Greetings all, and a heads up about future linux kernels;
I just had an exchange this past week on LKML with the 2 guys from intel
about a feature that will be in the kernel by the end of 3.12 for sure.
In their zeal to save every last milliwatt for the netbooker sucking up
bandwidth in the coffee shop or public library, they are developing a means
to power down unused bits and pieces, in this case I/O ports.
Knowing that whatever we hide behind the isolcpus= argument can't be seen
by top or other so-called "system" monitors, and that they might decide to
power down the parport, or a pci-e card as the case may be while Stewarts
Cinci's x table is doing a rapid at 400 ipm, which would not allow a
graceful stop to be done, I objected. Then they changed the argument that
it was only to prevent meltdowns. I still asked, and got no response for
an advanced warning of perhaps .5 seconds so we could at least initiate a
stop. So the patches went in, but if we stay with an x86 version on linux,
and decide to see if we can RTAI or whatever the latest 3.12+ kernel is by
the time we've hit 3.1, that there will be that possibility, and that it
can be compiled out, but will be on by default.
I even called it what I see it as, a piece of "feel good" that had the
possibility of doing considerable damage, and that trying to save an
overheated $75 motherboard while damaging a $200K piece of machinery made
zero business sense. In one ear and out the other, leaving no trace of its
passage that I could detect.
No comment was made addressing my concerns that they might shut it down
because they couldn't see what it was doing behind the isolcpus argument.
Hell, even at the price of my toy stuff, the cost of a blown motherboard is
absolutely the least of my worries, it is simply _not_ a factor. And once
you folks get an I/O cape for the BBB ready, and I can get back on my feet
(I tore up a knee 2 weeks ago working on my pickup, so I'm hobbling around
on crutches) such that I can basically pull out the atom box and reconnect
the cables to the BBB, I'll be doing it. I am in love with that whole
concept.
+10 to the conversation about this stuff now being treated as black boxes,
where you have to explain to the person on the other side of the show table
what the machine does, not how our version does it better, does leave most
of you, and maybe even me in some cases, in the position of being the
"magician on call" at whatever rate the traffic will bear AND buys our
lunch. The fact that we have to tell them what a lathe or mill does,
boggles my mind and its one heck if an indictment about the quality of our
child indoctrination system. It is no longer education, but worker
training for welfare claims or burger flipping. I can't find an 18 yo
today that can actually read the weekly fishwrap and its generally well
written here. But thats just overflow from other lists I'm subbed to, your
experience may be better. I sure hope it is.
It also means that some little niggling thing that we are used to "working
around" is going to have to be fixed so its handled in a safe, totally
benign manner. This "jog on pause", and even a tool length recalibration
if the tool is replaced is one such niggle. But it is being worked on and
I have 100% confidence it will be done correctly before its ever handed to
the frogs like me.
Cheers, Gene
--
"There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty:
soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order."
-Ed Howdershelt (Author)
Kirkland, Illinois, law forbids bees to fly over the village or through
any of its streets.
A pen in the hand of this president is far more
dangerous than 200 million guns in the hands of
law-abiding citizens.
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