a scenario that has probably happened to everyone at some point in their lives: You're late to go out for the evening and just as you're about to run out the door you remember that Melrose Place is going to be on that night and you just can't miss it
Really? Everyone watches Melrose Place? Gosh I didn't know it was still on. This guy is really plugged-in to current media trends, I think I'll RTFA now...
Re:Hardware resources and software design
on
Where's My 10 Ghz PC?
·
· Score: 3, Insightful
Hogwash! Write first, optimize later
No, you cannot retrofit quality and performance into a software project.
what are the chances that I can write a better sorting algorithm than one included in a standard library that was written by some who studied sorting algorithms? Close to zero
Maybe so, but it can (and should) be done in specific cases. For example, I maintain a library of binary tree functions, and I do use them frequently. They are well tested and perform beautifully. However, a project I completed recently required a large amount of data to be traversed in a specific manner, so we designed and built our own BTA--specifically optimized for the task.
As you know, poorly designed code will bubble up through the code and bite you in the end... and your project will suffer from it.
When designing commercial software, there are basically 2 factors related to this
I agree with the two questions you pose, but there are many more to ask. Design and implementation techniques depend on project size, organization, build and configuration process, the special role of project tools, and testing strategies.
At any rate, any non-trivial software project should have it's design assumptions mercilessly decomposed. As you said, it's highly dependent on the type of project, but the questions are still much the same.
Hardware resources and software design
on
Where's My 10 Ghz PC?
·
· Score: 2, Insightful
Make a CPU ten times as fast, and software will usually find ten times as much to do (or, in some cases, will feel at liberty to do it ten times less efficiently)
I find that software designers often do not take resource limits seriously. Programming is tedious, hard work. The algorithms chosen *are* important, and in some cases you shouldn't simply reach into the API toolbox and use the third-party solutions. There is no substitute for knowing how to write your own sort routines, specialized linked lists, and binary trees.
Almost 60 years ago, the story was different. "In 1945, after capturing several German 'Magnetophon' tape recorders from Radio Luxembourg, the American Signal Corps recorded a speech by Gen. Dwight Eisenhower to be played to the people of occupied Germany. Due to a shortage of recording tape, the speech had to be recorded on a reel of used German tape.
Due to a problem with the German tape recorder, the tape was not completely erased and the voice of Adolph Hitler was intermittently heard along with Eisenhower's voice. This caused a great deal of fear and confusion among the German people
Wouldn't you have loved to be there for that little mishap? Here's a little more info on that story in case you're interested.
If the article (and test) is accurate, almost nothing's good about this Tweel
I think it's an interesting engineering feat, although they might have a hard time marketing it in Arkansas, where it appears non-pneumatic tires are prohibited for speeds > 10mph.
I wonder if other states maintain such restrictions?
Samsung "B-Bop"
400 MHz Processor, 128 MB ROM, 64 MB RAM, Bluetooth, WiFi, GSM/GPRS, miniSD, 240x320 pixel with 18-bit Color, 5.52" x 2.01" x 0.95", 2 Mega Pixel Camera, and Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition for Phone Edition.
Although the Samsung prototype has a superior form factor, my HP iPAQ h6315 has many of the same features--minus 64M ROM, a 2-megapixel camera, and some other cool stuff. Although I'm happy with what I have, sluggishness is a real issue with my iPAQ: and I could certainly use the extra CPU power.
I wonder if the CPU is an XScale?... hmmm...
The camera--for me--is a gimmicky thing, I hardly *ever* use it.
I've got a bad case of mobile technolust... someone please help:)
Inside the VM, parallelism is implemented using threads with no separation regarding memory or other resources. In this respect Java has not changed since its invention in the early nineties.
I agree that ABAP's dispatcher is an excellent model for per-process isolation. Going further in Java, I would suggest adding a portable root jail to the API. This could allow chroot to isolate and/or run the I/O of native subprocesses through a Java SecurityManager, using a user mode filesystem mechanism. In this way you could secure a Java language service... a handy way of adding a final wrapper to the security provided by the JVM.
we'll use bionic eyes giving us 'zoom vision' for faster reactions
Indeed many blind or vision-impaired people have hope today from nanotechnology like this. Scientists are experimenting with thin, photosensitive ceramic films that respond to light much as rods and cones do. Arrays of such films could be implanted in human eyes to restore lost vision.
Unfortunately, we have decided to STOP selling these lasers to the general public. Too many people have been doing stupid things with lasers recently, and this product is misunderstood. This laser DOES NOT pose a threat to airplanes or pilots
Recent events have prompted LaserShoppe (and other outlets) to pull their products from the market, or at least from sale to the general public. The issue has at least raised laser safety consciousness, and the FBI is right to investigate the incidents, but there is always a tendency for the public and media to over-hype issues like this.
Given some time, and--right or wrong--somebody will attempt to pile on the regulations and we can forget about buying green lasers from ThinkGeek or anyplace else.
A major reevaluation of the ways in which we perceive our world will move us forward more rapidly. Current modes of science/scientific thinking often inadequately address the nature of the universe, consciousness, and our place in the cosmos (consider these issues: Chaos theory, Triadic theory, and Quantum theory, to name a few).
Introduced with the groundbreaking 1984 commercial the Mac started the GUI revolution which brought millions of new users
I purchased one of those 128K beasts in 1986 for gawd-only-knows how much. I found out the Macintosh File System ("MFS") was a flat file system: all files were stored in a single directory. However, the system software presented a hierarchical view that showed nested folders. In those days, the Mac ran a single-user, single-tasking operating system, the "Mac System Software"... it came on a single 400 KB floppy.
Oh, the memories. QuickDraw. Wish I still had that box, bet it would fetch some bling-bling on Ebay:)
The organization that now calls itself SCO is not the Santa Cruz Organization. They did not do the work done by the Santa Cruz Organization. They bought some assets from the Santa Cruz Organization.
While I can appreciate the spirit of your denunciation, it's not an unusual practice for Company A to acquire the assets of Company B, and eventually become known as Company B. Is that "FUD" or common business tactics? In the case of SCO vs. Caldera, one could argue which brand positioned their business model more positively.
people who currently call themselves SCO are trying to use that name to confuse people
As an ex-SCO1 contractor, I can assure you that (a) no one is trying to use the name, it is both public and legal for them to do so, and (b) the rights to the "SCO" trademark by Caldera were in mutual agreement of both parties.
As much as I loathe the current SCO(G) the '01 transactions are oft misunderstood.
What's wrong with UNIX? Depends on which perspective you start...
In my opinion, here are some headaches that have plagued a wary UNIX engineer or two:
IEEE and Posix, X/Open, etc. provide a basis for standardizing UNIX interfaces, but adherence tends to be spotty
Difficult to implement a microkernel architecture
XPG3 aside, a de facto "common API" has never really been acheived
In many cases, code scrutiny is difficult or impossible
Progress and innovation tends to occur within the context of aquisitions (i.e. UnixWare)
The COFF symbolic system is terrible (OK, I know it's a deprecated, but still...)
PIT initialization (time management)
Kernel tuning (anyone fiddled with the/etc/conf/cf.d subdir on OS5?)
These are just a few things, in my experience. That said, UNIX has had some great days.
Our conviction is that there is nothing more powerful to convince the public that this audacious challenge can be met than to actually do it
Governments around the world are not spending money on mitigating against this probability, to whatever extent they have considered the issue.
Whether taking the matter into their own hands, privately funded B612 will have an uphill battle to begin the process with such limited funding. Perhaps they would be better suited as an international scientific lobby, making the case and such apologetics as to attract attention to the issue.
Also, in case you're wondering, B612 is the asteroid home of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's protagonist in The Little Prince.
A virtual police or secuirty force... would solve the problem to a large degree
Intriguing idea... but would it be feasible to implement a solution that has real-world legal implications? If I ban you from a *game*--not a server--you purchased, depending on the EULA--I could envision some potential legal troubles for the studio/distributor.
Another point is, couldn't the virtual police become corrupt (again, as is common in many societies), and wouldn't you need extraordinarily complex systems such as...
a judiciary
lawyers
ombudsmen
investigatory units
a bar association
...etc, etc... to eliminate the possibility of abuse by the "authorities"? How would you like to be "imprisoned" in a MMORPG by some rogue "virtual cop" who decided you were acting improperly? Something to think about.
Ganging up on newbies is typical griefer behavior in games with large multiplayer universes, such as "Sims Online" or "EverQuest."
Not restricted to the MMOG universe, fractious behavior can be found in just about all online games. I was suprised once when a really good Q3A player stopped for awhile to give me a few tips, like adjusting/sensitivity and/cl_* vars. Respect for newbies who are genuinely interested in getting better ultimately leads to more competition. If they enjoy playing--they will likely stick w/the game and increase their skill.
Slashdot Mirror
Sorry, but that statistic is way off the mark. According to the DOE, 46% is more like it.
Through my unauthorised site to accept donations i did not raise no money nore did no one donate to the site
Am I just overly-skeptical... or is this claim quite hard to believe?
if 64-bit will be present in Windows Longhorn
If you're interested, here's a good discussion on what 64-bit Longhorn will look like.
Maybe so, but it can (and should) be done in specific cases. For example, I maintain a library of binary tree functions, and I do use them frequently. They are well tested and perform beautifully. However, a project I completed recently required a large amount of data to be traversed in a specific manner, so we designed and built our own BTA--specifically optimized for the task.
As you know, poorly designed code will bubble up through the code and bite you in the end... and your project will suffer from it.
At any rate, any non-trivial software project should have it's design assumptions mercilessly decomposed. As you said, it's highly dependent on the type of project, but the questions are still much the same.
I wonder if other states maintain such restrictions?
I wonder if the CPU is an XScale?
The camera--for me--is a gimmicky thing, I hardly *ever* use it.
I've got a bad case of mobile technolust... someone please help
Sorry, I intended to post a link to NASA's research on this subject.
Given some time, and--right or wrong--somebody will attempt to pile on the regulations and we can forget about buying green lasers from ThinkGeek or anyplace else.
A major reevaluation of the ways in which we perceive our world will move us forward more rapidly. Current modes of science/scientific thinking often inadequately address the nature of the universe, consciousness, and our place in the cosmos (consider these issues: Chaos theory, Triadic theory, and Quantum theory, to name a few).
Oh, the memories. QuickDraw. Wish I still had that box, bet it would fetch some bling-bling on Ebay
As much as I loathe the current SCO(G) the '01 transactions are oft misunderstood.
Compared to the deep scrutiny offered in the codebases of the OS's you just mentioned.
In my opinion, here are some headaches that have plagued a wary UNIX engineer or two:
IEEE and Posix, X/Open, etc. provide a basis for standardizing UNIX interfaces, but adherence tends to be spotty
Difficult to implement a microkernel architecture
XPG3 aside, a de facto "common API" has never really been acheived
In many cases, code scrutiny is difficult or impossible
Progress and innovation tends to occur within the context of aquisitions (i.e. UnixWare)
The COFF symbolic system is terrible (OK, I know it's a deprecated, but still...)
PIT initialization (time management)
Kernel tuning (anyone fiddled with the /etc/conf/cf.d subdir on OS5?)
These are just a few things, in my experience. That said, UNIX has had some great days.
Whether taking the matter into their own hands, privately funded B612 will have an uphill battle to begin the process with such limited funding. Perhaps they would be better suited as an international scientific lobby, making the case and such apologetics as to attract attention to the issue.
Also, in case you're wondering, B612 is the asteroid home of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's protagonist in The Little Prince.
Another point is, couldn't the virtual police become corrupt (again, as is common in many societies), and wouldn't you need extraordinarily complex systems such as...
a judiciary
lawyers
ombudsmen
investigatory units
a bar association
...etc, etc... to eliminate the possibility of abuse by the "authorities"? How would you like to be "imprisoned" in a MMORPG by some rogue "virtual cop" who decided you were acting improperly? Something to think about.