As good as this news is, I still do not expect my local access guy to be able to compete with the likes of Rupert Murdoch or Ted Turner. Free press is getting tougher and tougher. At least there is the internet...
Uhm, Bob Bemer introduced the backlash, not the slash, so I used his char. If you are gonna cc or gcc my slashdot remarks you might have lots of other problems.
I hope that Brian and Dennis have a less myopic view and can forgive my use of a backslash intead of a slash for this one comment.
But you probably know all about RATFOR, prefer C over Fortran, and hate anything that is not correct syntax...
I do prefer C, and have used it since before it was an ANSI standard. My copy of the white book with the blue C has no "ANSI" slapped on it. Also have an original copy of Software Tools. Know who Plauger is?/* this better? */
btw-anonymous is for FTP on public sites, not real slashdot posts.
OK, so perhaps better stated "where ASCII was one small step for man, Unicode is one giant leap for mankind."
Still, I view ASCII as a step forward.
I have very little use for the PN (Punch On) or PF (Punch Off) in EBCDIC these days. My punch card stack got all out of order and then I spilled Jolt on them...
Not to mention that in EBCDIC this site would be "BELL ACK", not "/." , based on binary or decimal codes for current use translated into EBCDIC.
And, please, let's remember that both ASCII and EBCDIC mapped binary and decimal to other characters/functions.
The machines can only use binary (check the computer related meaning of flipflop). Decimal was the thing we humans learned (probably because most have ten digits on our hands counting fingers and thumbs). The need to represent things other than numbers (because not all humans are mathmaticians) was what drove EBCDIC, ASCII, and Unicode.
For extra fun, try programming with just Binary Coded Decimal, the 4-bit set that Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code extended in the first place. Even EBCDIC was a step forward at one point.
No doubt my original statement was a bit off (pun intended). Unicode is a much greater advance. But ASCII still seems a step forward to me. Particularly considering the time period.
Actually I refer to the tech definition of higher level languages as C, Pascal, COBOL, BASIC, etc. that are motly intended to be human read as opposed to assembler or binary machine code that is intended to be machine read.
I make no reference to English, Chinese, Spanish, or German as one being "higher" than the other...
Truly.
Thanks for caring, though. I agree that truth and consistency are important and am not for the extermination of any people as a whole.
Please understand I refer only to computer programming languages.
Where is the flamebait in this? Maybe the person with Mod points just don't understand! This is a compliment to his ASCII development and a tribute (albeit a bit lame) to his development of COBOL...
EBCDIC to ASCII was as big a step as ASCII to Unicode. I hope that Bob's next step is even bigger. May he join that big computer in the sky and have restful NOOP's;
And still most people don't realize that the counter from epoch date (Jan 1. 1970) has a roll over flaw too. Seems to me 2038 is the magic year... but I have poor memory recall... I'm sure my recall will be even worse by then...
You complain (rightly so) about one day on Slashdot... imagine how Bob must have felt after 29 years of undestanding the Y2K problem with very few others listening. Not to mention his ASCII vs. EBCDIC struggle within IBM, or the value of higher level languages. \* although I prefer C to COBOL *\
Welcome to the world of the bell curve.
The ability to handle multiple refresh rates for individual windows within the same display!
I also think Guru Meditations are much nicer than blue screens... but there is a linux screensaver for that!
I don't really miss them, though, as my A1000 and A1200-AGA still boot and get used a few times a year (mostly to play TestDrive, Marble Madness, Skyfox, or Lemmings).
I have a hard time with one of my original Kickstart 1.1 disks though, and have to use copies (TestDrive on my A1000 really has fewer problems with 1.1 than any 1.2 or later Kickstart).
Besides, just the signature lid is something to miss. I think only Alien takes that kind of pride in their work anymore...
I also miss Fred Fish! That was years before "open source".
What I want is a phone that can switch networks (seamlessly would be nice)from private to public. A handheld that used 802.11b(or g) when available and GSM or CDMA 1xRTT when I hit the road...
But I also want world peace, so don't hold your breath...
She is, I am very certain, very fast moving on that ZX-11.
More so moving, I have perhaps never been so humbled as a human being as viewing her site. It should be praised. Insight into one of human kind's saddest tragedies that I rarely think one person has, and she can convey it to others so completely.
Thanks. I learned a lot more from her site than I expected to by following that link.
Scotch, you insenitive clod! You don't know me, so don't imply I cheat or condone it.
It is not cheating to play the game same or faster rate than the original programmer had intended, but at half of your system clock.
Most of the games that depended on the clockspeed of your CPU to determine the timing of actions in the game expected a 6 or 8 megahertz CPU.
The turbo button in the first 16 megahertz and faster systems was to provide a way to run games (and some other applications) at a usable speeds for required interactions.
From my earlier post that you quoted, half of a 40 megahetz clock was still 20.
I agree that having a button to slow you down seems silly today, but "back in the day" many games were timed based on the CPU clock.
When you tried to beat a "boss" that was designed in the days of a 6mhz 80286 on 40mhz 386DX you wanted the "pinto" speed effect of that "Turbo" button.
Seems irrelevant now, but getting your butt kicked at warp speed created the need for the short lived "Turbo" button...
But a valet switch for the Lightning to cut the supercharger would be a "pinto" effect mod I'd consider...
You can still make money off of SCO's stock price climb if you take a big risk.
Short their stock.
The truth has a way of shaking out, and when the current SCO hype is undone and the price plumets to a fair value, you will cover your short and buy a speedboat or two (I like Donzi).
I do not often short stocks, prefering to avoid the risk, but in this case...
Consider a lot of the same factors for desktop or laptop.
If you can sacrifice a little performance, you will find that a system that uses a Transmeta Crusoe or a VIA Eden CPU will consume far less power than anything from Intel or AMD. There are a few nice Transmeta based laptops.
Both provide good x86 instructions and run XP or linux fine.
As well, going with a small (15"-17") LCD will be a big power saver for a desktop over a traditional CRT.
Use a lower RPM disk, or a laptop drive in your desktop.
On a laptop, if you can live with dual scan it uses less power than active matrix. If you can find an "organic" LCD like the one in the Gameboy Advance, they use the least power of any acceptable display technology I've seen.
Also don't forget to optimize those energy savings times to get the components to "sleep" after just a short idle time.
While EMC could do great things for themselves and VMware with this move, it does not mean that they will for sure.
EMC has one of the best sales and support organizations in the industry. They know how to sell to decision makers. They may be second only to Cisco in this right now. If they choose to really back VMWare it could mean great things!
I supported a co-worker's server consolidation plan that proposed a VMware solution that got shot down by decision makers that thought the small company too uncertain.
VMware will not be from a small company if it part of EMC, but will it survive as the same great product or disapear like Amteva's uOne did into Cisco and CMG?
Slashdot Mirror
Yes, perhaps Mr. Xie Jianping should have been included in or be added to the current /. poll of "Most Likely to Take Over the World"!
I had voted for Dogbert, but I would change that to Mr. Xie Jianping...
As good as this news is, I still do not expect my local access guy to be able to compete with the likes of Rupert Murdoch or Ted Turner. Free press is getting tougher and tougher. At least there is the internet...
Uhm, Bob Bemer introduced the backlash, not the slash, so I used his char. If you are gonna cc or gcc my slashdot remarks you might have lots of other problems. I hope that Brian and Dennis have a less myopic view and can forgive my use of a backslash intead of a slash for this one comment. But you probably know all about RATFOR, prefer C over Fortran, and hate anything that is not correct syntax... I do prefer C, and have used it since before it was an ANSI standard. My copy of the white book with the blue C has no "ANSI" slapped on it. Also have an original copy of Software Tools. Know who Plauger is? /* this better? */
btw-anonymous is for FTP on public sites, not real slashdot posts.
OK, so perhaps better stated "where ASCII was one small step for man, Unicode is one giant leap for mankind."
Still, I view ASCII as a step forward.
I have very little use for the PN (Punch On) or PF (Punch Off) in EBCDIC these days. My punch card stack got all out of order and then I spilled Jolt on them...
Not to mention that in EBCDIC this site would be "BELL ACK", not "/." , based on binary or decimal codes for current use translated into EBCDIC.
And, please, let's remember that both ASCII and EBCDIC mapped binary and decimal to other characters/functions.
The machines can only use binary (check the computer related meaning of flipflop). Decimal was the thing we humans learned (probably because most have ten digits on our hands counting fingers and thumbs). The need to represent things other than numbers (because not all humans are mathmaticians) was what drove EBCDIC, ASCII, and Unicode.
For extra fun, try programming with just Binary Coded Decimal, the 4-bit set that Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code extended in the first place. Even EBCDIC was a step forward at one point.
No doubt my original statement was a bit off (pun intended). Unicode is a much greater advance. But ASCII still seems a step forward to me. Particularly considering the time period.
Thank still go to Mr. Bob Bemer.
Actually I refer to the tech definition of higher level languages as C, Pascal, COBOL, BASIC, etc. that are motly intended to be human read as opposed to assembler or binary machine code that is intended to be machine read.
I make no reference to English, Chinese, Spanish, or German as one being "higher" than the other...
Truly.
Thanks for caring, though. I agree that truth and consistency are important and am not for the extermination of any people as a whole.
Please understand I refer only to computer programming languages.
Where is the flamebait in this? Maybe the person with Mod points just don't understand! This is a compliment to his ASCII development and a tribute (albeit a bit lame) to his development of COBOL...
EBCDIC to ASCII was as big a step as ASCII to Unicode. I hope that Bob's next step is even bigger. May he join that big computer in the sky and have restful NOOP's;
from my (limited) COBOL days-
CLOSE mName-# BobBemer
Thanks Bob.
And still most people don't realize that the counter from epoch date (Jan 1. 1970) has a roll over flaw too. Seems to me 2038 is the magic year... but I have poor memory recall... I'm sure my recall will be even worse by then...
No, Bob has been re-IPL'd. Alt-F4 is Windows. Bob was X360 era...
You complain (rightly so) about one day on Slashdot... imagine how Bob must have felt after 29 years of undestanding the Y2K problem with very few others listening. Not to mention his ASCII vs. EBCDIC struggle within IBM, or the value of higher level languages. \* although I prefer C to COBOL *\ Welcome to the world of the bell curve.
OK, so now we have a phone based implementation of 1981 toy that is "cutting edge"?
The Sky-Writer by Ideal was a wand like item that you could program to say whatever you wanted by waving LED's in the air.
I had one of these as an 11-year-old.
It was nine years later before I got my first "bag phone" (a Motorola).
Of course, it could be great now for those times I'd like to tell some D.C. beltway drivers MHO of their skills...
When I call my PC "My Tardis" so many might not look so puzzled...
If you did not see the originals, and you are puzzled, you might google the terms Dr Who My Tardis... enjoy! Looking forward to the new show.
One feature to miss:
The ability to handle multiple refresh rates for individual windows within the same display!
I also think Guru Meditations are much nicer than blue screens... but there is a linux screensaver for that!
I don't really miss them, though, as my A1000 and A1200-AGA still boot and get used a few times a year (mostly to play TestDrive, Marble Madness, Skyfox, or Lemmings).
I have a hard time with one of my original Kickstart 1.1 disks though, and have to use copies (TestDrive on my A1000 really has fewer problems with 1.1 than any 1.2 or later Kickstart).
Besides, just the signature lid is something to miss. I think only Alien takes that kind of pride in their work anymore...
I also miss Fred Fish! That was years before "open source".
What I want is a phone that can switch networks (seamlessly would be nice)from private to public. A handheld that used 802.11b(or g) when available and GSM or CDMA 1xRTT when I hit the road...
But I also want world peace, so don't hold your breath...
This double true.
She is, I am very certain, very fast moving on that ZX-11.
More so moving, I have perhaps never been so humbled as a human being as viewing her site. It should be praised. Insight into one of human kind's saddest tragedies that I rarely think one person has, and she can convey it to others so completely.
Thanks. I learned a lot more from her site than I expected to by following that link.
If this is not a hoax (Is the law firm really Smart & Biggar?), then this guy should get some legal help and fight back!
Is Gates really this insecure?
(No, I mean his feelings about his own shortcomings, not security in his OS's).
Scotch, you insenitive clod! You don't know me, so don't imply I cheat or condone it.
It is not cheating to play the game same or faster rate than the original programmer had intended, but at half of your system clock.
Most of the games that depended on the clockspeed of your CPU to determine the timing of actions in the game expected a 6 or 8 megahertz CPU.
The turbo button in the first 16 megahertz and faster systems was to provide a way to run games (and some other applications) at a usable speeds for required interactions.
From my earlier post that you quoted, half of a 40 megahetz clock was still 20.
20,000,000 > 8,000,000
20,000,000 > 6,000,000
Not a slower cheating fun way as you imply.
I agree that having a button to slow you down seems silly today, but "back in the day" many games were timed based on the CPU clock.
When you tried to beat a "boss" that was designed in the days of a 6mhz 80286 on 40mhz 386DX you wanted the "pinto" speed effect of that "Turbo" button.
Seems irrelevant now, but getting your butt kicked at warp speed created the need for the short lived "Turbo" button...
But a valet switch for the Lightning to cut the supercharger would be a "pinto" effect mod I'd consider...
You can still make money off of SCO's stock price climb if you take a big risk.
Short their stock.
The truth has a way of shaking out, and when the current SCO hype is undone and the price plumets to a fair value, you will cover your short and buy a speedboat or two (I like Donzi).
I do not often short stocks, prefering to avoid the risk, but in this case...
Invest at your own risk.
Consider a lot of the same factors for desktop or laptop.
If you can sacrifice a little performance, you will find that a system that uses a Transmeta Crusoe or a VIA Eden CPU will consume far less power than anything from Intel or AMD. There are a few nice Transmeta based laptops.
Both provide good x86 instructions and run XP or linux fine.
As well, going with a small (15"-17") LCD will be a big power saver for a desktop over a traditional CRT.
Use a lower RPM disk, or a laptop drive in your desktop.
On a laptop, if you can live with dual scan it uses less power than active matrix. If you can find an "organic" LCD like the one in the Gameboy Advance, they use the least power of any acceptable display technology I've seen.
Also don't forget to optimize those energy savings times to get the components to "sleep" after just a short idle time.
Cheers!
The software is a code example given in the manual from the same year, so I guess it is about the same age...
you slide the PRGM-RUN switch to PRGM, enter about 40 instructions, slide the switch back to RUN, and press the R/S (run/stop) key.
Then you use the red LED display to check coordinates and keys to control landing.
I still sometimes enter in the code for lunar lander on my 1975 HP-25 RPN calculator...
;)
That is the oldest software I support
This is my fear as well.
While EMC could do great things for themselves and VMware with this move, it does not mean that they will for sure.
EMC has one of the best sales and support organizations in the industry. They know how to sell to decision makers. They may be second only to Cisco in this right now. If they choose to really back VMWare it could mean great things!
I supported a co-worker's server consolidation plan that proposed a VMware solution that got shot down by decision makers that thought the small company too uncertain.
VMware will not be from a small company if it part of EMC, but will it survive as the same great product or disapear like Amteva's uOne did into Cisco and CMG?
Wish I had some mod points to bump this up!
A used sparc is a great recomendation. Or build your own:
www.sparcproductdirectory.com
uname SunOS 5.9 Yeah!