't make an Amiga motherboard with more DIMMS, but it's not a server. There's no reason to. How many people have more than a GB of RAM in their PCs at home? Sheesh.
Actually, Merced isn't intended to be sold at all.
Understand that this was never the original plan. Intel basically realized that Merced will not only cost a fortune and have no application support, but it's performance will also suck so bad they're not even going to try to sell it. Merced might have been good if it was released 2 years ago like it was originally supposed to be, but it simply can't compare to other high-end processors. Plus, its die is so huge that it would most likely have been more expensive. And it currently doesn't have a single OS that will run on it! Not exactly a good buy.
So intel decided that Merced will be nothing more than a proof of concept, as well as something they can give to developers and tell them to write programs for the next version (afterall, the instruction set is the same). You won't be able to buy an IA-64 processor until McKinley (Which, ironically, is being developed almost exclusively by HP. So much for intel leading a 64 bit revolution.), and it will not be cheap. Even McKinley might not be that good, because it will have some tough competition with proven platforms by the time it comes out.
Basically, don't think x86 is finished. Intel's IA-64 line is not very impressive at the moment. Remember that they are no longer competing in the x86 market with these, they are competing with well-respected and proven designs in a market that has a lot more competition than intel is used to. I do not think that the entire IA-64 line flopping is out of the question.
Let me start by saying that I find the term "GPV" very insulting. Now, I am not in any way associated with GNU, yet I still find it insulting. What is the purpose to such a statement besides trolling?
You claim that the GPL forces us to share. In many ways this is true. And that is exactly what makes the GPL a good license. Let's face the facts: people are selfish. People are greedy. People often don't give a damn about other people. Now are we supposed to expect everyone to support a widespread open source project out of the goodness of their hearts? Now I'm not saying that everyone is a selfish, greedy bastard. If they were, something like Linux would never have been created in the first place. The fact remains, however, that there are a lot more selfish, greedy bastards than their are generous people. GPL is necessary to prevent open software from being abused. That's all there is to it.
Now some people are truely generous and don't care if selfish, greedy bastards take advantage of the code they generously provide. BSD is evidence of this. There's nothing wrong with that. If the creator of a piece of software wants to let anyone is it in anyway, THEN THAT IS THEIR CHOICE. On a similar note, if somebody finds the idea of somebody else taking their free software and using it in a proprietary piece of software distastefull, then they have the right to prevent this. Again, IT IS THEIR CHOICE. There is nothing wrong with it.
AMD is NOT interested in the chipset market. They are working hard enough as it is. Like some one else said, AMD is only making slot-A/slot-B chipsets to get the ball rolling. They will gladly hand the market over to VIA, ALI, SiS, as well as some new companies such as Poseiden (who are making an interesting sounding 8 way chipset).
It will be interesting to see what the VIA/Cyrix combination will have in the future. But, I'm more concerned with VIA abandoning supporting AMD to focus on integrated products with Cyrix than I am with AMD dominating the slot-A/slot-B chipset market. They simply don't want to.
"I personally think all political parties should be banned. Let the candidates run on their own agenda, not a parties. Then we might get some people in office who are actually concerned with whats going on."
Exactly. People think that the US has never had an independent president, but that's not true: George Washington was very anti-political party. And with good reason. People end up forgetting what they really believe in and joining the party line just because it gives them a better chance of being elected. Political parties have certainly contributed to the "dualism" in US politics. Liberal and Conservative, Democrat and Republican. People seem incapable of grasping the possibility of a third, or *gasp* a fourth, possibility. There are many voters who don't even understand or care about the issues. They just go and vote for whomever is running for their party. Completely mindless.
Now I'll agree that MacOS isn't all that different (although there certainly are some differences), however I have to disagree with your comments about OS/2. First of all, I have to ask what version did you use? The interface for 4.0 is completely different from the previous versions. And I have to say that I really like it. Face it, the windoze GUI is terrible. Basically, M$ argued with itself for months over how to do the win95 GUI until they only had a couple of weeks left to work on it so they slapped together some piece of crap. Of course, that's how they do everything. The problem is it seems to have become the standard. Of course, that also seems to happen with everything they do. Oh well.
All you seem to have focussed on in your description is the process of moving and resizing windows. Now, I'll admit that this process is basically the same, but what about opening up those windows in the first place? What about browsing your hard drive and getting information about your computer. What about those horrible and belittling names like "My Computer"?! How can you say that windoze has a good GUI? I can't stand the start menu! It's possibly the most awkward way to start programs ever invented. The only good parts of the windoze GUI (like the menu you get when you right click) were copied from OS/2, not the other way around. M$ can't do anything right.
Honestly, why do we have to copy the windoze GUI anyway? Even if for some strange reason you do like it, it's not Linux. It just ends up making Linux look like a cheap windoze knock-off. And that is something that it certainly isn't. Can't somebody be a little more creative when designing a GUI? At the very least, keep making nextstep clones. It's a better GUI.
Honestly, I can't see any possible advantage to a 3D UI other than the coolness factor. I mean, come on! What kind of pointing device would be required to work in a 3D environment? Do you really think that it would be more intuitive than a standard "2D" environment? And 2D in that sense is really something of a misnomer. Afterall, can't you stick one application behind another already? It's only 2D in the sense that you are always looking at your applications straight on. And that's a GOOD thing. Why on earth would you want to see the side of an application?
And think of the resources that would be wasted on a 3D UI. Imagine the processor power that would be required to do even the simplest tasks. What is the point?! How would this be better than the GUIs we already have? Imagine how difficult it would be to use a mouse to select an object in 3D space. Why, why, why?!
OK, I'm starting to rant. But the major criticisms I've seen in the other posts I've read is that it's not open source. Nobody seems to have mentioned that it's an incredibly stupid idea. OK, it looks cool, but that's about it.
You can take my command prompt when you pry my keyboard out of my cold, dead hands.
OK, I'm biased. Still, until very recently the processor market was as dominated by intel as M$ dominates the OS market, if not more so. So I've been cheering on AMD all the while, just 'cause I always feel the need to support the underdog. And of course, I've also scraped up every little technical detail about the K7 that I could. And the benchmarks are no surprise.
Yessiree, the K7 rocks. Perhaps it will start some true competition in the processor market.
Re:Will AMD survive until next year? Prob. not...
on
AMD Athlon (K7) Ships
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· Score: 3
Actually, that huge loss wasn't due so much to lowered revenues as it was due to them spending so much money preparing for the K7. And that loss does not even take into account the fact that they sold their Vantis division for $500 million.
Sure, it looks bad right now. But Q3 will show a huge change. They will go from a $60 ASP to charging $500 and more for their processors. Now, if they were able to make a profit with an ASP below $100 (which they did for the last couple quarters of 98), think about what they can do with that kind of ASP. Also, their Dresden facility is nearly complete (should be online this year, but I don't know if it will be in Q3 or Q4), so they will finally be able to acheive some real volumes. Their.18 process in on schedule, and the K7 is really getting some promising press. Even Dell will be making K7 systems. In case you don't know, Dell is currently the only one of the top 10 PC manufacturers that doesn't use AMD chips in at least some of their systems.
Sure, there is less demand for high-end systems. But there is certainly still enough demand to sustain a company. Especially since AMD is so much smaller than intel, they can sell everything they make to this market. And the K7 is really a bargain anyway. I don't think lack of demand will be a problem for the K7 at all.
I heard that the initial motherboard maker will be Asus, Gigabyte, MSI, FIC, and Biostar. Of course, others will start making them later on. And the K7 is compatable with newer Alpha motherboards, if you have a lot of money burning a hole in your pocket.
First of all, it's Kryotech (OK, minor detail. But seeing "Cyrotek" really, really bugged me.). Second of all, it's not because of "the way the K7's are made", it's because of the way any piece of silicon is made. We are talking about extreme cooling, not just lowering the temp by a couple degrees. The Kryotech system cools the K7 to -40 degrees C, which is enough to actually lower the electrical resistance. This is not the same thing as overclocking. Overclockers stick big heat sinks on their processors to combat the extra heat produced by the overclocked chip. Kryotech lowers the resistance within the processor to allow it to run at a higher speed with no side effects. This might sound like a technicality, but it isn't. The practical difference is that overclocked systems suffer from electromigration (the process in which an overclocked processor slowly decays, leading to premature failures) even if they are properly cooled, while the Kryotech system does not. It is every bit as stable as the processor it was based on, if not more so (afterall, -40 degrees is overkill for simply removing heat).
Re:OUCH thats expensive. I am sticking wiht p3
on
AMD Athlon (K7) Ships
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· Score: 1
Um...no. More like 500 $500, 600 non-existent. Considering that K7s kill the PIII at the same clock speed, they're practically giving these things away. Really, the K7 is priced absurdly low.
Slashdot Mirror
I'm not denying any of what you said, but there is one important detail you didn't mention: the Playstation 2 is the superior machine. Period. They're not even on the same level. Dreamcast barely beats the existing consoles while PSX 2 is a quantum leap over existing consoles.
I'm not a very big console fan, but I'm thinking that I might actually buy a PSX 2. For one thing, it will be a long while before the PC is actually powerful enough to make emulation practical. The PSX 2 may cost a lot, but you get what you pay for. I can't wait for Final Fantasy IX on the playstation 2.
You do know that you can get VII for the PC, right? Sure, it's windoze, but it's better than nothing (the only reason I still have windoze on my computer is to play games). Since VII for the PC was commercially successful, VIII for the PC will be released only a couple of months after the (english) PSX version, rather than having to wait forever like I did for VII. By the way, I don't know what you're talking about bleem playing VI: VI is a SNES game. If you want it, go download the ROM for free.
"radio waves travel at the speed of sound not light"
AAAAAARRRRGGGGHH! Please tell me you're joking...please!!! Nobody's really that stupid, are they?! ACK! Get away from me! You must be sick or somethng!
First of all, the speed of sound varies. Through a vaccum it's 0. You do know that radio waves are part of the electromagnetic spectrum, right?!
By the way, I was under the impression that the nearest discovered planet was about 10 light years away. The nearest star is about 4 and for all we know could have a planet. We're not very good at seeing planets yet.
You watch SOF? I thought I was like the only one in the world who watched that show. I was watching SNL one night and didn't bother to turn off the TV afterwards and there it was. It's actually a pretty good show (at least compared to most of the crap that's on prime time), it just has an awful timeslot. Is it on any other time?
There is a big difference between simply being able to run x86 programs and being able to run them well. Excuse my language, but if you buy a Merced to run x86 software YOU'RE A FUCKING MORON!
Think about it: the entire point of the Merced is to place the burden of optimizing a processor's operation on the compiler rather than the processor itself. Merced's performance is totatly reliant of the quality of the compiler. In x86 most of the work is done in hardware. But the Merced is not an x86 processor, it is an IA-64 processor with x86 emulation. This means that the Merced will simply lack the hardware to optimize x86 operations. It propably won't be able to do any branch prediction, out of order execution, and will be unable to use more than one pipeline. Basically, it will run like a high clocked 386, if that well. Did I mention that it will also cost a freakin fortune? I don't know why they even bothered to include x86 compatability. It sure as hell isn't worth anything. The Merced needs its own software in order to succeed.
Invest? I already did.
Get a clue, will you? We aren't talking about an air cooled processor. We're talking about a Kryotech system cooled to -40 degrees C. I'd be damned surprised if they couldn't get it to 1 Ghz by November. It's already running at 650 mhz air cooled.
Um...it has the same name and it's the same general type of game, but it's not the same thing as the old AOL version. It's being developed from scratch, it will use a 3D engine so it will have a zoomable, rotatable camera, and it's based on the 3rd edition AD&D rules. While I've never played the old AOL version ('cause I've never used AOL), I don't think you have to worry about it not having the same playability. Have you ever played Baldur's Gate? In my opinion, it's the best roleplaying game ever. Period. Bioware knows their stuff.
I've been a serious gamer for a while now, and I find myself spending an absurd amount of time anticipating yet to be released titles, but this one takes the cake. I have never been more excited about an upcoming release. The fact that there's a Linux version is just an unexpected bonus. I want this game.
Yeah, I've heard a lot of things about this thing, but it was announced so far from its release that people didn't really pay any attention (good for them, I wish I had that kind of common sense).
This thing has a huge coolness factor. Not just because its damn fast, but also because of the way in which it was designed. Basically, the entire thing was designed with an advanced hardware simulator. They actually had completed drivers before they had any hardware. In fact, I believe they still don't have any hardware. That, when combined with the fact that it was announced so early, kind of makes people think it's vaporware. I sure hope it isn't, but I don't have much to support that hope.
Agreed. Or at least make it an optional preference. What is the point of it?
Honestly, how much money do you think they lost because of this? Were there really that many people who would prefer to spend hours downloading a movie with poor visual quality, the borders cut off, and crappy sound to spending $4.50 to see the real thing? Heck, most of the people who did download the thing were probably big Star Wars enthusiasts who saw in a couple times in the theater as well, and just couldn't get enough Jar-Jar.
I don't think that this is the end of movies. And it'll probably take more effort to stop than it's worth. To George Lucas: Live with it. It doesn't really matter.
It may not have an operating system yet, or hardware to run it on, but IT'S GOT A COOL BOX!
Let's face it: The Amiga is vaporware. It's not going to be out this year, probably not next year either.
Hmm...following your logic:
Microsoft is not better than BSD. Linux is.
I'm glad to be finally able to end that debate once and for all. It has been turning people against each other for far too long. Here's one:
Microsoft is not an operating system. Linux is.
OK, that one actually made sense. How about:
Microsoft is not pizza. Linux is.
I like Linux pizza. The ingredients are all open source. Here is my grand finale:
Microsoft is not good. Linux is.
QED
Why pay MORE for something that has less memory and shorter battery life than the Palm IIIx? The only thing that the Palm V has going for it is a snazzy new case. Wee. It also costs about $150 more than the IIIx. It's fine for somebody who has more money than brains, but if you actually want to do something with your Palm besides showing it off, than the IIIx is the way to go.
The Palm VII is interesting if you have a LOT of money. It not only costs a heck of a lot to begin with, but the service is about $25 a month. Who wants to pay that much to browse the internet with a tiny screen and very poor bandwidth? Sure, it sounds cool, but I doubt it's worth it. Maybe some day. Technology is always getting better and prices are always dropping (Except on the Palms, which seem to be getting more and more expensive with each model. Hmm...).
I think you're missing the point.
Most consumer PC motherboards have 3-4 DIMMs. With 256 megs on a DIMM, that makes a maximum of 1 GB of RAM. The exact same number as the Amiga. Sure, servers can have more memory, they have more DIMMs! The poster you were replying to was saying that it's a motherboard limitation, and I agree. There's no reason you couldn't make an Amiga motherboard with more DIMMS, but it's not a server. There's no reason to. How many people have more than a GB of RAM in their PCs at home? Sheesh.
Actually, Merced isn't intended to be sold at all.
Understand that this was never the original plan. Intel basically realized that Merced will not only cost a fortune and have no application support, but it's performance will also suck so bad they're not even going to try to sell it. Merced might have been good if it was released 2 years ago like it was originally supposed to be, but it simply can't compare to other high-end processors. Plus, its die is so huge that it would most likely have been more expensive. And it currently doesn't have a single OS that will run on it! Not exactly a good buy.
So intel decided that Merced will be nothing more than a proof of concept, as well as something they can give to developers and tell them to write programs for the next version (afterall, the instruction set is the same). You won't be able to buy an IA-64 processor until McKinley (Which, ironically, is being developed almost exclusively by HP. So much for intel leading a 64 bit revolution.), and it will not be cheap. Even McKinley might not be that good, because it will have some tough competition with proven platforms by the time it comes out.
Basically, don't think x86 is finished. Intel's IA-64 line is not very impressive at the moment. Remember that they are no longer competing in the x86 market with these, they are competing with well-respected and proven designs in a market that has a lot more competition than intel is used to. I do not think that the entire IA-64 line flopping is out of the question.
Let me start by saying that I find the term "GPV" very insulting. Now, I am not in any way associated with GNU, yet I still find it insulting. What is the purpose to such a statement besides trolling?
You claim that the GPL forces us to share. In many ways this is true. And that is exactly what makes the GPL a good license. Let's face the facts: people are selfish. People are greedy. People often don't give a damn about other people. Now are we supposed to expect everyone to support a widespread open source project out of the goodness of their hearts? Now I'm not saying that everyone is a selfish, greedy bastard. If they were, something like Linux would never have been created in the first place. The fact remains, however, that there are a lot more selfish, greedy bastards than their are generous people. GPL is necessary to prevent open software from being abused. That's all there is to it.
Now some people are truely generous and don't care if selfish, greedy bastards take advantage of the code they generously provide. BSD is evidence of this. There's nothing wrong with that. If the creator of a piece of software wants to let anyone is it in anyway, THEN THAT IS THEIR CHOICE. On a similar note, if somebody finds the idea of somebody else taking their free software and using it in a proprietary piece of software distastefull, then they have the right to prevent this. Again, IT IS THEIR CHOICE. There is nothing wrong with it.
AMD is NOT interested in the chipset market. They are working hard enough as it is. Like some one else said, AMD is only making slot-A/slot-B chipsets to get the ball rolling. They will gladly hand the market over to VIA, ALI, SiS, as well as some new companies such as Poseiden (who are making an interesting sounding 8 way chipset).
It will be interesting to see what the VIA/Cyrix combination will have in the future. But, I'm more concerned with VIA abandoning supporting AMD to focus on integrated products with Cyrix than I am with AMD dominating the slot-A/slot-B chipset market. They simply don't want to.
"I personally think all political parties should be banned. Let the candidates run on their own agenda, not a parties. Then we might get some people in office who are actually concerned with whats going on."
Exactly. People think that the US has never had an independent president, but that's not true: George Washington was very anti-political party. And with good reason. People end up forgetting what they really believe in and joining the party line just because it gives them a better chance of being elected. Political parties have certainly contributed to the "dualism" in US politics. Liberal and Conservative, Democrat and Republican. People seem incapable of grasping the possibility of a third, or *gasp* a fourth, possibility. There are many voters who don't even understand or care about the issues. They just go and vote for whomever is running for their party. Completely mindless.
Why do we need political parties at all?
Now I'll agree that MacOS isn't all that different (although there certainly are some differences), however I have to disagree with your comments about OS/2. First of all, I have to ask what version did you use? The interface for 4.0 is completely different from the previous versions. And I have to say that I really like it. Face it, the windoze GUI is terrible. Basically, M$ argued with itself for months over how to do the win95 GUI until they only had a couple of weeks left to work on it so they slapped together some piece of crap. Of course, that's how they do everything. The problem is it seems to have become the standard. Of course, that also seems to happen with everything they do. Oh well.
All you seem to have focussed on in your description is the process of moving and resizing windows. Now, I'll admit that this process is basically the same, but what about opening up those windows in the first place? What about browsing your hard drive and getting information about your computer. What about those horrible and belittling names like "My Computer"?! How can you say that windoze has a good GUI? I can't stand the start menu! It's possibly the most awkward way to start programs ever invented. The only good parts of the windoze GUI (like the menu you get when you right click) were copied from OS/2, not the other way around. M$ can't do anything right.
Honestly, why do we have to copy the windoze GUI anyway? Even if for some strange reason you do like it, it's not Linux. It just ends up making Linux look like a cheap windoze knock-off. And that is something that it certainly isn't. Can't somebody be a little more creative when designing a GUI? At the very least, keep making nextstep clones. It's a better GUI.
Honestly, I can't see any possible advantage to a 3D UI other than the coolness factor. I mean, come on! What kind of pointing device would be required to work in a 3D environment? Do you really think that it would be more intuitive than a standard "2D" environment? And 2D in that sense is really something of a misnomer. Afterall, can't you stick one application behind another already? It's only 2D in the sense that you are always looking at your applications straight on. And that's a GOOD thing. Why on earth would you want to see the side of an application?
And think of the resources that would be wasted on a 3D UI. Imagine the processor power that would be required to do even the simplest tasks. What is the point?! How would this be better than the GUIs we already have? Imagine how difficult it would be to use a mouse to select an object in 3D space. Why, why, why?!
OK, I'm starting to rant. But the major criticisms I've seen in the other posts I've read is that it's not open source. Nobody seems to have mentioned that it's an incredibly stupid idea. OK, it looks cool, but that's about it.
You can take my command prompt when you pry my keyboard out of my cold, dead hands.
OK, I'm biased. Still, until very recently the processor market was as dominated by intel as M$ dominates the OS market, if not more so. So I've been cheering on AMD all the while, just 'cause I always feel the need to support the underdog. And of course, I've also scraped up every little technical detail about the K7 that I could. And the benchmarks are no surprise.
Yessiree, the K7 rocks. Perhaps it will start some true competition in the processor market.
Actually, that huge loss wasn't due so much to lowered revenues as it was due to them spending so much money preparing for the K7. And that loss does not even take into account the fact that they sold their Vantis division for $500 million.
.18 process in on schedule, and the K7 is really getting some promising press. Even Dell will be making K7 systems. In case you don't know, Dell is currently the only one of the top 10 PC manufacturers that doesn't use AMD chips in at least some of their systems.
Sure, it looks bad right now. But Q3 will show a huge change. They will go from a $60 ASP to charging $500 and more for their processors. Now, if they were able to make a profit with an ASP below $100 (which they did for the last couple quarters of 98), think about what they can do with that kind of ASP. Also, their Dresden facility is nearly complete (should be online this year, but I don't know if it will be in Q3 or Q4), so they will finally be able to acheive some real volumes. Their
Sure, there is less demand for high-end systems. But there is certainly still enough demand to sustain a company. Especially since AMD is so much smaller than intel, they can sell everything they make to this market. And the K7 is really a bargain anyway. I don't think lack of demand will be a problem for the K7 at all.
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I heard that the initial motherboard maker will be Asus, Gigabyte, MSI, FIC, and Biostar. Of course, others will start making them later on. And the K7 is compatable with newer Alpha motherboards, if you have a lot of money burning a hole in your pocket.
First of all, it's Kryotech (OK, minor detail. But seeing "Cyrotek" really, really bugged me.). Second of all, it's not because of "the way the K7's are made", it's because of the way any piece of silicon is made. We are talking about extreme cooling, not just lowering the temp by a couple degrees. The Kryotech system cools the K7 to -40 degrees C, which is enough to actually lower the electrical resistance. This is not the same thing as overclocking. Overclockers stick big heat sinks on their processors to combat the extra heat produced by the overclocked chip. Kryotech lowers the resistance within the processor to allow it to run at a higher speed with no side effects. This might sound like a technicality, but it isn't. The practical difference is that overclocked systems suffer from electromigration (the process in which an overclocked processor slowly decays, leading to premature failures) even if they are properly cooled, while the Kryotech system does not. It is every bit as stable as the processor it was based on, if not more so (afterall, -40 degrees is overkill for simply removing heat).
Um...no. More like 500 $500, 600 non-existent. Considering that K7s kill the PIII at the same clock speed, they're practically giving these things away. Really, the K7 is priced absurdly low.