I've got a decent pile of links stored at work. You made me blow off about three hours of work today to gather info for a post here.;-)
Anyways, yes... Bio-diesel is the logical step, because you don't have to change the infrastructure to deliver the fuel, and you would have to make very little to no modification to existing engines.
There's a story on Slashdot tonight that's kinda interesting, and relevant to our posts:
http://www.unh.edu/p2/biodiesel/article_alge.htm l
Diesel is used for heavy lifting because it's more efficient, and diesel engines generally last a very long time (with proper maintenance), which makes it cheaper. Gasoline engines would fail miserably in heavy-duty applications, and would generate much more pollution.
The study in Denver (if you really want, I'll search for that link again) was done by some group trying to prove that their theory of 75% of all the air pollution in the Denver area was caused by diesel powered equipment. The results were 100% opposite of their original beliefs.
Average crappy gasoline car? Any car that gets less than 25mpg in city driving these days is pretty crappy, and that's pretty much the majority of cars, even new ones. All gasoline powered cars pretty much suck. Gasoline hybrids are interesting, but the amount of energy and materials consumed when the car is being built takes a long time to be offset by the efficiency of the engine, if ever.
Automakers are building new diesel cars, and improving them, because they take less resources to manufacture (compared to hybrids), and are more efficient (less fuel used, which is very attractive with fuel costs in Europe). The newer diesel engines from VW are incredibly clean running, and cannot be compared to diesel engine technology from five years ago or earlier. The same goes for domestic diesels from Ford, GM, and Cummins. Very high tech stuff, very clean, very powerful, and very very efficient.
Speaking of domestic automakers, GM and Ford are working on small diesel engines to be used in SUVs and light-duty pickups in the near future. They're doing this because of stricter emissions laws that I believe go into effect around 2007-2008.
It's no conspiracy theory, it's the truth. It's also logical: If we are entering an age of diminishing crude oil reserves, doesn't it make sense to use a power platform that uses less fuel, generates more power, takes less energy/raw materials to build, and runs cleanly?
If I have time tonight, I'll see if I can dig up the links to the studies I'm basing my opinions against, and follow up here. I looked, but all of my posts with these links are not available to me on my user page (they've dropped off the bottom of my list).
If diesel is so much dirtier, why is it used for all of the "heavy lifting" (trucking, trains, construction equipment, etc) in this country?
If diesel is so much dirtier, why does 75% of airborne pollutants in the Denver metro area come from gasoline powered vehicles, and only 25% come from diesel powered vehicles (and this includes off-road machinery, like front-end loaders, etc)?
If diesel is so much dirtier, why do auto manufacturers in Europe bother with cars like the VW Lupo?
The facts are out there, unfortunately there's a lot of bias towards gasoline powered vehicles. It's hard to get past seeing the black plumes of smoke one might see from a semi or city bus, and still think that diesel can be clean. It's very difficult to imagine a gasoline engine in place of the diesel engines found in today's semis and city buses, though, because they'd polute even more.
None of this arguing is going to matter much, once things really start getting tight with the world's oil supplies. Bio-diesel is cheap and easy to make (cheaper and easier than ethanol, not to mention bio-diesel has much more energy content than ethanol), and we'll see diesel engines become much more popular, whether you or the general public likes it or not.
I've already supplied the links to different articles and research findings before on Slashdot. I've done my research, go do yours.
Go do more searching. Hell, I've posted links on Slashdot several times recently regarding air pollution and diesel engines, as well as engine efficiencies for gas, gas/electric, and diesel.
I'm so sick of people being completely uninformed when it comes to diesel engines and emissions.
Today's diesel engines are more efficient, and no where near as dirty as a modern gasoline engine. Yes, even a gas-electric hybrid.
In fact, with direct-injection becoming more available (and popular), diesel engines are set to go up another step in power and efficiency, and run even cleaner.
Diesel is the future for American automobiles. Cars like the VW Lupo are a prime example of what can be accomplished when you apply diesel power in the right proportions (hint, over 80mpg!).
I just wish everyone in the US (yes, I live in the US) would get their heads out of their asses, and realize techonology has not left the diesel engine behind. It's better than ever before, and still improving.
I'd like to see you tow a boat with your airplane. Or how about fit a family of five with all their luggage in the air plane, and tow a camper?
Apples and oranges here... SUVs may suck fuel, and never leave the ground, but airplanes suck at towing, and just about everything else while they're on the ground.
You don't even have to do that... Today's diesel fuel isn't that high in sulfur content, and I believe the switch to zero sulfur content fuels will be happening in the next few years in the US.
Regardless, diesel fuel requires less refining. Gasoline has already had a lot of impurities burned off before it even makes it into your fuel tank, and already impacting the environment.
Diesel is better, period. Bio-diesel just flat kicks ass.
Unless you are absolutely certian of what you are doing. Also, most newer cars have the capability to readjust the timing on the fly, so even if you manually advance the timing, the computer will set it back to normal.
Advancing the timing too much will make your engine knock, and possibly run hotter. This can cause failure in your valves, and very possibly damage the pistons.
You can also negatively affect your emissions, which may cause problems during testing (if you have to do that sort of thing).
The best thing you can do for your car is get regular tune ups (check timing, replace spark plugs, keep filters clean/changed, use good synthetic oils, keep tires in good condition), and drive smart.
From what I understand, diesel powered vehicles are still less costly and have a smaller impact on the environment than gas/electric hybrid cars.
Diesel powered cars get almost the same MPG figures as the hybrids (sometimes better, depending how you drive), and take less energy/resources to manufacture. They also tend to last longer, and will require less maintenance for the life of the vehicles.
And on top of all of that, diesel is usually significantly cheaper than gasoline (obviously this will depend on where you live). Right now diesel is around $1.75/gallon, vs 87 octane @ 1.99/gallon where I live.
My next car is going to be a VW Golf TDI.
I used to drive an '84 Chevrolet K5 Blazer, with the 6.2L V8 diesel (no turbo). With the automatic overdrive transmission, I could reach 30MPG on the highway, and generally got 20-22MPG with combined city/highway driving. Not bad for a full-size truck with 4x4.
Nothing runs like a Slackware box. I've tried the BSDs, most major Linux distros, some of the smaller ones, Solaris x86, Windows, Plan 9 (that's some cool stuff right there, just can't dedicate a machine to it all the time), and still go back to Slack.
People, Slackware is good stuff. If you haven't tried it, go get a set of 9.1 ISOs (ftp://ftp.slackware.no/linux/slackware is a good place to start, fast downloads), hit some of the Slackware forums (http://www.userlocal.com http://www.linuxpackages.net), and have fun.
Debian's more established than Fedora right now. I don't like Debian, but I'd use Debian over Fedora any day of the week.
Yes, I've had to support a couple boxes running Fedora at work. No, it wasn't fun. It felt like I was administering a couple of Windows machines (no, that's not a compliment on the GUI).
Eh, I totally disagree. RedHat's quality has been slipping since 6.2, and continues to slip with Fedora. It's just not stable enough, and they mess around with the software packages and kernels WAY too much. Not to mention it's still one of the most bloated Linux distros you can install (if you adhere to package dependancies).
This may not be the case for you, but it sure is for me, and the hardware I support. I'm sick of finding non-RH kernels, or specially patched RH kernels, to keep stuff running right. They had horrible support for ReiserFS in the 7 series. Dependency hell everywhere you turned when dealing with RPMs directly.
Personally, I don't use RedHat at home, or recommended it to anyone I know outside of work (personally or professionally). There is NO enterprise class Linux distribution, YET. That doesn't mean Linux doesn't have a place in the enterprise computing pool of resources, it just means there isn't a prepackaged distro that's suitable for true enterprise consumption. Heck, aren't we still waiting for Linux to hit the desktop in good numbers, ANYWHERE?
Can RedHat make a true enterprise Linux distro? Maybe. I do think they have the resources to do it. I don't think they'll have a major shift in the thought that goes into building the distro, which is what's going to kill them in the long run.
I use Linux. I don't use RedHat. I try to spread the good word as much as I can, and install it in the appropriate situations. I'm getting ready to build some machines which will be donated to the Red Cross, and I'm going to use Linux on all of them. The distro won't be RedHat, or Fedora.
Wow. That is friggin' amazing. You installed an operating system on a machine, used it as a "residential gateway", and never patched it in all this time?
And I don't trust many people to manage packages for me, at home or at work.
Portage is great, I am working on getting Gentoo running (again) on my Sun SparcStation 20 at home for kicks. It's fun to play with new stuff, like Gentoo.
However, all of my other Linux machines are Slackware. I trust Patrick V., and I prefer to work with software packages myself. Slackware is proven, stable, and doesn't have the fluff most other distros have (Gentoo is good about this too. Another reason I'm looking into Gentoo).
When I am satisfied with where Gentoo developers are taking the distro, I'll add it to my list of "trusted" operating systems. Right now that list has one entry: Slackware. I'd love to make a second entry, though.
But I now have 56K dial-up. I dropped cable TV and internet, because I was tired of paying to watch commercials, and really didn't use the bandwidth I had to the internet. Why pay $80 a month for TV and internet, when I can pay $10 for dial-up and use rabbit-ears (I get NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox, and UPN just fine) for TV?
The major reason I dropped all of my cable service was because I couldn't get SCI-FI unless I subscribed to digital cable. That pissed me off.
Broadband is nice, but like other people have said, dial-up is just fine for surfing around. Yes, I do updates to all of my boxes at home. In fact, my home network runs through my Linux machine running a caching name server, iptables firewall, and ppp on demand. I have a lot of automated processes to keep all of my machines current with patches and security updates (Windows and Linux), and they work just the same over dial-up as they did over broadband.
As far as waiting to connect, it only takes about 20 seconds or so for my modem to dial and connect. Big deal.
Ever hear of a small-block chevy V8? This engine was pioneered in the 1950's and is still used today. Interestingly enough, the engine parts made today still fit the classic cars - a 1970 Camaro owner can salvage engine parts from a 2004 Camaro.
GM already modularizes their powertrains. You'll notice that GM offers a few different engine/transmission options, and that these options don't really change from one GM brand to the next.
Actually, that's not entirely true. As of 1997/98, very little will interchange between the LS1 engines and the older SBCs. Now, all of the different LS1 engines (4.8L, 5.3L, 5.7L, 6.0L) use a lot of the same parts, just like the older SBCs did (1955-1997).
Now, you could drop an LS1 into a 1970s Camaro, no problem.:-)
Transmissions... GM trannys are so interchangeable, you can go from practically any V8 to any V8, from 1955 to today's engines. All automatics and manual transmissions. Retrofit kits exist for nearly every automatic trans. Manuals are super easy to swap around.
GM's "corporate" engines are exactly that: Used wherever they can in different GM brands to cut costs. I think the best example is the V6/60 engines, used in everything from S-10 pickups, FWD cars, F-Bodys (Camaro/Firebird), minivans, and sedans. 2.8L, 3.1L, and 3.4L variants (3.5L is a newer version of the V6/60, based off of GM's Northstar tech), introduced in the early 80s, and STILL in use (my 2002 Oldsmobile AWD minivan has the 3.4L, gets great mileage).
Honda does a pretty good job of using standard parts throughout their engine lines, at least from what I can tell. I just had to swap a head from a '94 engine onto my '88 block, and it was a perfect drop-in replacement.
Slackware runs on anything 486 and higher with 8MB or RAM or more EASILY (starting with 9.0, 8.1 ran great on my 386DX). Not many other distros can make that claim.
I do think a lot of novice Linux users are turned off by the Slackware stereotype of "it's a hard system to maintain, there's no package management, etc..." They need to play with Slackware, and find out how easy a Linux system can be to use/administer.
Slackware works great for me. I do my own compiles of databases, Apache, PHP, BIND, Sendmail, Samba, etc. and end up with a VERY capable system with a minimal amount of hardware invested. Web servers, DHCP/DDNS systems, Samba PDC servers, routers, firewalls... The list goes on.
I've supported Red Hat since 6.2 where I've worked (past two jobs), and hated every single day of it. I have it an honest effort, but it just Red Hat just doesn't make sense to me.
Debian is very much in the same boat... Too much overhead to maintain the OS over an extended period of time. I keep trying it, to see if Debian has improved, but I'm losing interest.
Gentoo's interesting, and I'm trying it out on my SparcStation 20.
There's still no real point in overlocking anymore. A couple years ago, yes, but not now... Prices have dropped.
The time and money spent on a computer intended for overclocking is better spent on buying what you can afford, then upgrading when needed.
Yes, I used to overclock, A LOT, so I've been there, done that, know what you're talking about. Had plenty of super-stable, very fast systems, both Intel and AMD.
Slashdot Mirror
Some of the links I found yesteday:
t ic les/93338/article.html
e se l.html
l ut ion/e00090d.html
% 20 070202.PDF
p
http://www.edmunds.com/advice/specialreports/ar
http://www.off-road.com/4x4web/faqs/tech/gas_di
http://www.sciencenet.org.uk/database/earth/pol
http://www.raqc.org/diesel/Diesel%20WG%20Report
http://www.denvergov.org/Mayor/1688press1248.as
http://www.osti.gov/fcvt/deer2001/lawson1.pdf
http://www.ntec.org/air/epafactsheet.html
http://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel.html
I've got a decent pile of links stored at work. You made me blow off about three hours of work today to gather info for a post here. ;-)
m l
Anyways, yes... Bio-diesel is the logical step, because you don't have to change the infrastructure to deliver the fuel, and you would have to make very little to no modification to existing engines.
There's a story on Slashdot tonight that's kinda interesting, and relevant to our posts:
http://www.unh.edu/p2/biodiesel/article_alge.ht
Links to come tomorrow morning.
Diesel is used for heavy lifting because it's more efficient, and diesel engines generally last a very long time (with proper maintenance), which makes it cheaper. Gasoline engines would fail miserably in heavy-duty applications, and would generate much more pollution.
The study in Denver (if you really want, I'll search for that link again) was done by some group trying to prove that their theory of 75% of all the air pollution in the Denver area was caused by diesel powered equipment. The results were 100% opposite of their original beliefs.
Average crappy gasoline car? Any car that gets less than 25mpg in city driving these days is pretty crappy, and that's pretty much the majority of cars, even new ones. All gasoline powered cars pretty much suck. Gasoline hybrids are interesting, but the amount of energy and materials consumed when the car is being built takes a long time to be offset by the efficiency of the engine, if ever.
Automakers are building new diesel cars, and improving them, because they take less resources to manufacture (compared to hybrids), and are more efficient (less fuel used, which is very attractive with fuel costs in Europe). The newer diesel engines from VW are incredibly clean running, and cannot be compared to diesel engine technology from five years ago or earlier. The same goes for domestic diesels from Ford, GM, and Cummins. Very high tech stuff, very clean, very powerful, and very very efficient.
Speaking of domestic automakers, GM and Ford are working on small diesel engines to be used in SUVs and light-duty pickups in the near future. They're doing this because of stricter emissions laws that I believe go into effect around 2007-2008.
It's no conspiracy theory, it's the truth. It's also logical: If we are entering an age of diminishing crude oil reserves, doesn't it make sense to use a power platform that uses less fuel, generates more power, takes less energy/raw materials to build, and runs cleanly?
If I have time tonight, I'll see if I can dig up the links to the studies I'm basing my opinions against, and follow up here. I looked, but all of my posts with these links are not available to me on my user page (they've dropped off the bottom of my list).
If diesel is so much dirtier, why is it used for all of the "heavy lifting" (trucking, trains, construction equipment, etc) in this country?
If diesel is so much dirtier, why does 75% of airborne pollutants in the Denver metro area come from gasoline powered vehicles, and only 25% come from diesel powered vehicles (and this includes off-road machinery, like front-end loaders, etc)?
If diesel is so much dirtier, why do auto manufacturers in Europe bother with cars like the VW Lupo?
The facts are out there, unfortunately there's a lot of bias towards gasoline powered vehicles. It's hard to get past seeing the black plumes of smoke one might see from a semi or city bus, and still think that diesel can be clean. It's very difficult to imagine a gasoline engine in place of the diesel engines found in today's semis and city buses, though, because they'd polute even more.
None of this arguing is going to matter much, once things really start getting tight with the world's oil supplies. Bio-diesel is cheap and easy to make (cheaper and easier than ethanol, not to mention bio-diesel has much more energy content than ethanol), and we'll see diesel engines become much more popular, whether you or the general public likes it or not.
I've already supplied the links to different articles and research findings before on Slashdot. I've done my research, go do yours.
Cheers.
Yup. I make it up. Everything.
Go do more searching. Hell, I've posted links on Slashdot several times recently regarding air pollution and diesel engines, as well as engine efficiencies for gas, gas/electric, and diesel.
Fuck gasoline and misinformation.
Have a nice day.
I'm so sick of people being completely uninformed when it comes to diesel engines and emissions.
Today's diesel engines are more efficient, and no where near as dirty as a modern gasoline engine. Yes, even a gas-electric hybrid.
In fact, with direct-injection becoming more available (and popular), diesel engines are set to go up another step in power and efficiency, and run even cleaner.
Diesel is the future for American automobiles. Cars like the VW Lupo are a prime example of what can be accomplished when you apply diesel power in the right proportions (hint, over 80mpg!).
I just wish everyone in the US (yes, I live in the US) would get their heads out of their asses, and realize techonology has not left the diesel engine behind. It's better than ever before, and still improving.
Eh?
I'd like to see you tow a boat with your airplane. Or how about fit a family of five with all their luggage in the air plane, and tow a camper?
Apples and oranges here... SUVs may suck fuel, and never leave the ground, but airplanes suck at towing, and just about everything else while they're on the ground.
You don't even have to do that... Today's diesel fuel isn't that high in sulfur content, and I believe the switch to zero sulfur content fuels will be happening in the next few years in the US.
Regardless, diesel fuel requires less refining. Gasoline has already had a lot of impurities burned off before it even makes it into your fuel tank, and already impacting the environment.
Diesel is better, period. Bio-diesel just flat kicks ass.
Unless you are absolutely certian of what you are doing. Also, most newer cars have the capability to readjust the timing on the fly, so even if you manually advance the timing, the computer will set it back to normal.
Advancing the timing too much will make your engine knock, and possibly run hotter. This can cause failure in your valves, and very possibly damage the pistons.
You can also negatively affect your emissions, which may cause problems during testing (if you have to do that sort of thing).
The best thing you can do for your car is get regular tune ups (check timing, replace spark plugs, keep filters clean/changed, use good synthetic oils, keep tires in good condition), and drive smart.
From what I understand, diesel powered vehicles are still less costly and have a smaller impact on the environment than gas/electric hybrid cars.
Diesel powered cars get almost the same MPG figures as the hybrids (sometimes better, depending how you drive), and take less energy/resources to manufacture. They also tend to last longer, and will require less maintenance for the life of the vehicles.
And on top of all of that, diesel is usually significantly cheaper than gasoline (obviously this will depend on where you live). Right now diesel is around $1.75/gallon, vs 87 octane @ 1.99/gallon where I live.
My next car is going to be a VW Golf TDI.
I used to drive an '84 Chevrolet K5 Blazer, with the 6.2L V8 diesel (no turbo). With the automatic overdrive transmission, I could reach 30MPG on the highway, and generally got 20-22MPG with combined city/highway driving. Not bad for a full-size truck with 4x4.
In my case, not even having A/C in my car ('88 Honda Civic LX) probably IS saving me fuel, because there that much less weight to lug around.
And I'm sure if you drive down the highway with all of your windows down, it does cause a measureable amount of drag.
I get over 40mpg in my Civic, windows up or down.
Yes, yes... I think we can both agree to agree on this one.
Wow... I'm surprised that you're surprised that someone replied to a post you made on Slashdot that you consider useless.
I agree 100%.
Nothing runs like a Slackware box. I've tried the BSDs, most major Linux distros, some of the smaller ones, Solaris x86, Windows, Plan 9 (that's some cool stuff right there, just can't dedicate a machine to it all the time), and still go back to Slack.
People, Slackware is good stuff. If you haven't tried it, go get a set of 9.1 ISOs (ftp://ftp.slackware.no/linux/slackware is a good place to start, fast downloads), hit some of the Slackware forums (http://www.userlocal.com http://www.linuxpackages.net), and have fun.
Debian's more established than Fedora right now. I don't like Debian, but I'd use Debian over Fedora any day of the week.
Yes, I've had to support a couple boxes running Fedora at work. No, it wasn't fun. It felt like I was administering a couple of Windows machines (no, that's not a compliment on the GUI).
Eh, I totally disagree. RedHat's quality has been slipping since 6.2, and continues to slip with Fedora. It's just not stable enough, and they mess around with the software packages and kernels WAY too much. Not to mention it's still one of the most bloated Linux distros you can install (if you adhere to package dependancies).
This may not be the case for you, but it sure is for me, and the hardware I support. I'm sick of finding non-RH kernels, or specially patched RH kernels, to keep stuff running right. They had horrible support for ReiserFS in the 7 series. Dependency hell everywhere you turned when dealing with RPMs directly.
Personally, I don't use RedHat at home, or recommended it to anyone I know outside of work (personally or professionally). There is NO enterprise class Linux distribution, YET. That doesn't mean Linux doesn't have a place in the enterprise computing pool of resources, it just means there isn't a prepackaged distro that's suitable for true enterprise consumption. Heck, aren't we still waiting for Linux to hit the desktop in good numbers, ANYWHERE?
Can RedHat make a true enterprise Linux distro? Maybe. I do think they have the resources to do it. I don't think they'll have a major shift in the thought that goes into building the distro, which is what's going to kill them in the long run.
I use Linux. I don't use RedHat. I try to spread the good word as much as I can, and install it in the appropriate situations. I'm getting ready to build some machines which will be donated to the Red Cross, and I'm going to use Linux on all of them. The distro won't be RedHat, or Fedora.
Wow. That is friggin' amazing. You installed an operating system on a machine, used it as a "residential gateway", and never patched it in all this time?
You sir, are an original.
And I don't trust many people to manage packages for me, at home or at work.
Portage is great, I am working on getting Gentoo running (again) on my Sun SparcStation 20 at home for kicks. It's fun to play with new stuff, like Gentoo.
However, all of my other Linux machines are Slackware. I trust Patrick V., and I prefer to work with software packages myself. Slackware is proven, stable, and doesn't have the fluff most other distros have (Gentoo is good about this too. Another reason I'm looking into Gentoo).
When I am satisfied with where Gentoo developers are taking the distro, I'll add it to my list of "trusted" operating systems. Right now that list has one entry: Slackware. I'd love to make a second entry, though.
I've personally gone in excess of 160mph in a '69 Camaro with just a 355cid V8, no nitrous, no turbos, no blower, on pump gas.
You want to read up about someone who knows how to make fast passenger cars?
http://www.bankspower.com/on_the_salt.cfm
287HP in a very-near-stock body Pontiac Firebird on pump gas, and that was years ago.
I'm married.
The bride always assmiliates the groom.
But I now have 56K dial-up. I dropped cable TV and internet, because I was tired of paying to watch commercials, and really didn't use the bandwidth I had to the internet. Why pay $80 a month for TV and internet, when I can pay $10 for dial-up and use rabbit-ears (I get NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox, and UPN just fine) for TV?
The major reason I dropped all of my cable service was because I couldn't get SCI-FI unless I subscribed to digital cable. That pissed me off.
Broadband is nice, but like other people have said, dial-up is just fine for surfing around. Yes, I do updates to all of my boxes at home. In fact, my home network runs through my Linux machine running a caching name server, iptables firewall, and ppp on demand. I have a lot of automated processes to keep all of my machines current with patches and security updates (Windows and Linux), and they work just the same over dial-up as they did over broadband.
As far as waiting to connect, it only takes about 20 seconds or so for my modem to dial and connect. Big deal.
Ever hear of a small-block chevy V8? This engine was pioneered in the 1950's and is still used today. Interestingly enough, the engine parts made today still fit the classic cars - a 1970 Camaro owner can salvage engine parts from a 2004 Camaro.
:-)
GM already modularizes their powertrains. You'll notice that GM offers a few different engine/transmission options, and that these options don't really change from one GM brand to the next.
Actually, that's not entirely true. As of 1997/98, very little will interchange between the LS1 engines and the older SBCs. Now, all of the different LS1 engines (4.8L, 5.3L, 5.7L, 6.0L) use a lot of the same parts, just like the older SBCs did (1955-1997).
Now, you could drop an LS1 into a 1970s Camaro, no problem.
Transmissions... GM trannys are so interchangeable, you can go from practically any V8 to any V8, from 1955 to today's engines. All automatics and manual transmissions. Retrofit kits exist for nearly every automatic trans. Manuals are super easy to swap around.
GM's "corporate" engines are exactly that: Used wherever they can in different GM brands to cut costs. I think the best example is the V6/60 engines, used in everything from S-10 pickups, FWD cars, F-Bodys (Camaro/Firebird), minivans, and sedans. 2.8L, 3.1L, and 3.4L variants (3.5L is a newer version of the V6/60, based off of GM's Northstar tech), introduced in the early 80s, and STILL in use (my 2002 Oldsmobile AWD minivan has the 3.4L, gets great mileage).
Honda does a pretty good job of using standard parts throughout their engine lines, at least from what I can tell. I just had to swap a head from a '94 engine onto my '88 block, and it was a perfect drop-in replacement.
Slackware runs on anything 486 and higher with 8MB or RAM or more EASILY (starting with 9.0, 8.1 ran great on my 386DX). Not many other distros can make that claim.
I do think a lot of novice Linux users are turned off by the Slackware stereotype of "it's a hard system to maintain, there's no package management, etc..." They need to play with Slackware, and find out how easy a Linux system can be to use/administer.
Slackware works great for me. I do my own compiles of databases, Apache, PHP, BIND, Sendmail, Samba, etc. and end up with a VERY capable system with a minimal amount of hardware invested. Web servers, DHCP/DDNS systems, Samba PDC servers, routers, firewalls... The list goes on.
I've supported Red Hat since 6.2 where I've worked (past two jobs), and hated every single day of it. I have it an honest effort, but it just Red Hat just doesn't make sense to me.
Debian is very much in the same boat... Too much overhead to maintain the OS over an extended period of time. I keep trying it, to see if Debian has improved, but I'm losing interest.
Gentoo's interesting, and I'm trying it out on my SparcStation 20.
Bah. Slackware runs great on modern hardware too.
There's still no real point in overlocking anymore. A couple years ago, yes, but not now... Prices have dropped.
The time and money spent on a computer intended for overclocking is better spent on buying what you can afford, then upgrading when needed.
Yes, I used to overclock, A LOT, so I've been there, done that, know what you're talking about. Had plenty of super-stable, very fast systems, both Intel and AMD.
It's just not worth the effort these days.