Given the behavior of mainframe makers (back when I worked in mainframes) the idea that manufacturers are deliberately retarding chip development isn't impossible.
Still, the sunk costs for creating chip fabs that could make 8GHz P4s aren't trivial. It's quite possible that the factor delaying their introduction is that Intel needs to make enough money to be able to afford building the new plants...
And how would IA64 chips solve that problem?
on
Forget Moore's Law?
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· Score: 1
64 bit chips don't automatically have faster IO than 32 bit chips; an IA64 web server wouldn't be able to handle more hits than an IA32 server. So why would eBay go to IA64? Where's the win?
people have taken Moore's law to be one of the fundamental laws of the universe, like thermodynamics or Murphy's Law of Re-Runs.
This means that people base their buying decisions on the idea that "it will be cheaper next week" and they develop code with the idea that "it might be bloated and slow today, but Intel's next chip will fix the problem."
Overall I do agree with you, code has bloated and we've gotten very little for it. What can I do with 300 megs of MS Office X that I couldn't do with the 1993 version?
But the current generation of processors has made certain apps possible that weren't possible in 93.
Multimedia apps like video editing, photo editing and even mp3 playing require enough data bandwith and processing power that they were implausibly hard in 93. At the moment, I'm listening to NPR on my Mac as a background task that's consuming a neglible amount of processing power...
Re:Electricity Consumption was the Whole Point
on
Forget Moore's Law?
·
· Score: 1
A 1 CPU IA64 box draws less power than a 2 processor Xeon system? Is that true?
Maybe at some point we will need to work with that much data, but do we need it today?
Each previous generation of processors was released more or less in tandem with a new generation of apps that needed the features of the new chips. What app do you run that needs an IA64 or a Dec Alpha? If you want raw performance, better to get either the fastest IA32 chip you can or, maybe, a PowerPC with Altivec support. (Assuming you're writing your own app and can support the vector processor, of course....)
So, a windows notebook user can sit down in an airport next to another windows notebook user and they can find each other in their neighborhood without reconfiguring anything?
Between people who *are* programmers and people who *heard* that programming was a good way to make money.
Personally, I'm with you. My career path was laid down the moment I started breaking into the math lab in high school so I could spend more time with the Wang 720b programmable calculator...
It had a card reader! I mean, sure we had to *punch* the cards with a pencil, but that was what history class was for!
It's an anime that will make the National Rifle Assc. proud
Hang on - the hero is a staunch pacifist who doesn't even shoot a person (as opposed to things) for the first several episodes - and when he does hit someone, it's by accident and he drops everything to make sure they get medical care.
Not quite as "gun crazy" as people might seem to think, I think.
Lot's of men flew lots of vehicles before the wright brothers. None of this is a surprise. What they achieved was a new thrust-to-weight ratio with their new engine - making their aircraft much more practical.
Heck, the head of the Smithsonian at the time (Langley) demo'd flying machines - but they used steam engines, IIRC.
It's sad to think how many people still believe pouring billions into a hole in the ground to answer a question that affects exactly nobody is a worthwhile use of that money.
I agree with that. Actually, it's worse because I don't think HFS+ (the default file system) handles directories as well as a traditional unix file system. DiskWarrior literally takes five or six hours to defrag my 10 gig iBook. It takes well less than an hour to do the same job on my kids' OS9 iMac.
I looked for it on the web site, but I didn't see a mention about USB 2.0 support. Since external FireWire storage devices seem to be getting driven out of the market place (judging from my local Staples and CompUSA) it would have been nice to see this feature.
Well, it injured the *greatest* of the Nazgul, slowing it down long enough for the Rohan woman to kill it. And that was in the second book, not the third, if I remember.
Considering I have a dead power cord, let me know if you find a source for other cords like that. Apple insisted I'd have to buy a new power supply for my iBook - I wasn't allowed to replace the cord.
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Given the behavior of mainframe makers (back when I worked in mainframes) the idea that manufacturers are deliberately retarding chip development isn't impossible.
Still, the sunk costs for creating chip fabs that could make 8GHz P4s aren't trivial. It's quite possible that the factor delaying their introduction is that Intel needs to make enough money to be able to afford building the new plants...
64 bit chips don't automatically have faster IO than 32 bit chips; an IA64 web server wouldn't be able to handle more hits than an IA32 server. So why would eBay go to IA64? Where's the win?
people have taken Moore's law to be one of the fundamental laws of the universe, like thermodynamics or Murphy's Law of Re-Runs.
This means that people base their buying decisions on the idea that "it will be cheaper next week" and they develop code with the idea that "it might be bloated and slow today, but Intel's next chip will fix the problem."
Overall I do agree with you, code has bloated and we've gotten very little for it. What can I do with 300 megs of MS Office X that I couldn't do with the 1993 version?
But the current generation of processors has made certain apps possible that weren't possible in 93.
Multimedia apps like video editing, photo editing and even mp3 playing require enough data bandwith and processing power that they were implausibly hard in 93. At the moment, I'm listening to NPR on my Mac as a background task that's consuming a neglible amount of processing power...
A 1 CPU IA64 box draws less power than a 2 processor Xeon system? Is that true?
Maybe at some point we will need to work with that much data, but do we need it today?
Each previous generation of processors was released more or less in tandem with a new generation of apps that needed the features of the new chips. What app do you run that needs an IA64 or a Dec Alpha? If you want raw performance, better to get either the fastest IA32 chip you can or, maybe, a PowerPC with Altivec support. (Assuming you're writing your own app and can support the vector processor, of course....)
My experience with 64 bit chips is that they don't offer any compelling advantages over a multi-processor 32 bit system.
The only real advantage they have is a bigger address space and even that doesn't offer much advantage over a cluster of smaller systems.
Really.
So, a windows notebook user can sit down in an airport next to another windows notebook user and they can find each other in their neighborhood without reconfiguring anything?
I don't want call forwarding, I want to drop two of my three phone numbers!
Any idiot who calls my fax deserves what they get anyway...
Start supporting number-sharing? I have 3 phone lines, but only one of them is ever used to receive calls....
You got the code under the GPL license - you're not allowed to resell it, only re-distribute it under GPL.
You could sell the rights to your fixes, I suppose, but not the whole thing.
Between people who *are* programmers and people who *heard* that programming was a good way to make money.
Personally, I'm with you. My career path was laid down the moment I started breaking into the math lab in high school so I could spend more time with the Wang 720b programmable calculator...
It had a card reader! I mean, sure we had to *punch* the cards with a pencil, but that was what history class was for!
Hollywood didn't change - you got old.
Older, anyway.
It's an anime that will make the National Rifle Assc. proud
Hang on - the hero is a staunch pacifist who doesn't even shoot a person (as opposed to things) for the first several episodes - and when he does hit someone, it's by accident and he drops everything to make sure they get medical care.
Not quite as "gun crazy" as people might seem to think, I think.
Lot's of men flew lots of vehicles before the wright brothers. None of this is a surprise. What they achieved was a new thrust-to-weight ratio with their new engine - making their aircraft much more practical.
Heck, the head of the Smithsonian at the time (Langley) demo'd flying machines - but they used steam engines, IIRC.
If you honestly thought "Ernest Glitch" was a real Victorian scientist you need to have your brain replaced.
It's sad to think how many people still believe pouring billions into a hole in the ground to answer a question that affects exactly nobody is a worthwhile use of that money.
So, Intel is the rest of the world, then?
I'm sure Sun and MIPS will be surprised.
I agree with that. Actually, it's worse because I don't think HFS+ (the default file system) handles directories as well as a traditional unix file system. DiskWarrior literally takes five or six hours to defrag my 10 gig iBook. It takes well less than an hour to do the same job on my kids' OS9 iMac.
I looked for it on the web site, but I didn't see a mention about USB 2.0 support. Since external FireWire storage devices seem to be getting driven out of the market place (judging from my local Staples and CompUSA) it would have been nice to see this feature.
I think I had the same cartridge. Why would anyone want to use a write-only programming language today? Why not use APL while your at it?
Seriously, Forth had solid advantages when RAM and processor cycles were at a premium. But these days few people have to develop for a 4k environment.
Well, it injured the *greatest* of the Nazgul, slowing it down long enough for the Rohan woman to kill it. And that was in the second book, not the third, if I remember.
Considering I have a dead power cord, let me know if you find a source for other cords like that. Apple insisted I'd have to buy a new power supply for my iBook - I wasn't allowed to replace the cord.
Do you know any old-timey music?
it's a bad thing...