Damn, this just brought quite a few interesting images to my mind:
XBox2 on Power4 (G5): After a long and heated discussion between Microsoft and Apple execs, they have decided on new design specs for the XB2. It will be a glossy white 1/2 sphere (flat part facing back, not down) suspended in a PlexiGlas cube. DVDs go in the top, controllers are wireless (with inductive charging base stations), and the cables (exiting out the back) are invisible. Price: $599, ships 3 months after announced.
XBox2 on Motorola (G3): It will be up to speed in 2, maybe 3 years. We promise!
XBox2 on UltraSPARC III: The Sun/Microsoft partnership for their new game console has shown an interesting twist in the design aspects, moving away from the form factor of the original XBox. The new machine will fit in a standard 19" rack, occupying 1U (1.75") of vertical space. It will be colored in the standard SunFire product-line grey/blue. The front panel will look really futuristic and have a DVD drive tucked off to one side, with four USB ports for controllers on the opposite end in a small square. The back panel, in addition to the standard video, audio, and power ports, will feature a serial LOM (Lights-Out Management) console port, so that your XBox can tell you how it's feeling in detail. You'll need a system key to turn it on and off, and to enable debug mode. It will come standard with 4GB of RAM and a pair of 73gb 15KRPM FC drives, 4 GPUs working in a cluster configuration, a high-end audio processor, 18 blower fans, be built entirely from 18-gauge steel, and cost $3500.
Trust me. The disk was broken. It's not normal to have the disk reset itself (cla-CLUNK) every 10 seconds, interrupting transfers, and have the sustained read/write to it peak out at 75 kb/sec (yes, slower than a cable modem).
I've only ever purchased one item from Fry's and it was a return ($5 cheaper - why not?). It was a D-Link DI-624+ 802.11g cable/DSL router. It had the little sticker on it saying that it was missing the ethernet cable - not a problem. I got it home and, after poking around with it for a bit, had to ask myself what its previous owner was thinking! Its configuration was _really_ screwed up (wireless was disabled, DHCP disabled, the thing had no apparent IP address on either interface, and a variety of other problems), and had I not known to hold the reset button down for a minute or two to clear it out, it probably would've gone back on the shelf for some other unsuspecting customer to pick up (and wonder why it didn't work).
OK, Here's what you do. I'm assuming your drives, being part of a hot-swappable array, have the 80-pin SCA connector on the back. Go on eBay and buy an 80pin to 68pin SCSI adapter (fairly cheap). Then, next time a drive dies, pull the dead one out, hook it up to that adapter, plug an old AT power supply into it, and fire up the drive (without a computer connected to it - just power). Call the RMA line. While on hold, bang the drive against the (wood - leaves no marks on drive) table until it _does_ grind. Then, when the techs ask you to run diagnostics, simply hold the phone up against the drive.
I've gotten a few replacement drives that way, without having to run the goddamn diagnostic programs (which sometimes don't even see the drive as bad). If they still make you run the diags, at least you know that it'll fail!
Their implementation of it isn't too bad, though. Everything important is done in (windows-free) hardware; Windows is used only to display the results.
Sure. It's called a scan converter. The high end scan converters are basically framebuffer devices; PC VGA signal goes in one end, is written to VRAM, while on the other end a TV output device simultaneously reads in the framebuffer contents and puts out an SVideo or HDTV (or Composite, if you get a crappy one) signal. Expensive, but they work really well. They're completely independent (to a point; high resolutions depend on how much framebuffer RAM is installed) of the PC's resolution, color depth, and refresh rate (although 60hz or 120hz is suggested [for NTSC], you can run other frequencies, but image tearing may occur).
Lower end ones, however, consist only of software to put your monitor into 352x288 interlaced 60hz, and an RGBHV to Composite signal converter. Avoid those at all cost.
I don't think so. I've used an SIS315 (think onboard shitty AGP graphics, except on a card) and a Radeon AIW 8500 - neither of them had problems recording to video tapes, even when playing movies (I used the SIS315 to dump video edits to tape).
You'll save a lot of money buying individual tanks if you print a lot of porn. Tends to use a lot of red and (depending on what you're looking at) yellow, but not too much blue.
I haven't ever had a problem with 2.4-series kernels, other than one. I've used 2.4.2-2 (RedHat 7.1 stock), 2.4.9, 2.4.16, and 2.4.[18-21].
The _only_ problem I've ever seen (besides the cpqfc driver not having the correct PCI ID for my card - a few minutes with
VI fixed that) was that the tg3 driver (Broadcom gigE chipset, found on NetGear GA302T cards) is REALLY buggy under 2.4.20 - as in kernel panicing when bridged with another interface (eepro driver, Intel 10/100 card). 2.4.21 fixed it, and the server has a current uptime of 5 days (upgraded the kernel 2 weeks ago, no crashes, but I had to take it down to install a DLT3 tape drive).
Seriously, though, companies don't have to spend too much on IT stuff nowadays. They only have to go pick up the
latest and greatest from some dead.com from eBay. (Witness my purchase of a 36gb 10K RPM FC drive for $30 recently, and my watching a 72gb 10k RPM Ultra/320 SCSI drive, hotswappable (SCA) go for $55)
Actually, a higher FPS rating in Quake3-based games (I think the magic number is around 125) lets you jump higher and run a little faster. The key is that the engine physics are computed per frame, and something about the way they're written (maybe a rounding problem somewhere in there, don't ask me) allows for higher jumps and faster movement when you hit around 115 - 125 FPS.
Losing 32-bit compatibility shouldn't be a problem at all. That's the great thing about the Mach-O Executable format (used by OS X) - you can stick binaries for as many different architectures as you want in there. Hell, if windows supported the format, you could stick an X86 and a PPC binary in there and run exactly the same file on both platforms. Ditto for Solaris, Linux, IBM's zOS - you get the point.
My guess is that Apple will make the 64-bit versions of the Mach-O binary loader look in a different place (I don't know how the Mach-O format is organized - the next slot? a different directory tree?) for a 64-bit native version, and fall back to the 32-bit version if one can't be found. The existing loaders will just keep looking in the same place they always have, and see the 32-bit version.
Re:I need a G5 to keep track of all the claims
on
G5 Benchmark Roundup
·
· Score: 5, Interesting
This is where Apple picks up a lot of speed, especially with disk-hungry programs like Photoshop.
That probably should read "memory-hungry." Disk transfers are still really, really slow - although SATA (which is used in the G5) can go at 150 megs/sec, so can full-duplex Gigabit Ethernet (also included). The real performance ass-kicker is the memory bus - they use 128-bit DDR400, and I'm assuming it can be interleaved (since you're probably going to put multiple sticks in it anyway) for even better performance. They get 6.4GB/sec (gigabytes) out of it (stated at the Stevenote), which is pretty damn good. Not quite enough to saturate the processors' FSBs, but if you need to move a lot of stuff to/from RAM, PCI/X slots (optional), AGP, and the I/O controller (sound, ethernet, etc), like in any game, any high-end 3d app, or any audio app that includes an effects processor (especially when running it on a real-time audio input, recording, while also outputting the results, at 96khz 48000/stereo), the G5 will dominate.
I want one. Unfortunately, it lists at $4200. So, I'll go back to wanting the Apple Cinema HD display. 23" and only $2000. I'll take an inch less for half the price.
I've had a Windows server (2000 Adv. Server SP3) run for months at a time without any problems, under constant
load (as a router, eMule client, file server, SETI node, Bryce5 render client - simultaneously). The trick is putting
it on hardware that's rock-solid stable. Unfortunately, that's hard to find, usually because of cheap RAM or a PC Chips (god help you) motherboard that someone decided would fit in the server nicely, and who cares that it's lower quality.
On that same note, I've run Linux into the ground daily on one machine under similar load (same programs, except for Bryce as it's Windows/Mac only, so it was running under VMWare, adding to the stress); it kept dying on a variety of interesting errors I never knew the kernel could produce. I'd just look over, see the CapsLock/ScrollLock LEDs flashing simultaneously on the keyboard, and throw something at the reset button. Upgrading the RAM (removing the old DIMMs in the process) fixed it.
I definately agree. The last album I bought (Scooter - Instrumental, if you care) had only one bad
song. If you don't buy crappy music, you won't get stuck with a bunch of tracks that you hate. If, however,
you happen to like crappy (in my opinion) music, though, it makes far more sense for you to buy by the
track, and of course they don't want that - it means that they can't sell the filler.
I don't like evangelists either; they're usually very annoying and won't listen to reason (not in the Snow Crash sense, if you get the reference).
I use Mac OS X for a solid workstation platform (like the one this post is being typed from), Linux on all of my x86 servers (save one Windows 2000 box that will be converted soon), Solaris on a SS20 and IRIX on an Indy because they're new and interesting environments, and Windows 2000 for a compatible gaming platform (though Mac gaming is pretty bad, it's starting to look better). I have good reasons for using these OSes in the places that I do, and there each of them shall stay.
I suppose my point is that no one operating system can do it all, just like how those "one-size-fits-all" clothes never fit everyone. Linux is as close as it comes in terms of flexibility and interoperability, but it still can't do everything (gaming for one good example; and yes, I know about WineX). It makes a nice glue between the quirks of different platforms (talks to Mac [9 and X], Windows, and UNIX), so that's why I use it as a server. Mac OS X is a great environment to work in: commercial app support and UNIX underpinnings, so I use it on my workstation. Windows 2000 crashes less than 98 or XP (in fact, it rarely crashes on good hardware), so I use it for gaming; however, because of the security issues attached to that platform, it doesn't make too great of a server. I don't use it as a workstation because I want UNIX flexibility (and not Cygwin crappiness).
The mechanical energy produced by an internal-combustion engine is transmitted to a "transmission" through means of a rotating shaft. The "transmission" allows the driver (or an onboard computer) to select the optimal gear ratio between the engine and the differential, which attaches the output shaft of the transmission to the wheels. (An obviously simplified version, I could go into how a modern 4-stroke ICE works...)
A plane uses its rudder, ailerons, and elevator panes to change its yaw, roll, and pitch respectively. Now, the plane uses its wings to generate 'lift' through the movement of air across both surfaces of said wings which, when pitched slightly up, create a high pressure center under the wing. Now, the air pressure under the wings is greater than the air pressure over top of the wings, which has been reduced due to the faster (relative to the bottom surface) movement of air over the wing, in effect creating a vacuum above the wing. This air pressure differential leads to the wing being 'lifted' as it seeks an equalization of pressures. The jet engines tucked under the wings of most planes are a bit harder to explain without diagrams, so I'll just use an ICE/prop combo instead. The propeller works on the same principle as the wing - a curved surface facing the front of the plane and a (relatively) flat surface facing out, with the blade at an angle. It does produce lift (think helicopter) if it's oriented horizontally, but because it needs to produce thrust, it instead is vertical, sucking the plane through the air.
The last meal I ate consisted of a hamburger patty loosely attached to some bread. Now hamburger is made in a very interesting way. Cows are led up into a factory, where they are shot by a device closely resembling a large pneumatic nailgun, driving a spike through their heads and (presumably) killing them instantly. (Note that with the scare over mad cow disease, this has probably changed, as that method tends to spread brain tissue and spinal fluid everywhere.) The carcass is then ground up (basically all of it), and formed into logs. These hamburger logs are then chopped into patties and cooked on a large griddle, slapped on a bun, and given to the consumer. The bread involved is produced by mixing flour, yeast, a little baking soda, sugar, and a few other miscellaneous chemicals, and then baking the hell out of it until it looks vaguely like a bun. It is then sprinkled with sesame seeds and chopped in half.
Care for any more of my insights? I'll be here all night.
Slashdot Mirror
Damn, this just brought quite a few interesting images to my mind:
XBox2 on Power4 (G5): After a long and heated discussion between Microsoft and Apple execs, they have decided on new design specs for the XB2. It will be a glossy white 1/2 sphere (flat part facing back, not down) suspended in a PlexiGlas cube. DVDs go in the top, controllers are wireless (with inductive charging base stations), and the cables (exiting out the back) are invisible. Price: $599, ships 3 months after announced.
XBox2 on Motorola (G3): It will be up to speed in 2, maybe 3 years. We promise!
XBox2 on UltraSPARC III: The Sun/Microsoft partnership for their new game console has shown an interesting twist in the design aspects, moving away from the form factor of the original XBox. The new machine will fit in a standard 19" rack, occupying 1U (1.75") of vertical space. It will be colored in the standard SunFire product-line grey/blue. The front panel will look really futuristic and have a DVD drive tucked off to one side, with four USB ports for controllers on the opposite end in a small square. The back panel, in addition to the standard video, audio, and power ports, will feature a serial LOM (Lights-Out Management) console port, so that your XBox can tell you how it's feeling in detail. You'll need a system key to turn it on and off, and to enable debug mode. It will come standard with 4GB of RAM and a pair of 73gb 15KRPM FC drives, 4 GPUs working in a cluster configuration, a high-end audio processor, 18 blower fans, be built entirely from 18-gauge steel, and cost $3500.
Trust me. The disk was broken. It's not normal to have the disk reset itself (cla-CLUNK) every 10 seconds, interrupting transfers, and have the sustained read/write to it peak out at 75 kb/sec (yes, slower than a cable modem).
I've only ever purchased one item from Fry's and it was a return ($5 cheaper - why not?). It was a D-Link DI-624+ 802.11g cable/DSL router. It had the little sticker on it saying that it was missing the ethernet cable - not a problem. I got it home and, after poking around with it for a bit, had to ask myself what its previous owner was thinking! Its configuration was _really_ screwed up (wireless was disabled, DHCP disabled, the thing had no apparent IP address on either interface, and a variety of other problems), and had I not known to hold the reset button down for a minute or two to clear it out, it probably would've gone back on the shelf for some other unsuspecting customer to pick up (and wonder why it didn't work).
OK, Here's what you do. I'm assuming your drives, being part of a hot-swappable array, have the 80-pin SCA connector on the back. Go on eBay and buy an 80pin to 68pin SCSI adapter (fairly cheap). Then, next time a drive dies, pull the dead one out, hook it up to that adapter, plug an old AT power supply into it, and fire up the drive (without a computer connected to it - just power). Call the RMA line. While on hold, bang the drive against the (wood - leaves no marks on drive) table until it _does_ grind. Then, when the techs ask you to run diagnostics, simply hold the phone up against the drive.
I've gotten a few replacement drives that way, without having to run the goddamn diagnostic programs (which sometimes don't even see the drive as bad). If they still make you run the diags, at least you know that it'll fail!
Their implementation of it isn't too bad, though. Everything important is done in (windows-free) hardware; Windows is used only to display the results.
I wonder how many people went to see that movie expecting to learn about SUN hardware and the people who administer it? I know that I almost did.
Sure. It's called a scan converter. The high end scan converters are basically framebuffer devices; PC VGA signal goes in one end, is written to VRAM, while on the other end a TV output device simultaneously reads in the framebuffer contents and puts out an SVideo or HDTV (or Composite, if you get a crappy one) signal. Expensive, but they work really well. They're completely independent (to a point; high resolutions depend on how much framebuffer RAM is installed) of the PC's resolution, color depth, and refresh rate (although 60hz or 120hz is suggested [for NTSC], you can run other frequencies, but image tearing may occur).
Lower end ones, however, consist only of software to put your monitor into 352x288 interlaced 60hz, and an RGBHV to Composite signal converter. Avoid those at all cost.
Mod all SCO patents (-1, Redundant)
I don't think so. I've used an SIS315 (think onboard shitty AGP graphics, except on a card) and a Radeon AIW 8500 - neither of them had problems recording to video tapes, even when playing movies (I used the SIS315 to dump video edits to tape).
You'll save a lot of money buying individual tanks if you print a lot of porn. Tends to use a lot of red and (depending on what you're looking at) yellow, but not too much blue.
...
Damn. Did I just say that?
The book you're looking for is Snow Crash. How could you forget it? Coolest. Book. Ever.
I haven't ever had a problem with 2.4-series kernels, other than one. I've used 2.4.2-2 (RedHat 7.1 stock), 2.4.9, 2.4.16, and 2.4.[18-21].
The _only_ problem I've ever seen (besides the cpqfc driver not having the correct PCI ID for my card - a few minutes with VI fixed that) was that the tg3 driver (Broadcom gigE chipset, found on NetGear GA302T cards) is REALLY buggy under 2.4.20 - as in kernel panicing when bridged with another interface (eepro driver, Intel 10/100 card). 2.4.21 fixed it, and the server has a current uptime of 5 days (upgraded the kernel 2 weeks ago, no crashes, but I had to take it down to install a DLT3 tape drive).
Now I can finally make money off of all that MS stock that I own! Hahaha!
Did I say that? Oh, damn. Uhm...
(GNU/)LINUX!!!!!!!
The sky is still blue.
:: Dumb : End Users
.com from eBay. (Witness my purchase of a 36gb 10K RPM FC drive for $30 recently, and my watching a 72gb 10k RPM Ultra/320 SCSI drive, hotswappable (SCA) go for $55)
Cheap : Managers
Seriously, though, companies don't have to spend too much on IT stuff nowadays. They only have to go pick up the latest and greatest from some dead
Hey, why do you think I bought the instrumental-only CD?
Actually, a higher FPS rating in Quake3-based games (I think the magic number is around 125) lets you jump higher and run a little faster. The key is that the engine physics are computed per frame, and something about the way they're written (maybe a rounding problem somewhere in there, don't ask me) allows for higher jumps and faster movement when you hit around 115 - 125 FPS.
Losing 32-bit compatibility shouldn't be a problem at all. That's the great thing about the Mach-O Executable format (used by OS X) - you can stick binaries for as many different architectures as you want in there. Hell, if windows supported the format, you could stick an X86 and a PPC binary in there and run exactly the same file on both platforms. Ditto for Solaris, Linux, IBM's zOS - you get the point.
My guess is that Apple will make the 64-bit versions of the Mach-O binary loader look in a different place (I don't know how the Mach-O format is organized - the next slot? a different directory tree?) for a 64-bit native version, and fall back to the 32-bit version if one can't be found. The existing loaders will just keep looking in the same place they always have, and see the 32-bit version.
They (Microsoft) already did that; it's called Windows XP.
Don't believe me? Go look at the version numbers on 2000 and on XP.
Windows 2000 = Windows NT 5.0
Windows XP = Windows NT 5.1
I want one. Unfortunately, it lists at $4200. So, I'll go back to wanting the Apple Cinema HD display. 23" and only $2000. I'll take an inch less for half the price.
I've had a Windows server (2000 Adv. Server SP3) run for months at a time without any problems, under constant load (as a router, eMule client, file server, SETI node, Bryce5 render client - simultaneously). The trick is putting it on hardware that's rock-solid stable. Unfortunately, that's hard to find, usually because of cheap RAM or a PC Chips (god help you) motherboard that someone decided would fit in the server nicely, and who cares that it's lower quality.
On that same note, I've run Linux into the ground daily on one machine under similar load (same programs, except for Bryce as it's Windows/Mac only, so it was running under VMWare, adding to the stress); it kept dying on a variety of interesting errors I never knew the kernel could produce. I'd just look over, see the CapsLock/ScrollLock LEDs flashing simultaneously on the keyboard, and throw something at the reset button. Upgrading the RAM (removing the old DIMMs in the process) fixed it.
I definately agree. The last album I bought (Scooter - Instrumental, if you care) had only one bad song. If you don't buy crappy music, you won't get stuck with a bunch of tracks that you hate. If, however, you happen to like crappy (in my opinion) music, though, it makes far more sense for you to buy by the track, and of course they don't want that - it means that they can't sell the filler.
I don't like evangelists either; they're usually very annoying and won't listen to reason (not in the Snow Crash sense, if you get the reference).
I use Mac OS X for a solid workstation platform (like the one this post is being typed from), Linux on all of my x86 servers (save one Windows 2000 box that will be converted soon), Solaris on a SS20 and IRIX on an Indy because they're new and interesting environments, and Windows 2000 for a compatible gaming platform (though Mac gaming is pretty bad, it's starting to look better). I have good reasons for using these OSes in the places that I do, and there each of them shall stay.
I suppose my point is that no one operating system can do it all, just like how those "one-size-fits-all" clothes never fit everyone. Linux is as close as it comes in terms of flexibility and interoperability, but it still can't do everything (gaming for one good example; and yes, I know about WineX). It makes a nice glue between the quirks of different platforms (talks to Mac [9 and X], Windows, and UNIX), so that's why I use it as a server. Mac OS X is a great environment to work in: commercial app support and UNIX underpinnings, so I use it on my workstation. Windows 2000 crashes less than 98 or XP (in fact, it rarely crashes on good hardware), so I use it for gaming; however, because of the security issues attached to that platform, it doesn't make too great of a server. I don't use it as a workstation because I want UNIX flexibility (and not Cygwin crappiness).
Yes, yes, and yes.
The mechanical energy produced by an internal-combustion engine is transmitted to a "transmission" through means of a rotating shaft. The "transmission" allows the driver (or an onboard computer) to select the optimal gear ratio between the engine and the differential, which attaches the output shaft of the transmission to the wheels. (An obviously simplified version, I could go into how a modern 4-stroke ICE works...)
A plane uses its rudder, ailerons, and elevator panes to change its yaw, roll, and pitch respectively. Now, the plane uses its wings to generate 'lift' through the movement of air across both surfaces of said wings which, when pitched slightly up, create a high pressure center under the wing. Now, the air pressure under the wings is greater than the air pressure over top of the wings, which has been reduced due to the faster (relative to the bottom surface) movement of air over the wing, in effect creating a vacuum above the wing. This air pressure differential leads to the wing being 'lifted' as it seeks an equalization of pressures. The jet engines tucked under the wings of most planes are a bit harder to explain without diagrams, so I'll just use an ICE/prop combo instead. The propeller works on the same principle as the wing - a curved surface facing the front of the plane and a (relatively) flat surface facing out, with the blade at an angle. It does produce lift (think helicopter) if it's oriented horizontally, but because it needs to produce thrust, it instead is vertical, sucking the plane through the air.
The last meal I ate consisted of a hamburger patty loosely attached to some bread. Now hamburger is made in a very interesting way. Cows are led up into a factory, where they are shot by a device closely resembling a large pneumatic nailgun, driving a spike through their heads and (presumably) killing them instantly. (Note that with the scare over mad cow disease, this has probably changed, as that method tends to spread brain tissue and spinal fluid everywhere.) The carcass is then ground up (basically all of it), and formed into logs. These hamburger logs are then chopped into patties and cooked on a large griddle, slapped on a bun, and given to the consumer. The bread involved is produced by mixing flour, yeast, a little baking soda, sugar, and a few other miscellaneous chemicals, and then baking the hell out of it until it looks vaguely like a bun. It is then sprinkled with sesame seeds and chopped in half.
Care for any more of my insights? I'll be here all night.
Demolition Man was the movie.
John Spartan, you are fined one credit for a violation of the verbal morality statute.