Ah, a gaming card that has a geometry setup engine in hardware? Nice. That was the deciding factor when I bought the FireGL card 2 years ago -- the Permedia chip.
Now, comparing that FireGL card to other things available, it's quite lackluster.
-It won't do 3D in a window
-It's geometry setup actually slows down what my dual PIIs could do by themselves (at least, it feels that way)
I don't know exactly how much of the setup this new hardware will do... This could be interesting!
Okay, just so you know I'm not asleep at the switch, I saw the "Voquette" device. I can't find any info on what kind of interface it has. USB? It might be... They certainly allude to connecting it to a PC, and it's software is what's going to be doing the text-to-speech grunt work. It'll be on the minidisc as audio. For some reason, I was assuming otherwise. Oh, well.
What I was looking at was the Sharp MD-X8 system, which is a bookshelf system, and only offers a PC Card interface!
I might forgive a discman-type device that interface, but a (relatively) stationary unit? Please.
I can't find any definative information on the interface of this Voquette device. Anyone have any ideas? Find anything I missed?
Did anyone else notice that the only way you can connect this to your computer is through a PC Card? I didn't find any reference to any other options...
Granted, you can put a PC Card interface in a desktop, but that's more money spent trying to talk to the thing.
There are precious few companies out there that can survive making high quality things instead of 'faster, better, cheaper... now in this year's colors!!' things. I sincerely hope that Transmeta is one of them.
Since the debut of the clock-doubled processor, there have always been bottlenecks in communication. HD, Memory, and video bandwidth, interrupt usage, winmodems... these factors and devices have conspired to slow down performance. For the most part, designers and engineers have managed to work around these problems. Now, Transmeta comes along with (what appears to be) a 'make things play nice together' strategy, instead of warring over instruction sets and other proprietary BS.
Put this to use in a mobile device, where size, energy consumption (and it's evil twin, heat generation) are directly related to cost and usability, and there's a market that will welcome you with open arms!
I see this as something similar to the Digital interpreter for intel Win32 binaries.... remember it? It allowed intel-specific WinNT apps to run on the Alpha processor. BUT, as the app ran, the interpreter would generate Alpha-native code. Eventually, once you'd used all the functions and features of your chosen application, you'd have a best-guess version for the Alpha! Neat, huh? Now, do it faster, in hardware!!
Now, imagine running Linux, on a light, long-lived laptop, and being able to run... DOS and Windows binaries. Or any Apple software (I know a couple Mac-only pharmaceutical-modeling apps). Or Be, OS/2, Irix, NeXT Step, PalmOS, Epoc...
Another thought occurs to me as well... imagine a portable / palmtop / handheld that can peacefully co-exist and talk directly with all others! Psion, Palm and WinCE...others that aren't so well known. You can't transfer your electronic business card from a WinCE device to a Palm, but this just might make it possible!!!
I think it's funny. They're stuck in a rut. Again. I applaud them for supporting OS-diversity, but perchance there are one too many windows-using drones in their marketing and legal departments...
Seems to me that Corel had this same stuck-in-the-(legalese)-mud when they released their distro beta. I'm sure you all remember.
Perhaps their marketing department isn't ready to believe that some people get along just fine without Microsoft's help. Naah... that'd never happen...
Having only briefly looked at the page, I think it'd be neat if the "Windows version" would accept an entry of "no." Or perhaps they're referring to a windows manager...? Either that, or they're weeding out the wanna-bes by watching for those who just blindly type "Windows 98" in there.
I mean, really, are windows users the kind of people you'd want testing your software??
Yes, NT has a "Write debugging information to: (generally %SystemRoot%\MEMORY.DMP) option. Then you have a copy of your last-state memory in this massive file. This is not news
What jafac was saying is that Microsoft does not give you or offer any low-cost, distributable tools for making sense out of this massive pile of arcane charachters.
Got 128 MB of system memory on a NT workstation? 512 MB on a server? Hope you've got Einstein and a couple years to sort through the thing by hand to find your problem!!
And UnknownSoldier has another very good point: The analysis tools are not cheap, and you can't share!
C'mon Microsoft, didn't you learn anything in kindergarden?
Geez, you're right. I dropped 3 zeros. Don't know how that happened... sorry.
I think the rest of my math is correct though, about the 100 copies of the Library of Congress and the difference between binary and decimal... I hope...
Another thing, straight from Wired, (and this direct quote has a paragraph all to itself):
"And if there's one thing about Linux users, they're do-ers, not whiners."
I can live with that. Sounds to me like a good-ole' hard-working individual chalked one up for himself. Bully for them. Innovation and brains aren't dead yet.
As far as Wired's solution for the "problem", I don't think they quite have it. Make it economically attractive for consumers to buy an original, instead of spending $1500 in computer equipment (total value of the system) in order to make a poorer quality copy!! Am I the only one this is obvious to?
The videotapes that you rent at BlockBuster cost the company $4 and a profit-sharing agreement. Then, after making a couple hundred dollars on renting each copy, they sell you the used tape for (what?) $10 to $15? Nice, huh?
DVDs are only going to make this better. They don't wear out as quickly/easily as videotape. They have more features. AND they're cheaper to manufacture!! Think what that'll do to the fat-cat's profit margins.
I'm sick of this. I've had it with the greed. Gonna quit. Gonna go live in a cabin in Montana with a nice bear-skin rug. Yeah, right.
I know if I had moderator points, I'd be moderating "+1, Funny" instead of writing this. But you gotta do what you can...
As far as the Uncle Sam's big iron... That password will work! On some of them (don't know which ones). It's scary how wide-spread the use of 'password' is. You tell these people that they have to choose a password, and they go "Duh, okay! Got one!"
Most government equipment is built by the lowest bidder. But it's also operated by the lowest bidders, too!
Okay, I'm going to use decimal here, not binary (powers of 2). I do this simply because I have a handy reference, thanks to Roy Williams at CalTech, and his Data Powers of Ten page.
Petabyte: 1,000,000,000,000 bytes
1 Petabyte: 100 printed collections of the entire US Library of Congress(!)
Now, I am substituting descriptions from different parts of his site. He actually compares a petabyte to 3 years of satelite data... but I can't visualize that very easily.
I can visualize the Library of Congress. The Library of Congress is a big place. Now, you want to stuff all that through a wire (or fiber... they had that in '89) 100 times in 30 seconds!! Incredible. I think someone had their exponents a little off.
This sounds like people I know who swear that government spy satelites can read your watch.
Oh, just one more thing, in the interests of accuracy. Just because I like base 10 instead of powers of 2, the numbers in my description may be off by, oh, say... 117,253 GIGAbytes . This minor inconvenience (errata, call it what you will) is brought to you by Microsoft, Intel, and the Windows calculator.
Get Clinton to retire one of the Air Force One 747s so you can use that and live in total luxury...
Or just find an old 747 and move into that... it's got to be more liveable than 1200 sq ft of low headroom... You did notice that the hallway was on the side, requiring curved residents or a permanent crick in the back!
IIRC, Slot "A" was (supposed to be?) electrically compatible with the EV-6 (or was it EV-7?) Alpha chip bus.
That was supposed to bring us mainboards that were capable of accepting AMD or Digital (now Compaq) Alpha processors... nothing ever came of it that I saw. It's been quite a while, at least as far as processor development is concerned.
I do remember that the bus was nice. Seperate comm channels to memory, I/O, and... I forget what else. I remember thinking that it seemed quite the intelligent idea, made good sense and all that. Then again, I'm not a chip engineer, and I don't play one on TV.
And all those other fun commands? (So I didn't exactly play fair...)
Seems that if the codes are left enabled, the limitations placed on a newer/less experienced sysadmin would be pointless. What then? What happens when Joe Frathouse gets in, grabs a BFG-9000 and starts going after user sessions and kernels?
I know that he wouldn't be vulnerable, but his session would be... however, that wouldn't do much more than slow him down temporarily.
I hate being a wet blanket, for I really like this idea. I want it for Novell. I want to use this to kick off users when I have to load software... or patches... or reboot the server for it's monthly memory-leak cleaning... fun.
Unlike a physical device (like a gun), there is no one thing that can be intercepted. Anyone can make more copies, and give them to their friends and associates. It costs next to nothing to do this. (That's why Microsoft hates pirated software -- people are realizing the real value of their product!)
Building a gun takes skill, time, and resources. There are choke points where things can be regulated.
On the other hand, if I kick my conspiracy-generator into high gear, I can see the government making everyone use a SunRay / Network Computer-type system hooked into a government server... No-one gets a compiler unless you have a license and your psych profile and biometrics are on file and up-to-date!
Quote from the ThinkGeek site this morning (~2 AM EST) Appears they changed the front page after I hit it the first time (~8:30 PM EST).
Wow. What a ride that/. effect was.
I love these guys. They even offer Jolt in flavors I never knew existed! Mmmmm... Citrus Climax or Cherry Bomb... I may never drink regular soda again! Did you notice they even have the relative caffeine content listed? Cool!
And scheduled delivery to boot!!
Guys, sorry 'bout that/. effect... it was worth it for all the orders, right?
I think I need to point out here that Win9x blue screen messages are still quite serious.
When WinNuke was all the rage, it would blue-screen Win95 and NT. Win95 was 'recoverable'. NT was not.
However when you tried to use a TCP/IP connection after acknowleging the blue screen, you found that it didn't work. Reboot.
So (I guess) the difference is that you get to save your work in Win95 (unless it's on a TCP/IP-connected server!!) With NT you're just SOL.
Also, many times that Win95 has BSOD'd for me, I can't just acknowlege it and keep going. The damn messages just keep coming until I summon mighty RESET.
"Windows is busy waiting for a close program dialog to appear. To continue waiting, press any key. To reboot your computer, press CTRL-ALT-DEL again..."
Two, that it is actually an NSA key. If the NSA is going to use Microsoft products for classified traffic, they're going to install their own cryptography. They're not going to want to show it to anyone, not even Microsoft. They are going to want to sign their own modules. So the backup key could also be an NSA internal key, so that they could install strong cryptography on Microsoft products for their own internal use."
You know, this fits my vision of the NSA.
Think about this: If they actually wanted a backdoor in windows, it wouldn't be vulnerable to some MicroSerf in a non-descript cubicle who forgot to rename a crypto key.
It'd be like the first versions of Win 3.0 with that mystery module (the only one that was encrypted). Remember? The one that caused a FUD message when used with DR-DOS? They're sneaky like that (Both Microsoft and the NSA!)
Also, IIRC, these signature keys are only if you want to use the MS Crypto-API. If you've rolled your own (encryption, that is), then you can install it just like another program.
I wonder how all this affects PGP and GPG on Windows platforms...?
Supposedly a stain that'll stick to the exterior in addition to soaking in like most stains / varnishes.
Never used it, can't vouch for it. If you want the look of wood, use real wood. I know it's a lot more work, but the end result (done correctly) will be so much more attractive.
Sony has their iLink (Firewire) ports on their laptops, most (I think) desktops, and many (all?) of their Digital8MM camcorders.
I'd certainly take that as a point that firewire isn't being ignored. Isn't Sony also using it as the linkage for their high-end consumer audio/video equipment (Minidisc for example)?
I've lusted after a VIAO 505 and a Digital8 camcorder for a while now... I'm just waiting for things to mature a bit more -- especially battery life.
Some have suggested that we look into the Linux sources for such data. Perhaps, but I see little reason to open ourselves to possible accusations of reverse-engineering. We're welcome on x-86 hardware, we're not welcome on Apple G3/G4. We respect the logic and that settles it for us.
Yup, I have to agree with Monoman here. They're waffling (And leaving a loud "NO" at the end there). Worried about the 'stigma' of reverse engineering. Worried about following a company that started this whole 'personal' computer idea. As if the IBM PC (and clones) didn't take over the earth... Damn shame.
I just can't understand that. I'd be proud to have bragging rights that I managed to figure out how the chipset worked... perhaps I might even be able to figure out a BIOS patch so G3 users can pop in a G4 chip. That would make me real popular with users, but certainly not Apple. I can live with that -- why can't Be? (Yes, I know R-E's expensive and time consuming, some resources Be doesn't necessarily have.)
Reverse engineering is (to me, at least) a time-honored tradition, held reverently among the holy clan of geek and revered by the royal house of nerd. It is a ritual question that is never tired: How'd they do that?? The answers are unique and special, the quest unending, the chase heady and intoxicating.
Okay, I'm sounding too much like Katz. I live for this stuff. I like knowing how what I own works, and I'm not afraid of taking it apart to find out.
And now that I've raved about the reverse-engineering bit, lets rave about a fact Mr. Gassée conveniently forgot, but Monoman didn't!
IBM has released an open-spec motherboard and the specs for the PowerPC. Granted, there is precious little manufacturer support at this point, but with a processor as hot as the G4, I hope that'll change
soon. BeOS, you are explicitly welcome here, as is Linux and everyone else that wants to party.
C'mon, Be. I want a G4, but not MacOS. I want a G4 with BeOS. Somebody (not Apple) will build it, but you'll have to support it. If'n you don't do it, I can't buy it, now can I? Now that's just not the American way, and aren't you ashamed of yourselves?? Show some backbone. Apple used to fly the pirate flag -- they don't anymore (last I knew). It's your turn to pick up that standard and turn the world on it's ear. You have the vision, you have the product, now it's time to market the bejesus out of it!!
Well, I sure took too long to hit the submit button! Apple ought to be worried, though: People are more interested in their display than the computer it's bundled with... at least to this point.
Slashdot Mirror
Now, comparing that FireGL card to other things available, it's quite lackluster.
- -It won't do 3D in a window
I don't know exactly how much of the setup this new hardware will do... This could be interesting!-It's geometry setup actually slows down what my dual PIIs could do by themselves (at least, it feels that way)
What I was looking at was the Sharp MD-X8 system, which is a bookshelf system, and only offers a PC Card interface!
I might forgive a discman-type device that interface, but a (relatively) stationary unit? Please.
I can't find any definative information on the interface of this Voquette device. Anyone have any ideas? Find anything I missed?
Granted, you can put a PC Card interface in a desktop, but that's more money spent trying to talk to the thing.
Hey, Sharp! How about USB, Firewire, or Ethernet?
There are precious few companies out there that can survive making high quality things instead of 'faster, better, cheaper... now in this year's colors!!' things. I sincerely hope that Transmeta is one of them.
Since the debut of the clock-doubled processor, there have always been bottlenecks in communication. HD, Memory, and video bandwidth, interrupt usage, winmodems... these factors and devices have conspired to slow down performance. For the most part, designers and engineers have managed to work around these problems. Now, Transmeta comes along with (what appears to be) a 'make things play nice together' strategy, instead of warring over instruction sets and other proprietary BS.
Put this to use in a mobile device, where size, energy consumption (and it's evil twin, heat generation) are directly related to cost and usability, and there's a market that will welcome you with open arms!
I see this as something similar to the Digital interpreter for intel Win32 binaries.... remember it? It allowed intel-specific WinNT apps to run on the Alpha processor. BUT, as the app ran, the interpreter would generate Alpha-native code. Eventually, once you'd used all the functions and features of your chosen application, you'd have a best-guess version for the Alpha! Neat, huh? Now, do it faster, in hardware!!
Now, imagine running Linux, on a light, long-lived laptop, and being able to run... DOS and Windows binaries. Or any Apple software (I know a couple Mac-only pharmaceutical-modeling apps). Or Be, OS/2, Irix, NeXT Step, PalmOS, Epoc...
Another thought occurs to me as well... imagine a portable / palmtop / handheld that can peacefully co-exist and talk directly with all others! Psion, Palm and WinCE...others that aren't so well known. You can't transfer your electronic business card from a WinCE device to a Palm, but this just might make it possible!!!
God, it's a great time to be alive!
Seems to me that Corel had this same stuck-in-the-(legalese)-mud when they released their distro beta. I'm sure you all remember.
Perhaps their marketing department isn't ready to believe that some people get along just fine without Microsoft's help. Naah... that'd never happen...
Having only briefly looked at the page, I think it'd be neat if the "Windows version" would accept an entry of "no." Or perhaps they're referring to a windows manager...? Either that, or they're weeding out the wanna-bes by watching for those who just blindly type "Windows 98" in there.
I mean, really, are windows users the kind of people you'd want testing your software??
What jafac was saying is that Microsoft does not give you or offer any low-cost, distributable tools for making sense out of this massive pile of arcane charachters.
Got 128 MB of system memory on a NT workstation? 512 MB on a server? Hope you've got Einstein and a couple years to sort through the thing by hand to find your problem!!
And UnknownSoldier has another very good point: The analysis tools are not cheap, and you can't share!
C'mon Microsoft, didn't you learn anything in kindergarden?
I think the rest of my math is correct though, about the 100 copies of the Library of Congress and the difference between binary and decimal... I hope...
Sorry 'bout that!
- "And if there's one thing about Linux users, they're do-ers, not whiners."
I can live with that. Sounds to me like a good-ole' hard-working individual chalked one up for himself. Bully for them. Innovation and brains aren't dead yet.As far as Wired's solution for the "problem", I don't think they quite have it. Make it economically attractive for consumers to buy an original, instead of spending $1500 in computer equipment (total value of the system) in order to make a poorer quality copy!! Am I the only one this is obvious to?
The videotapes that you rent at BlockBuster cost the company $4 and a profit-sharing agreement. Then, after making a couple hundred dollars on renting each copy, they sell you the used tape for (what?) $10 to $15? Nice, huh?
DVDs are only going to make this better. They don't wear out as quickly/easily as videotape. They have more features. AND they're cheaper to manufacture!! Think what that'll do to the fat-cat's profit margins.
I'm sick of this. I've had it with the greed. Gonna quit. Gonna go live in a cabin in Montana with a nice bear-skin rug. Yeah, right.
As far as the Uncle Sam's big iron... That password will work! On some of them (don't know which ones). It's scary how wide-spread the use of 'password' is. You tell these people that they have to choose a password, and they go "Duh, okay! Got one!"
Most government equipment is built by the lowest bidder. But it's also operated by the lowest bidders, too!
Petabyte: 1,000,000,000,000 bytes
Now, I am substituting descriptions from different parts of his site. He actually compares a petabyte to 3 years of satelite data... but I can't visualize that very easily.
I can visualize the Library of Congress. The Library of Congress is a big place. Now, you want to stuff all that through a wire (or fiber... they had that in '89) 100 times in 30 seconds!! Incredible. I think someone had their exponents a little off.
This sounds like people I know who swear that government spy satelites can read your watch.
Oh, just one more thing, in the interests of accuracy. Just because I like base 10 instead of powers of 2, the numbers in my description may be off by, oh, say... 117,253 GIGAbytes . This minor inconvenience (errata, call it what you will) is brought to you by Microsoft, Intel, and the Windows calculator.
You want the snobbiest dwelling around?
Get Clinton to retire one of the Air Force One 747s so you can use that and live in total luxury...
Or just find an old 747 and move into that... it's got to be more liveable than 1200 sq ft of low headroom... You did notice that the hallway was on the side, requiring curved residents or a permanent crick in the back!
Myself, I'll stick to concrete, wood, and steel.
That was supposed to bring us mainboards that were capable of accepting AMD or Digital (now Compaq) Alpha processors... nothing ever came of it that I saw. It's been quite a while, at least as far as processor development is concerned.
I do remember that the bus was nice. Seperate comm channels to memory, I/O, and... I forget what else. I remember thinking that it seemed quite the intelligent idea, made good sense and all that. Then again, I'm not a chip engineer, and I don't play one on TV.
What about...
IDKFA?
And all those other fun commands? (So I didn't exactly play fair...)
Seems that if the codes are left enabled, the limitations placed on a newer/less experienced sysadmin would be pointless. What then? What happens when Joe Frathouse gets in, grabs a BFG-9000 and starts going after user sessions and kernels?
I know that he wouldn't be vulnerable, but his session would be... however, that wouldn't do much more than slow him down temporarily.
I hate being a wet blanket, for I really like this idea. I want it for Novell. I want to use this to kick off users when I have to load software... or patches... or reboot the server for it's monthly memory-leak cleaning... fun.
Unlike a physical device (like a gun), there is no one thing that can be intercepted. Anyone can make more copies, and give them to their friends and associates. It costs next to nothing to do this. (That's why Microsoft hates pirated software -- people are realizing the real value of their product!)
Building a gun takes skill, time, and resources. There are choke points where things can be regulated.
On the other hand, if I kick my conspiracy-generator into high gear, I can see the government making everyone use a SunRay / Network Computer-type system hooked into a government server... No-one gets a compiler unless you have a license and your psych profile and biometrics are on file and up-to-date!
Boo! Did I scare you?
Sneaky.
Sort of elegant.
Innovative.
The NSA'll be wanting to recruit them!!
I love these guys. They even offer Jolt in flavors I never knew existed! Mmmmm... Citrus Climax or Cherry Bomb... I may never drink regular soda again! Did you notice they even have the relative caffeine content listed? Cool!
And scheduled delivery to boot!!
Guys, sorry 'bout that /. effect... it was worth it for all the orders, right?
When WinNuke was all the rage, it would blue-screen Win95 and NT. Win95 was 'recoverable'. NT was not.
However when you tried to use a TCP/IP connection after acknowleging the blue screen, you found that it didn't work. Reboot.
So (I guess) the difference is that you get to save your work in Win95 (unless it's on a TCP/IP-connected server!!) With NT you're just SOL.
Also, many times that Win95 has BSOD'd for me, I can't just acknowlege it and keep going. The damn messages just keep coming until I summon mighty RESET.
"Windows is busy waiting for a close program dialog to appear. To continue waiting, press any key. To reboot your computer, press CTRL-ALT-DEL again..."
Or something like that. Sound familiar?
You know, this fits my vision of the NSA.
Think about this: If they actually wanted a backdoor in windows, it wouldn't be vulnerable to some MicroSerf in a non-descript cubicle who forgot to rename a crypto key.
It'd be like the first versions of Win 3.0 with that mystery module (the only one that was encrypted). Remember? The one that caused a FUD message when used with DR-DOS? They're sneaky like that (Both Microsoft and the NSA!)
Also, IIRC, these signature keys are only if you want to use the MS Crypto-API. If you've rolled your own (encryption, that is), then you can install it just like another program.
I wonder how all this affects PGP and GPG on Windows platforms...?
Supposedly a stain that'll stick to the exterior in addition to soaking in like most stains / varnishes.
Never used it, can't vouch for it. If you want the look of wood, use real wood. I know it's a lot more work, but the end result (done correctly) will be so much more attractive.
I'd certainly take that as a point that firewire isn't being ignored. Isn't Sony also using it as the linkage for their high-end consumer audio/video equipment (Minidisc for example)?
I've lusted after a VIAO 505 and a Digital8 camcorder for a while now... I'm just waiting for things to mature a bit more -- especially battery life.
The Firewire is out there...
Quoth Jean-Louis Gassée:
Yup, I have to agree with Monoman here. They're waffling (And leaving a loud "NO" at the end there). Worried about the 'stigma' of reverse engineering. Worried about following a company that started this whole 'personal' computer idea. As if the IBM PC (and clones) didn't take over the earth... Damn shame.
I just can't understand that. I'd be proud to have bragging rights that I managed to figure out how the chipset worked... perhaps I might even be able to figure out a BIOS patch so G3 users can pop in a G4 chip. That would make me real popular with users, but certainly not Apple. I can live with that -- why can't Be? (Yes, I know R-E's expensive and time consuming, some resources Be doesn't necessarily have.)
Reverse engineering is (to me, at least) a time-honored tradition, held reverently among the holy clan of geek and revered by the royal house of nerd. It is a ritual question that is never tired: How'd they do that?? The answers are unique and special, the quest unending, the chase heady and intoxicating.
Okay, I'm sounding too much like Katz. I live for this stuff. I like knowing how what I own works, and I'm not afraid of taking it apart to find out.
And now that I've raved about the reverse-engineering bit, lets rave about a fact Mr. Gassée conveniently forgot, but Monoman didn't!
C'mon, Be. I want a G4, but not MacOS. I want a G4 with BeOS. Somebody (not Apple) will build it, but you'll have to support it. If'n you don't do it, I can't buy it, now can I? Now that's just not the American way, and aren't you ashamed of yourselves?? Show some backbone. Apple used to fly the pirate flag -- they don't anymore (last I knew). It's your turn to pick up that standard and turn the world on it's ear. You have the vision, you have the product, now it's time to market the bejesus out of it!!
- IBM has decided to release the specs for the PowerPC (G3 at least...) series of processors.
This makes me think that Be will have an easier time porting their OS to the newer hardware.IBM has also released the design for a PowerPC mainboard. (And it doesn't use Apple ROMs.)
The reasoning is that the open source community will be able to use IBM's hardware more easily. (Read: more sales)
Damn, that's a nice screen...
I've sold my soul to intel, but I want one of those displays!
Netcat for NT (zip file) at ftp.technotronic.com
There 'ya go, all fixed.