My wife is a graphic designer and used to do alot of work for Zcorp. We have a couple of their demo items. A chain and a 6-cylinder engine block made out of their materials. It's extremely cool stuff.
I've jonesed for one of their printers for a while now.:)
The PPro (which got alot of technology from Alpha, but Intel will never admit it) was a f*cked up chip for one reason. It ran 16-bit code SLOW. In a world filled at the time with Win95, it proved unpopular. Not to mention that it was geared to servers (where it actually ran well) and it had alot of L2 cache onboard that was quite expensive to produce, and I'll bet, at the time, wasn't yeilding well.
Comparing the PPro to Alpha for purposes of longevity is misguided at best. There are ALOT of people who collect a paycheck because of Alpha and FUD like that doesn't help. Especially when some of us are trying very hard to provide an alternative to the Wintel monopoly.
Oh, an a previous poster said "buy less and the price will go down!". Bull. Buy more and the price will DROP. Price is a function of volume. More volume, lower price.
API has some things in store for Alpha. Come see me in the API booth at Linux Business Expo in Vegas in November and I'll show you. Ask nice and say you remember my Alpha ranting from Slashdot and I'll give you a t-shirt.
You mean that selling hundred, if not thousands, of Alpha's to the national labs for supercomputer work, and investing $500million last year with Samsung on new technology and $100 million this week to fund VC's in the biotech world that LOVE Alpha (like Celera) isn't enough of a commitment to you?
What WOULD be a commitment then?
FWIW, I work at API and we make Alpha's too and I have to say that it's getting damned frustrating listening to the FUD from IA-64 lovers, none of which have even touched an IA-64, no mind can AFFORD an IA-64. (You can get a new Alpha for under $3k)
Re:When will the world accept that x86 is a deaden
on
Pentium IV Problems?
·
· Score: 1
Pass the pipe dude.. You can get an ATX form factor EV67 Alpha for under $3k. Show me a P4 for under 3K that doesn't require a new chassis and power supply design AND costs under $3k.
Besides, you are comparing Celeron 1U's with AlphaServer GS series systems. Who's smokin' what?
FWIW, that's the EV6 numbers. EV6 is on a.35 micron process. EV67 is.25 and EV68 is.18. EV69, well, below.18.:)
The API UP1100 motherboard with soldered on 600MHz Alpha EV67 draws a total of around 90W. Works great with a 300 watt power supply.
x86 is finally starting to run into the roadblocks that Alpha has had for a long time. This is actually good! Now things like 300W power supplies will be even cheaper.:)
FWIW, I was using DCL command proceedures (like Bash scripts to you not-in-the-know) on VMS back in 1984 that "did" instant messaging. Nobody has "invented" something in a long time. It's just a re-hash of something many of us older folks have played with for years. Really, any of us from DEC circa 1985 have been there, done that, got the T-shirt, AND had cybersex, LONG before some of you were born.
Anyways..
My point that I'm trying to make is that by being the dominant IM provider, regardless of how they got there, puts AOL in a position of control. Forcing AOL to play nice in order to get Time Warner is one way of ensuring that that control does not become TOO great later in its life.
As for using resources, well, there's always ways to craft standards that make things fair for all. AOL could open up, if there's a way that their advertisers can take advantage of all the outside of AOL IM'ers. That's just ONE senario, not necessarily one that I would vote for. The point is that there's ways to deal with issues like that.
AOL has a "monopoly" on the instant messaging market. In other words, they can and will stifle future development of IM products BECAUSE they dominate.
It's the RIGHT thing to do to tell them to open up and follow a standard so that all can communicate. This allows anyone, maybe even a Slashdot reader, to come up with a better widget and compete FAIRLY.
Well, it's nice to see the shoe on the other foot.
I think with this story, those that have been busting Alpha's balls for so many years about power consumption and heat dissipation can now direct their attention elsewhere.
As Pete said, Intel/AMD's power/heat consumption go up as Alpha's go down. Alpha will never be there with StrongARM or Transmeta in power/heat, but we're certainly in a much better position than Merced or P4!!
I doubt that Intel could call up and make a 486/66 just like the ones they used to make. These chips were made a few years ago.
Making chips is non-trivial. Oh, they could probably make them in a new process, but at what price? Making the chips is probably do-able, but qualifying and testing, that's expensive.
I'm sad to see the VAX go. I have one at home. I was a VMS system manager for years at DEC on VAX and Alpha.
But you can get an EV67 600MHz Alpha for around $3000. Granted, it's not $1500, but my first 486 cost $4000. And it's available today, not years from now. Do you really think you can get a Merced or Sledgehammer system for under $2000 today?
Actually, I don't think Alpha's run RC5 very well due to its being coded to take advantage of some x86 hardware instructions that aren't in Alpha.
MP3 encoding and SETI, well, that's a horse of a different colour. I suspect this cluster would rip the Library of Congress's CD collection in no time flat!:)
FWIW, I work at API, the other source for Alpha's.
I've downloaded and compiled Bochs on my UP1100 EV67 600MHz Alpha. I tried installing Win98, but Bochs was only running in Real Mode. I think there was some compiler errors.
Now what would be cool is to run Bochs on an Alpha Linux system emulating an x86 running Windows running a VAX emulator (www.charon-vax.com) running VMS.
If Bochs gets fixed to run Win2000, then I'll try it!
Be careful calling the VMS admins "old and crusty". Some of us are "only" 39! Besides, in 10 years when the next big thing comes along and eclipses Linux, you'll be "old and crusty".
Oh, and for what it's worth, VMS clustering, around since about 1984, is still miles ahead of anything else on the market.
former VMS system manager in VMS Engineering at DEC now marketing Linux
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Microsoft's only innovation was/is in marketing. Technically, they nabbed/copied/plundered true innovations from companies like DEC, then beat them down.
Sounds like a situation in NH a few years ago. You can only buy hard liquor in NH at the State Liqour Store. The prices are excellent and NH makes a nice profit on them. (new NH state motto "Cheap booze next exit")
Well, the Maine dept of revenue didn't like Mainiacs driving down to NH to stock up on cases of wine. So, the DoR would send a plain clothesed state trooper down to NH and sit in the parking lot and take down names and license plate numbers.
The state police would nail the drivers going over the boarder and fine them the state tax.
That was, until NH send a trooper of theirs over to arrest the Maine trooper. Seems the NH Dept of Revenue didn't take kindly to Maine harassing their well paying customers.
Slashdot Mirror
None of the *existing* motherboards...
FWIW, I work at API. The post marked "Informative" isn't.
If the guys at Slashdot want to talk, send me email and I'll find out what I can and can't say.
mike (Technical Marketing Engineer at API)
Actually, the system account was SYSTEM and the password was MANAGER and the UIC was [1,4] if I recall correctly.
Former VMS system manager in DEC (VMS Engineering)
My wife is a graphic designer and used to do alot of work for Zcorp. We have a couple of their demo items. A chain and a 6-cylinder engine block made out of their materials. It's extremely cool stuff.
:)
I've jonesed for one of their printers for a while now.
The PPro (which got alot of technology from Alpha, but Intel will never admit it) was a f*cked up chip for one reason. It ran 16-bit code SLOW. In a world filled at the time with Win95, it proved unpopular. Not to mention that it was geared to servers (where it actually ran well) and it had alot of L2 cache onboard that was quite expensive to produce, and I'll bet, at the time, wasn't yeilding well.
Comparing the PPro to Alpha for purposes of longevity is misguided at best. There are ALOT of people who collect a paycheck because of Alpha and FUD like that doesn't help. Especially when some of us are trying very hard to provide an alternative to the Wintel monopoly.
Oh, an a previous poster said "buy less and the price will go down!". Bull. Buy more and the price will DROP. Price is a function of volume. More volume, lower price.
API has some things in store for Alpha. Come see me in the API booth at Linux Business Expo in Vegas in November and I'll show you. Ask nice and say you remember my Alpha ranting from Slashdot and I'll give you a t-shirt.
Why is it interesting now and not 3 weeks ago?
You mean that selling hundred, if not thousands, of Alpha's to the national labs for supercomputer work, and investing $500million last year with Samsung on new technology and $100 million this week to fund VC's in the biotech world that LOVE Alpha (like Celera) isn't enough of a commitment to you?
What WOULD be a commitment then?
FWIW, I work at API and we make Alpha's too and I have to say that it's getting damned frustrating listening to the FUD from IA-64 lovers, none of which have even touched an IA-64, no mind can AFFORD an IA-64. (You can get a new Alpha for under $3k)
Pass the pipe dude.. You can get an ATX form factor EV67 Alpha for under $3k. Show me a P4 for under 3K that doesn't require a new chassis and power supply design AND costs under $3k.
Besides, you are comparing Celeron 1U's with AlphaServer GS series systems. Who's smokin' what?
It wouldn't surprise me if the 600MHz Alpha was cheaper than the 1.5GHz Intel.
Oh, you can get the 600MHz Alpha today. And faster speeds soon.
FWIW, that's the EV6 numbers. EV6 is on a .35 micron process. EV67 is .25 and EV68 is .18. EV69, well, below .18. :)
:)
The API UP1100 motherboard with soldered on 600MHz Alpha EV67 draws a total of around 90W. Works great with a 300 watt power supply.
x86 is finally starting to run into the roadblocks that Alpha has had for a long time. This is actually good! Now things like 300W power supplies will be even cheaper.
FYI:I work at API
FWIW, I was using DCL command proceedures (like Bash scripts to you not-in-the-know) on VMS back in 1984 that "did" instant messaging. Nobody has "invented" something in a long time. It's just a re-hash of something many of us older folks have played with for years. Really, any of us from DEC circa 1985 have been there, done that, got the T-shirt, AND had cybersex, LONG before some of you were born.
Anyways..
My point that I'm trying to make is that by being the dominant IM provider, regardless of how they got there, puts AOL in a position of control. Forcing AOL to play nice in order to get Time Warner is one way of ensuring that that control does not become TOO great later in its life.
As for using resources, well, there's always ways to craft standards that make things fair for all. AOL could open up, if there's a way that their advertisers can take advantage of all the outside of AOL IM'ers. That's just ONE senario, not necessarily one that I would vote for. The point is that there's ways to deal with issues like that.
Insightful?? HUH??
AOL has a "monopoly" on the instant messaging market. In other words, they can and will stifle future development of IM products BECAUSE they dominate.
It's the RIGHT thing to do to tell them to open up and follow a standard so that all can communicate. This allows anyone, maybe even a Slashdot reader, to come up with a better widget and compete FAIRLY.
The same radio waves that we own and they license...
I'm writing to Wired to threaten to pull my subscription if they don't push back on CueCat.
AND heading over to eff.org to send some money.
This kinda crap has got to end.
Well, it's nice to see the shoe on the other foot.
I think with this story, those that have been busting Alpha's balls for so many years about power consumption and heat dissipation can now direct their attention elsewhere.
As Pete said, Intel/AMD's power/heat consumption go up as Alpha's go down. Alpha will never be there with StrongARM or Transmeta in power/heat, but we're certainly in a much better position than Merced or P4!!
Disclosure: I work at API.
"Radio Shack. You've got questions, we've got acne"
I doubt that Intel could call up and make a 486/66 just like the ones they used to make. These chips were made a few years ago.
Making chips is non-trivial. Oh, they could probably make them in a new process, but at what price? Making the chips is probably do-able, but qualifying and testing, that's expensive.
I'm sad to see the VAX go. I have one at home. I was a VMS system manager for years at DEC on VAX and Alpha.
But you can get an EV67 600MHz Alpha for around $3000. Granted, it's not $1500, but my first 486 cost $4000. And it's available today, not years from now. Do you really think you can get a Merced or Sledgehammer system for under $2000 today?
mike (I work at API. We "do" Alpha)
You've already got one.. It's called Alpha.
Actually, I don't think Alpha's run RC5 very well due to its being coded to take advantage of some x86 hardware instructions that aren't in Alpha.
:)
MP3 encoding and SETI, well, that's a horse of a different colour. I suspect this cluster would rip the Library of Congress's CD collection in no time flat!
FWIW, I work at API, the other source for Alpha's.
I've downloaded and compiled Bochs on my UP1100 EV67 600MHz Alpha. I tried installing Win98, but Bochs was only running in Real Mode. I think there was some compiler errors.
Now what would be cool is to run Bochs on an Alpha Linux system emulating an x86 running Windows running a VAX emulator (www.charon-vax.com) running VMS.
If Bochs gets fixed to run Win2000, then I'll try it!
Be careful calling the VMS admins "old and crusty". Some of us are "only" 39! Besides, in 10 years when the next big thing comes along and eclipses Linux, you'll be "old and crusty".
Oh, and for what it's worth, VMS clustering, around since about 1984, is still miles ahead of anything else on the market.
former VMS system manager
in VMS Engineering at DEC
now marketing Linux
>And most of these databases (Oracle, IBM,
>Sybase) are now available for Linux, so you
>don't have to abandon open source entirely to >use them.
No, most of them are available only for x86 Linux.
No Alpha, no PPC, no ARM for that matter.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Microsoft's only innovation was/is in marketing. Technically, they nabbed/copied/plundered true innovations from companies like DEC, then beat them down.
Thankfully they didn't nab the quality.
RE: NYC tax goons
Sounds like a situation in NH a few years ago. You can only buy hard liquor in NH at the State Liqour Store. The prices are excellent and NH makes a nice profit on them. (new NH state motto "Cheap booze next exit")
Well, the Maine dept of revenue didn't like Mainiacs driving down to NH to stock up on cases of wine. So, the DoR would send a plain clothesed state trooper down to NH and sit in the parking lot and take down names and license plate numbers.
The state police would nail the drivers going over the boarder and fine them the state tax.
That was, until NH send a trooper of theirs over to arrest the Maine trooper. Seems the NH Dept of Revenue didn't take kindly to Maine harassing their well paying customers.
If God didn't want us to eat animals, then why did he make them taste so good?