In your column "If open-source software is so much cooler, why isn't Transmeta getting it?" - I sincerely think that you are the one who is not "getting it."
A quote from your column reveals all: "And it comes with Mobile Linux, with Linux extensions for power management. According to Transmeta, Crusoe is two-thirds software and one-third hardware."
Bob, there is nothing in Mobile Linux that is specific to the Crusoe Processor. Think about it; from the OS standpoint, the processor looks exactly like an X86. And wasn't that the point of Transmeta's exciting new product.
The problem with the chip industry up until Transmeta is that there has been no chip innovation whatsoever. Intel has been reduced to a speed war - and has not done any pure R&D on fixing the problems with the architecture as a whole. Their chips run hotter than hell and consume ungodly amounts of power doing nothing.
And this is where Transmeta shines. By collecting and investing in some real talent, they have combined the software and hardware to perform what can only be described as miraculous. A chip that looks X86 from the outside, but runs VLIW at the core. The software layer can monitor the X86 instructions and optimize the operations on the fly.
How you manage to drag this technology into the "Open Source" argument loses even the morons in the crowd.
The Crusoe processor is the hottest thing to come out in years. It has nothing at all to do with the open source movement and your article shows your apparent failure to grasp the moment.
I noticed that when I posed an article that disagrees with the ZD article - it is not posted.
Perhaps because I called Scott Berinato and idiot for posting such a lame article, and that the article itself is another fine example of weak ZD-based journalism. They are obviously stooping to the "incite a riot" mentality that has taken over talk -radio.
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I think you missed the boat too.
Here is my letter to Bob:
Bob:
In your column "If open-source software is so much cooler, why isn't Transmeta getting it?" - I sincerely think that you are the one who is not "getting it."
A quote from your column reveals all: "And it comes with Mobile Linux, with Linux extensions for power management. According to Transmeta, Crusoe is two-thirds software and one-third hardware."
Bob, there is nothing in Mobile Linux that is specific to the Crusoe Processor. Think about it; from the OS standpoint, the processor looks exactly like an X86. And wasn't that the point of Transmeta's exciting new product.
The problem with the chip industry up until Transmeta is that there has been no chip innovation whatsoever. Intel has been reduced to a speed war - and has not done any pure R&D on fixing the problems with the architecture as a whole. Their chips run hotter than hell and consume ungodly amounts of power doing nothing.
And this is where Transmeta shines. By collecting and investing in some real talent, they have combined the software and hardware to perform what can only be described as miraculous. A chip that looks X86 from the outside, but runs VLIW at the core. The software layer can monitor the X86 instructions and optimize the operations on the fly.
How you manage to drag this technology into the "Open Source" argument loses even the morons in the crowd.
The Crusoe processor is the hottest thing to come out in years. It has nothing at all to do with the open source movement and your article shows your apparent failure to grasp the moment.
drew
I noticed that when I posed an article that disagrees with the ZD article - it is not posted.
Perhaps because I called Scott Berinato and idiot for posting such a lame article, and that the article itself is another fine example of weak ZD-based journalism. They are obviously stooping to the "incite a riot" mentality that has taken over talk -radio.
-drew