Or in other words: causes of death that aren't related to bad luck have been dropping. Since the total death rate remains at 100%, bad luck related causes must be taking up the slack.
For a fair comparison, you shouldn't compare a single core with 16 cores, each the size of the single core. Instead, you should keep the number of transistors fixed, and decide whether you want to divide them into 4 big cores, or 16 smaller ones (with smaller caches). And since we're talking about general purpose PCs, you should consider a typical mix of user applications.
A 3+ GHz single core CPU is easily capable of decoding images that come in at full speed over a typical internet connection. You may be able to use multiple cores, but it's going to make the overall page loading any quicker than using a single core.
You may need a bunch of cheap threads, but that doesn't mean they'll run faster on separate cores. Unless you have really fast I/O (most people don't) a single core should handle it just fine.
With the rise of specialized bitcoin mining ASICs, the money you can make from PC mining is so little, that it's not worth the trouble, even when you hijack machines.
someone who has never created a single patentable invention in his life? Or written a best-selling novel? Or composed a symphony? Or written a screenplay?
That's 99.99% of the population.
I'm sure it does sound fair to parasites who think they are entitled to other people's work without compensation.
You mean the people who inherit the copyright after the author's death ? Or the people who take stories from public domain, adapt them for the movie screen, and then get to keep all the rights and money forever ?
You misunderstand. I have no reason to want to speed up human extinction. But I also have no reason to want to spend fortunes on a crazy plan that might extend it. If you care for humanity, the best thing to do is spend the resources on keeping the Earth in shape.
Actually, building a communication network seems like something everybody in their right mind would want. I'm not sure why you'd consider that a good analogy for trying to build a settlement on a cold dusty rock in a near vacuum.
Even in Fe-rich asteroids, the concentration of platinum is rather low (less than 0.01%). I wonder what's more problematic, launching a refinery to an asteroid, or bringing back tons of raw ore ?
Double spending is only prevented by recording the transaction in the ledger (in the block chain, which doesn't require proof of work, it uses the block that has already been created).
No, recording the transaction in the block chain requires making a new block. And making a new block requires a proof of work. Without that proof of work, anybody could just add new transactions to the block chain.
I don't see what the big deal is. 5 million years ago we were still swinging from trees. Nobody has any idea what humanity, or whatever is left, will look like in another 5 million years. Our resources are better spent worrying about the next century here in Earth.
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C compilation has linear speedup as each file can be compiled without knowing the others
As long as I/O bandwidth is infinite.
But would you rather do a parallel make on 4 cores with big caches, or 64 cores, each with 1/16th of the cache ?
Or in other words: causes of death that aren't related to bad luck have been dropping. Since the total death rate remains at 100%, bad luck related causes must be taking up the slack.
For a fair comparison, you shouldn't compare a single core with 16 cores, each the size of the single core. Instead, you should keep the number of transistors fixed, and decide whether you want to divide them into 4 big cores, or 16 smaller ones (with smaller caches). And since we're talking about general purpose PCs, you should consider a typical mix of user applications.
Obviously, adding more big cores is better, but that's not what Linus was talking about.
A 3+ GHz single core CPU is easily capable of decoding images that come in at full speed over a typical internet connection. You may be able to use multiple cores, but it's going to make the overall page loading any quicker than using a single core.
You may need a bunch of cheap threads, but that doesn't mean they'll run faster on separate cores. Unless you have really fast I/O (most people don't) a single core should handle it just fine.
No, outside of the edge cases, using 4 smaller cores instead of a single big one will not make foo() go faster.
A neural net is a very specific, massively parallel, purpose, not general purpose.
You keep talking about "3rd parties", but there are only two.
don't use Biosphere II as an example. It never was a serious scientific experiment
That has always made me wonder why nobody followed up on these projects with a rigorous scientific version. It seems we can learn plenty from it.
With the rise of specialized bitcoin mining ASICs, the money you can make from PC mining is so little, that it's not worth the trouble, even when you hijack machines.
I have a inkjet printer and a B/W laser printer. Neither of them I would consider high maintenance.
if I were to write a book, I'd like my descendants to benefit for some while.
And if a roadworker builds a new road, I'm sure he'd like his descendants to benefit too.
So other poor artists can use them for their own creative works, for example.
someone who has never created a single patentable invention in his life? Or written a best-selling novel? Or composed a symphony? Or written a screenplay?
That's 99.99% of the population.
I'm sure it does sound fair to parasites who think they are entitled to other people's work without compensation.
You mean the people who inherit the copyright after the author's death ? Or the people who take stories from public domain, adapt them for the movie screen, and then get to keep all the rights and money forever ?
A few billion won't be enough to build a colony on Mars, so yes, public funds will be needed.
You misunderstand. I have no reason to want to speed up human extinction. But I also have no reason to want to spend fortunes on a crazy plan that might extend it. If you care for humanity, the best thing to do is spend the resources on keeping the Earth in shape.
Actually, building a communication network seems like something everybody in their right mind would want. I'm not sure why you'd consider that a good analogy for trying to build a settlement on a cold dusty rock in a near vacuum.
You're so cute.. calling somebody a nihilist because he doesn't want to go to Mars. As if that's the only thing there is to do.
Even in Fe-rich asteroids, the concentration of platinum is rather low (less than 0.01%). I wonder what's more problematic, launching a refinery to an asteroid, or bringing back tons of raw ore ?
Double spending is only prevented by recording the transaction in the ledger (in the block chain, which doesn't require proof of work, it uses the block that has already been created).
No, recording the transaction in the block chain requires making a new block. And making a new block requires a proof of work. Without that proof of work, anybody could just add new transactions to the block chain.
I'm sure we can. And as long as no public funds are used to pay for this space colony, I'm happy.
Not necessarily. People pay me to write code, and I keep the copyright. All they get is a license to copy/use it.
I don't see what the big deal is. 5 million years ago we were still swinging from trees. Nobody has any idea what humanity, or whatever is left, will look like in another 5 million years. Our resources are better spent worrying about the next century here in Earth.