Unfortuantely, the way scientists see it now, we'll probably never have a desktop quantum computer (or at least for a very long time). The problem is that the interaction takes place in an extremely controlled environment. Granted, the first analog computers were large, but that's because solid state wasn't really around yet. The "parts" of most QC's are acctually on the nanometer scale.
For example, one qbit setup is to use a helium superfluid, which naturally bonds electrons to the surface. The bound electrons can then be controled with a combination of microwave radiation and an electric potential from wafer posts under the fluid. Each electron (qbit) sits on top of a post, which are spaced just a few nm apart. The system is still being developed, but the nice thing is once they get it to work, they can just build a large wafer holding millions of qbits.
However, the huge problem with the above example is that it needs to run at about 50 mK, which is very close to absolute zero and requires a dilution fridge, which is a 6 foot tall cylinder. There are similar (though more complicated) limitations to the laser trapping methods.
For a commercial unit I suppose the QC wafer, microwave source, and dilution fridge could be packaged together nicely, but it is still 6 feet tall, heavy, not well suited for a house. Even if it were possible to make one small enough, there are currently no real benefits for a home user unless they really wanted to find elements in a large array or crack PGP codes... I suppose the first computers were also only suited for a lab environment and scientists probably thought the average person would never need a computer either, so who knows what will develop in the next 50 years...
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I don't know about you guys, but I keep candels in my drawer for when my light bulbs go out.
Light houses might just be a good thing to keep around.
For example, one qbit setup is to use a helium superfluid, which naturally bonds electrons to the surface. The bound electrons can then be controled with a combination of microwave radiation and an electric potential from wafer posts under the fluid. Each electron (qbit) sits on top of a post, which are spaced just a few nm apart. The system is still being developed, but the nice thing is once they get it to work, they can just build a large wafer holding millions of qbits.
However, the huge problem with the above example is that it needs to run at about 50 mK, which is very close to absolute zero and requires a dilution fridge, which is a 6 foot tall cylinder. There are similar (though more complicated) limitations to the laser trapping methods.
For a commercial unit I suppose the QC wafer, microwave source, and dilution fridge could be packaged together nicely, but it is still 6 feet tall, heavy, not well suited for a house. Even if it were possible to make one small enough, there are currently no real benefits for a home user unless they really wanted to find elements in a large array or crack PGP codes... I suppose the first computers were also only suited for a lab environment and scientists probably thought the average person would never need a computer either, so who knows what will develop in the next 50 years...
1)Find the drive geometry of your disk (see below).
2)Boot the machine on the install CD.
3)Invoke the installer by typing: linux hda=c,h,s where c,h,s is the number of cylinders, heads and sectors of the disk, respectively.
To find your drive geometry:
1)Boot into linux w/ root (a liveCD is ok).
2)Type: fdisk -l /dev/hda
3)Write down the number of cylinders, heads and sectors. Now just complete the steps above.
Hope this helps...
And people thought the microwave oven wouldn't catch on either...