They thought their Itanium would be the only reputable and reliable 64-bit platform for x86.
Honest question. Is the Opteron AMD's only 64-bit processor? Or do they have a "server-grade" processor? I consistently see people comparing xeons to opterons or xeons to G5s. Aren't they two different grades of processors? That would be like comparing a G5 to an actual Power4.
I mean, there's nothing wrong with showing your desktop processor spanking a server-grade processor, but in another sense, it's sort of like comparing oranges and tangerines.
These kinds of companies and organization are somewhat of an interest to me, in that they resemble the Battered Wife syndrome.
Here they are, putting all their effort into helping fix MS's products to make the software work better, only to get brushed off and ignored for six months. Then they go and complain about how horrible of a company MS is and how horrible the software is.
Two weeks later, they're at it again, trying to help solve MS's problems, and will yet again be brushed off and ignored. They'll complain and rant, and in another month when the next vulnerability is discovered, they'll be back at MS's side again trying to fix it. Repeat...
Why bother investing the time and money into a company that doesn't care? If you're going to be putting in the effort, go with something like Linux where you aren't ignored, can apply the patching yourself, release the patch, and say, "Hey, we fixed the problem. Here's the patch everyone," instead of groveling at MS's feet and trying to convince the company that they should not give every 3rd-rate script kiddie admin access.
...it's wrong. Dark Energy doesn't really have anything to do with Dark Matter, or regular matter for that matter. The universe is around 30% regular matter, and 70% dark matter (plus or minus 10-20% on both ends, depending on who you're talking to), which accounts for the "missing" matter in the universe. If you sum up all the matter in the universe with what we can see, it doesn't account for all the gravity residing in the universe, which is why the Dark Matter theory was created. SOMETHING out there is generating gravity, but we can't see it, and apparently, this invisible substance is creating most of it.
Dark Energy on the other hand is the equivalent of Einstein's Universal Constant. For some unknown reason, the universe is accelerating in its expansion (counteracting the gravity that SHOULD be causing it to slow down), instead of slowing down (and eventually ending in a Big Crunch) as we previously had thought.
I wouldn't put much faith in that. They're benchmarks submitted by individual users. Take a look at the computer info. You have single Athlon 1700's outperforming dual 2200+'s. I'm sure the result would be a very different story in a controlled environment.
Don't forget that any decent server (including xServe) has a hard-key lock that disables external ports. You just insert the key, turn the lock, and there isn't anything a malicious person can do, asside from pulling the power plug and walking out with your computer. But hopefully security will stop them by then.
To compare Longhorn to any current operating system is moot, as three years is indeed a LONG time for development. There will probably be at least two or three more major updates to the general *nix population, and without a dout, at least 1 more major revamp of OS X (a complete 64-bit native version for sure). And saying 1-3 major updates is being conservative.
" 1) Six-plus hours of battery life is not always enough. "
This is the only part of his post that's reasonably sound, to an extent. I mean, it's such a hassle to reach over two inches and plug your iPod into the outlet in front of you, or next to your airline chair.
" 2) Some experts say that it's impossible to damage the drive in this way, but I'm not buying that--hard drives spin thousands of times per minute, and they have tiny, fragile parts. "
Yeah, nothing's impossible, but what do the EXPERTS know. They're only EXPERTS after all. In addition, don't you think Apple had this in mind with their PORTABLE MP3 player?
3) The iPod is expensive.
Ok, but the iPod is not JUST an MP3 player. It's practically a high-capacity PDA. You can do a whole lot more with it than just listen to MP3s, and those are the features you're paying for. If you ONLY want an MP3 player, then buy a little MP3 player. If you want a firewire HDD, games, calendar, alarm clock, voice recorder, camera, portable stereo, and 20 other things, then get a bloody iPod.
" 4) You want to make high-quality digital recordings. "
That's why we have computers. That's why Apple added the digital/optical line in. That's why you have really nice sound cards and top-notch microphone to connect to your PC for good recording.
" 5) But I don't like feeling hemmed in. Some other MP3 players let you choose between BuyMusic, Musicmatch, and Napster, all of which use Microsoft's secure WMA files. "
I see. So you like being hemmed in AFTER you download your MP3s, because we all know Microsoft's secure WMA files can be played on a wide variety of software.
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A few words: Read the previous post about NOT messing with Apple's case fans.
Thanks for the clarification.
Honest question. Is the Opteron AMD's only 64-bit processor? Or do they have a "server-grade" processor? I consistently see people comparing xeons to opterons or xeons to G5s. Aren't they two different grades of processors? That would be like comparing a G5 to an actual Power4.
I mean, there's nothing wrong with showing your desktop processor spanking a server-grade processor, but in another sense, it's sort of like comparing oranges and tangerines.
I'm sure the symptoms of nervousness are related to the old "640k" and "never need more."
These kinds of companies and organization are somewhat of an interest to me, in that they resemble the Battered Wife syndrome.
Here they are, putting all their effort into helping fix MS's products to make the software work better, only to get brushed off and ignored for six months. Then they go and complain about how horrible of a company MS is and how horrible the software is.
Two weeks later, they're at it again, trying to help solve MS's problems, and will yet again be brushed off and ignored. They'll complain and rant, and in another month when the next vulnerability is discovered, they'll be back at MS's side again trying to fix it. Repeat...
Why bother investing the time and money into a company that doesn't care? If you're going to be putting in the effort, go with something like Linux where you aren't ignored, can apply the patching yourself, release the patch, and say, "Hey, we fixed the problem. Here's the patch everyone," instead of groveling at MS's feet and trying to convince the company that they should not give every 3rd-rate script kiddie admin access.
Dark Energy on the other hand is the equivalent of Einstein's Universal Constant. For some unknown reason, the universe is accelerating in its expansion (counteracting the gravity that SHOULD be causing it to slow down), instead of slowing down (and eventually ending in a Big Crunch) as we previously had thought.
Just FYI.I wouldn't put much faith in that. They're benchmarks submitted by individual users. Take a look at the computer info. You have single Athlon 1700's outperforming dual 2200+'s. I'm sure the result would be a very different story in a controlled environment.
Don't forget that any decent server (including xServe) has a hard-key lock that disables external ports. You just insert the key, turn the lock, and there isn't anything a malicious person can do, asside from pulling the power plug and walking out with your computer. But hopefully security will stop them by then.
...as they didn't take into account this small piece of VERY important data.
Beware of quantum ducts! Quark quark!
And a completely unrelated joke:
A baby seal walked into a club.
Cheers!
To compare Longhorn to any current operating system is moot, as three years is indeed a LONG time for development. There will probably be at least two or three more major updates to the general *nix population, and without a dout, at least 1 more major revamp of OS X (a complete 64-bit native version for sure). And saying 1-3 major updates is being conservative.
" 1) Six-plus hours of battery life is not always enough. " This is the only part of his post that's reasonably sound, to an extent. I mean, it's such a hassle to reach over two inches and plug your iPod into the outlet in front of you, or next to your airline chair. " 2) Some experts say that it's impossible to damage the drive in this way, but I'm not buying that--hard drives spin thousands of times per minute, and they have tiny, fragile parts. " Yeah, nothing's impossible, but what do the EXPERTS know. They're only EXPERTS after all. In addition, don't you think Apple had this in mind with their PORTABLE MP3 player? 3) The iPod is expensive. Ok, but the iPod is not JUST an MP3 player. It's practically a high-capacity PDA. You can do a whole lot more with it than just listen to MP3s, and those are the features you're paying for. If you ONLY want an MP3 player, then buy a little MP3 player. If you want a firewire HDD, games, calendar, alarm clock, voice recorder, camera, portable stereo, and 20 other things, then get a bloody iPod. " 4) You want to make high-quality digital recordings. " That's why we have computers. That's why Apple added the digital/optical line in. That's why you have really nice sound cards and top-notch microphone to connect to your PC for good recording. " 5) But I don't like feeling hemmed in. Some other MP3 players let you choose between BuyMusic, Musicmatch, and Napster, all of which use Microsoft's secure WMA files. " I see. So you like being hemmed in AFTER you download your MP3s, because we all know Microsoft's secure WMA files can be played on a wide variety of software.