Linux-Advocacy Digest #645, Volume #32 Mon, 5 Mar 01 00:13:05 EST
Contents:
Re: "Linux is Going Down" says Microsoft ("Joseph T. Adams")
Re: Whistler predictions... (Bloody Viking)
Re: Breaking up is so very hard to do... (Bob Hauck)
Re: Sometimes, when I run Windows... (Bob Hauck)
Re: State of linux distros (Bloody Viking)
Re: State of linux distros (Bloody Viking)
Re: State of linux distros (Bloody Viking)
Re: State of linux distros (Bloody Viking)
Re: Sometimes, when I run Windows... (mlw)
Re: State of linux distros (Bloody Viking)
Re: State of linux distros (Bloody Viking)
Re: State of linux distros (J Sloan)
Re: NT vs *nix performance ("Quantum Leaper")
Re: State of linux distros (Bloody Viking)
Re: Sometimes, when I run Windows... (Bob Hauck)
Re: KDE or GNOME? ("Fing Fang")
Re: Sometimes, when I run Windows... ("Edward Rosten")
Re: Sometimes, when I run Windows... ("Edward Rosten")
Re: Does anyone know how much computer power we have/ (Bloody Viking)
Re: Sometimes, when I run Windows... ("Edward Rosten")
Re: Does anyone know how much computer power we have/ (Bloody Viking)
Re: Does anyone know how much computer power we have/ (Bloody Viking)
Re: It's here! IBM's new Linux ad! ("Tom Wilson")
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: "Joseph T. Adams" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: "Linux is Going Down" says Microsoft
Date: 5 Mar 2001 02:36:13 GMT
Bloody Viking <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
: Tim Hanson ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) wrote:
: : "Open standards also undermine such proprietary computer operating
: : systems as Microsoft's Windows and Sun Microsystems's Solaris. Both
: : companies are IBM rivals, and IBM Chairman Louis Gerstner has said both
: : companies' proprietary models are doomed. IBM is far along in a drive to
: : make all its software and hardware Linux-compatible."
: With that, if Bill Gates was smart, he'd start selling his stocks to extract
: as much money as he can, so as to remain rich. It's just that he won't be
: _ridiculously_ rick like now.
If I'm not mistaken, he's been doing that for a while now.
Joe
------------------------------
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Bloody Viking)
Subject: Re: Whistler predictions...
Date: 5 Mar 2001 02:43:24 GMT
Per Abrahamsen ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) wrote:
: According to Danish law, it is not possible to give up your right to
: make a backup copy. Nor is it possible to give up your right to
: examine (decompile) the program in order to figure out how it work.
If both are true, we can expect GNU clones of Windows from the Danes.
--
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: 100 calories are used up in the course of a mile run.
The USDA guidelines for dietary fibre is equal to one ounce of sawdust.
The liver makes the vast majority of the cholesterol in your bloodstream.
------------------------------
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Bob Hauck)
Subject: Re: Breaking up is so very hard to do...
Reply-To: bobh = haucks dot org
Date: Mon, 05 Mar 2001 02:43:41 GMT
On Sun, 04 Mar 2001 19:25:22 GMT, Pete Goodwin
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>In article <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>says...
>
>> The appellate court is NOT the supreme court.
>
>Oh sorry, I thought the current court was the supreme court. And if they
>overturn the findings, does that mean it could go to appeal afterwards?
The Department of Justice tried to have it heard by the Supremes
directly by invoking a law that says they can do that in cases of
compelling national interest. But they refused and sent the case to the
appeals court.
If the findings are overturned, it could go to the Supremes, or there
could be a negotiated settlement.
>More dragging on of the case, meanwhile Microsoft carry on as they are?
Pretty much.
--
-| Bob Hauck
-| To Whom You Are Speaking
-| http://www.haucks.org/
------------------------------
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Bob Hauck)
Subject: Re: Sometimes, when I run Windows...
Reply-To: bobh = haucks dot org
Date: Mon, 05 Mar 2001 02:43:42 GMT
On Sun, 04 Mar 2001 12:17:47 -0500, Donn Miller <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
wrote:
>OK, everyone knows this one. It's not a command shell. I'm speaking of
>a full-featured command-line shell with filename completion, complete
>with CLI tools, like awk, sed and grep. Does start->run do this? No.
Install Cygwin then, and use bash. Also has a vi clone (vim I think),
the usual GNU utilities, gcc, etc. It even comes with ssh (hi Chad).
>And after all this, why even bother working with a crippled system with
>an outrageous license like Windows?
Well, there is that. I prefer a real Unix too, but if you have to use
NT, Cygwin is great.
--
-| Bob Hauck
-| To Whom You Are Speaking
-| http://www.haucks.org/
------------------------------
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Bloody Viking)
Subject: Re: State of linux distros
Date: 5 Mar 2001 02:52:12 GMT
Mike ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) wrote:
: But it appears that they are the only Linux distribution vendor who has a
: viable chance of long term survival and reasonable financial success at this
: point. The problem for Red Hat is that this places them one notch below
: Microsoft in the open source bible. Corporations might like them, but
: they'll be trashed on cola in proportion to their success - especially since
: that success will be viewed as coming at the expense of other distributions,
: and because as Red Hat becomes the de facto Linux standard, their decisions
: about what to put in their distribution will directly affect the success of
: open source projects.
Then, someone will newgroup alt.destroy.red-hat to match the other newsgroup.
--
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: 100 calories are used up in the course of a mile run.
The USDA guidelines for dietary fibre is equal to one ounce of sawdust.
The liver makes the vast majority of the cholesterol in your bloodstream.
------------------------------
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Bloody Viking)
Subject: Re: State of linux distros
Date: 5 Mar 2001 02:55:43 GMT
Charlie Ebert ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) wrote:
: Microsoft is in the business of building furture Linux supercomputers.
That is the perverse benefit of the Wintel upgrade-go-round. As MS adds in
more for-next loops to slow down the OS and people demand faster computers, it
won't be long before the desktop outperforms today's supercomputers. Then, a
supercomputer is only one Linux install away.
--
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: 100 calories are used up in the course of a mile run.
The USDA guidelines for dietary fibre is equal to one ounce of sawdust.
The liver makes the vast majority of the cholesterol in your bloodstream.
------------------------------
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Bloody Viking)
Subject: Re: State of linux distros
Date: 5 Mar 2001 03:00:03 GMT
Reefer ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) wrote:
: A superior OS like Win2k wants to have SOMETHING to work with, not some
: leftover hw from your childhood...
Yeah, a PC that outperforms the early Crays. Gotta have some power to execute
all that bloat.
--
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: 100 calories are used up in the course of a mile run.
The USDA guidelines for dietary fibre is equal to one ounce of sawdust.
The liver makes the vast majority of the cholesterol in your bloodstream.
------------------------------
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Bloody Viking)
Subject: Re: State of linux distros
Date: 5 Mar 2001 03:06:14 GMT
Reefer ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) wrote:
: ah, but C'MON.....like i said before; this is the year 2001, and anyone
: running a 'puter with less than a PII 300 (or compatible) and 128 MB RAM in
: it, need some serious reality check, u cant wip a dead horse like that for
: ever ...but then again; Win2kpro works just fine with a P133, just make sure
: to have 'nuff memory in it...
Not everyone is made out of money to keep buying computers every 2 years. Must
be nice to have money to piss away on hardware only for Microshit's OS to slow
it right back down.
--
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: 100 calories are used up in the course of a mile run.
The USDA guidelines for dietary fibre is equal to one ounce of sawdust.
The liver makes the vast majority of the cholesterol in your bloodstream.
------------------------------
From: mlw <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: Sometimes, when I run Windows...
Date: Sun, 04 Mar 2001 22:13:50 -0500
ono wrote:
>
> > There are NO good points that are inherent to Windows. This is provable.
> Every
> > API Windows implements, has a better designed analogy in the UNIX world.
> More
> mmc, wmi, the ie-dom, ado, wdm, dx7 (and some more)
> If you havn't a clue about those technologies, go to msdn.microsoft.com and
> download the sdk's.
>
> btw: they are all for free
These are Windows APIs, yes, but the point is that they are not any better, and
in most cases worse, than those for UNIX/Linux.
A couple did catch my eye as funny. WDW, the Windows driver Model, this is a
joke. It is a retrofit of the NT driver model to Windows, it started as the
miniport drivers ala SCSI and network, but they implemented more of it for
Windows.
Then there's DirectX which would be better done with OpenGL.
People forget sometimes, Windows people usually only know Windows, Linux
people, usually know Windows/NT well enough to hate it.
In my case, I am, sometimes, a Windows kernel developer. I know both Windows
and NT/2K inside and out, and have published articles on how to write NT kernel
drivers.
Lastly these APIs are not free, you pay for them when you are forced to buy
Windows.
--
The majority of the stupid is invincible and guaranteed for all time.
The terror of their tyranny, however, is alleviated by their lack of
consistency.
-- Albert Einstein
========================
http://www.mohawksoft.com
------------------------------
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Bloody Viking)
Subject: Re: State of linux distros
Date: 5 Mar 2001 03:22:40 GMT
Brent R ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) wrote:
: Seriously. I'd rather buy a new stereo, or camera, or some CD's than a
: new goddamn system every 6mos 'cause Bill Gates thinks I should.
Or even piss it away at the bar.
: There's something decidedly non-exciting about new computer equipment.
: It may the fact that it'll be obsolete before I put it together.
It's obsolete only becuse it can't run Microsoft's latest OS by the time you
assemble it. But Linux can run forever on old equipment way obsolete by
Microshit's standards.
Like a Packrat Bell bought 6 years ago. By any standard of measure, my ancient
Packrat is way past obsolete. But it runs Linux just peachy. Why get a new
computer? I'll just wait until it dies then get a new one, in which case I'll
end up with a veritable supercomputer waiting to factor huge primes in the
background as a daemon as I post to this newsgroup.
By now, old Pentiums should be about to hit the resale shop market!
--
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: 100 calories are used up in the course of a mile run.
The USDA guidelines for dietary fibre is equal to one ounce of sawdust.
The liver makes the vast majority of the cholesterol in your bloodstream.
------------------------------
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Bloody Viking)
Subject: Re: State of linux distros
Date: 5 Mar 2001 03:30:42 GMT
Peter Hayes ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) wrote:
: Confirms what's been known for some time that e-mail is one of today's
: productivity killers.
Just like voice-mail causing Phone Tag, whereby people never leave a message
with content, only a phone number, in which they call it and get voice mail
and leaves his number, back and forth ad infinitum until by freak coincidence
one actually answers the thing.
I no longer leave messages on any answering machine as a result.
--
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: 100 calories are used up in the course of a mile run.
The USDA guidelines for dietary fibre is equal to one ounce of sawdust.
The liver makes the vast majority of the cholesterol in your bloodstream.
------------------------------
From: J Sloan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: State of linux distros
Date: Mon, 05 Mar 2001 03:31:23 GMT
Bloody Viking wrote:
> Mike ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) wrote:
>
> But it appears that they are the only Linux distribution vendor who has a
> viable chance of long term survival and reasonable financial success at this
> point.
They are one of the top bets for long term survival.
> The problem for Red Hat is that this places them one notch below
> Microsoft in the open source bible.
um, no - this is where you left the clue train.
> Corporations might like them, but
> they'll be trashed on cola in proportion to their success -
curiouser and curiouser....
Let's see if we can cut through the fog and get this right.
Success is no criteria for criticism - however, if the success
come through arm twisting, bribery, power politics and other
dirty tricks, then those tactics will be criticized, to be sure, and
the "success" will be viewed for what it is.
In the case of successful companies like IBM, who is BTW
larger than microsoft, nobody begrudges them their current
successes, but a few decades ago they were indeed hated,
because they engaged in anti-competitive behaviours which
were similar to, but not as blatant as what we see from microsoft.
jjs
------------------------------
From: "Quantum Leaper" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Crossposted-To:
alt.destroy.microsoft,comp.os.ms-windows.advocacy,comp.os.ms-windows.nt.advocacy
Subject: Re: NT vs *nix performance
Date: Mon, 05 Mar 2001 03:40:22 GMT
"JS PL" <js@plcom> wrote in message
news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]...
>
> "Quantum Leaper" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
> news:3Txo6.50340$[EMAIL PROTECTED]...
> >
> > "Aaron Kulkis" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
> > news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]...
> > >
> > >
> > > JS PL wrote:
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> > > > But your IQ theory only applies to those in the 50 to 120 range.
> > > > Since I'm 160 I can see the obvious. There's no possible monopoly
> > > ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> > >
> > > Is your IQ scored in dog points?
> >
> > Do either of you know what an IQ test really measures? (Hint it not how
> > smart you are...)
>
> If you don't know, look it up. (hint, you don't even need to get out of
your
> chair)
>
Maybe trying to expand your pea size brain may help you understand. If IQ
test really measured intelligence, try giving the IQ test to a foreigner who
speaks the same langauge. See what happens....
------------------------------
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Bloody Viking)
Subject: Re: State of linux distros
Date: 5 Mar 2001 03:41:55 GMT
Reefer ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) wrote:
: hardware from the late 80's is not "perfectly good hardware"
We aren't talking about 286 equipment. And even so, if it works, it's still
perfectly good. Just put Minix on it! 386 and better can run Linux all you
want.
6 years ago I bought a Pentium-75 with 8M RAM. I still use it. And I use
Linux, that UNIX style OS that gives Bill Gates nightmares. I paid a grand for
it, and it lasted this long and still runs. I guess I got my money's worth out
of my ancient Packrat Bell. Remember them? One day, it will die, like my
previous computer, a 486. I even made a LAN before it finally died.
I don't know about you, but I'm not made out of money, nor do I have a money
well that's a gusher. It's not like I can go to a backyard, fire up the
pumpjack and suck Susie B solid dollars out of the ground.
--
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: 100 calories are used up in the course of a mile run.
The USDA guidelines for dietary fibre is equal to one ounce of sawdust.
The liver makes the vast majority of the cholesterol in your bloodstream.
------------------------------
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Bob Hauck)
Subject: Re: Sometimes, when I run Windows...
Reply-To: bobh = haucks dot org
Date: Mon, 05 Mar 2001 03:43:41 GMT
On Mon, 05 Mar 2001 00:45:21 +0000, Edward Rosten <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Also, unlike Xterms, dos boxes can't be resized and they scroll very
> slowly.
Yeah, I hate that.
> If that wasn't bad enough, there seems to be no sloppyfocus
> option.
This can be fixed by something called "FeelX" or "XFeel" or some such. I
think I found my copy on microsoft.com someplace.
> There are programs which let you do this, but none are as flexible or
> useful as the pager in fvwm(2).
Look for multidesk. It seems to work well and it stays more out of your
way than some of the other ones I tried.
--
-| Bob Hauck
-| To Whom You Are Speaking
-| http://www.haucks.org/
------------------------------
From: "Fing Fang" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: KDE or GNOME?
Date: Mon, 05 Mar 2001 03:49:39 GMT
The applications will run on either one so it doesn't seem to matter. I
use many of the KDE applications in the GNOME environment.
In article <DIUn6.53473$[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "Martigan"
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> I have used both, but for me Gnome seems better, Well haven't tried KDE
> 2.1 yet but what does every one else think? Why is one better than the
> other? I'm not looking for Windows similarity!
>
>
>
>
------------------------------
From: "Edward Rosten" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: Sometimes, when I run Windows...
Date: Mon, 05 Mar 2001 04:02:13 +0000
In article <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,
"pip" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Edward Rosten wrote:
>>
>> > And after all this, why even bother working with a crippled system
>> > with an outrageous license like Windows?
>>
>> I don't. I find linux much easier to use and much more user-friendly.
>
> Now now, be careful. It may be more friendly for us types but not for
> "joe average"
That's one of the wintrolls favourite mantrar---it is more user friendly.
I was just illustrating this not to be the case.
> One of the nice things about Linux is that it may be a bit of a pain to
> set up, but once you have it set up - it _stays_ how you want it without
> the random errors that windows seems to produce by just using it.
I found it very easy to set up: no hassle at all (and that was RH5.2).
-Ed
--
| Edward Rosten
| u98ejr@
This argument is a beta version. | ecs.ox
| .ac.uk
------------------------------
From: "Edward Rosten" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: Sometimes, when I run Windows...
Date: Mon, 05 Mar 2001 04:16:10 +0000
>> > How do you get that paper out message? Select different print trays?
>> > <skating on thin ice here as I could be wrong>
>>
>> Well, I've always had my printer next to my computer (and it doesn't
>> have several trays), so I can't comment. The network printer in my
>> college doesn't give a paper out error on the screen.
>
> This is why other GnomePrint is such a good foundation IMHO.
I'm not familiar with this. Does it output postscript as a result and let
the print filters cope with the rest (I hope it does, since I like the
current system as a program does not need to be tied to anything to use
it).
>> It never seemed to work very well. One instance kept swallowing the
>> others settings. I never tried again. Also, there is a lot less
>> flexibility. Under Linux, I have more optins such as 2pages per page
>> (which I use a suprising amount).
>
> One thing that is for sure is that once you get a setup working is _is_
> far more flexible under Linux - although it would be nice to have some
> more consistent GUI tools for this.
I've only tried RH printtool. It works like a dream :-)
>> >> The printing drivers are not accesible from the commandline `print'
>> >> command
>> >
>> > Are they not? You'd better check that again.
>>
>> No, they are not[*]. First capture a port and then print to that port.
>> The print command just dumps raw data to the captured port. There is no
>> way of sending that data throgh a print driver (well, none that I've
>> found).
>
> Ok, OK. It will print text and nothing more. Correct!
This can be useful if you need to do a raw print (eg print a PS file to a
PS printer) but it is a little inconsistent.
>> >> It doesn't seem to have any print filtering machanism
>> >
>> > It does not need one.
>>
>> Technically, no, but a filtering mechanism is very, very useful. The
>> filtering mechanism provides a consistent mechanism avaliable from the
>> CLI and the GUI. The windows mechanism is very inconsistent.
>
> But nobody in windows uses the CLI for that - so in a sense it just does
> not matter. But I see your point.
I do :-)
Also, if you write a commandline app, it saves a lot of futzing with the
Win32 API, which is, quit frankly, wierd. It would be nice to be able to
print easily from a command line app (line in UNIX).
>>The print mechanism is in
>> a different place in UNIX. Everything uses PS, so if you print to a
>> file, that printout will work on any printer you have set up.
>
> As long and you can find a good driver under gs
That can be a problem. It is well worth giving your £££ to companies that
bother to print the specs, allowing goot drivers to be created.
>> If this doesn't convince you, then I can only suggest that you try some
>> abusive printing. I have some quite odd printing requirements and I
>> have found that the flexibility of the UNIX print system makes it much
>> easier for me. I find myself fighting the Windows one.
>
> Yes I can see what you mean - but my argument is more along the lines
> of:
> 1) make is easier to set up
I don't know much about systems other than RH for printing. Try using
that, it really is very good.
> 2) make it consistent
Once set up, it is very consistent. program | lpr, esentially.
> 3) make it easy to program with
All you kneed is a knowledge of pipes (this is really not hard, just get
a book on UNIX system programming. Once set up, the pipe an hence the
printer just act like a file that you write to), and a knowledge of
postscript. This is a little harder, but simple PS is really quite easy
to learn. There are probably some libraries out there to simplify PS
programming (ie make it automagic).
> 4) make it so that _all_ the functions of the printer are accessible
I suppose an lpquery (to go with the other lp commands) could be
written that returns device specific information in an easily parsable
format. Apps that couldn't be bothered don't have to bother (ie dump PS
and let the filter sort it out) and those that care can do something
about it. it also maintains backwards compatibility, isn't tied to a
specific toolkit and is easily portable to systems without lpquery.
Another option is to set up various queues with different parameters
configured, for instance, I have several queues that emulate some of the
functionality: a low res queue, a high res queue and a fast text queue.
>> I suppose I would use a component system for mor complex ones, but at
>> the moment, pipes work fine.
>
> p.s. why do us computer types always stay up too late? I think I may be
> nocturnal.
Hells bells. It's 4 oclock.
-Ed
--
| Edward Rosten
| u98ejr@
This argument is a beta version. | ecs.ox
| .ac.uk
------------------------------
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Bloody Viking)
Subject: Re: Does anyone know how much computer power we have/
Date: 5 Mar 2001 04:21:20 GMT
mlw ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) wrote:
: Lets face it: we are all running supercomputers. It is simply amazing how much
: computer power we have?
And, yet the commercial OSes are slow as that old Commodore as it runs on a
veritable cray. The upgrade-go-round will give every Linux user a home
supercomputer before too long... even as Windows slows it to a crawl.
--
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: 100 calories are used up in the course of a mile run.
The USDA guidelines for dietary fibre is equal to one ounce of sawdust.
The liver makes the vast majority of the cholesterol in your bloodstream.
------------------------------
From: "Edward Rosten" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: Sometimes, when I run Windows...
Date: Mon, 05 Mar 2001 04:21:54 +0000
>> Not really. Diversity is not a bad thing, especially since once set up,
>> they are very similar to use.
>
> Maybe. I would prefer a single standard on this front. To me this is not
> the same as the battle of the desktops - it is more a system level
> inconsistency.
Once set up, form the users perspective, they are prety much the same.
>> Driver support. LOL you're not referring to the flagship product Win2K
>> are you? it has a HCL.
>>
>> The UI is not consistent. Mabey you are referring to the GUI?
>
> No, I meant User Interface all right. I don't regard the CLI under
> windows as a viable interface for most "joe average" users.
I'm not an average user. It matters a lot to me.
>> Mabey you are refering to consistency between apps? I have never had a
>> problem with mixed GUIs.
>
> Not really - mixed GUI's are not too good for newbies, but I quite like
> the differences.
Same here.
>>When I was learning about computers, I would
>> regularly switch between Win3.0, DOS, AMOS
>
> ahhh Amos. I used to use Amos Professional. I did my first "large"
> program using it and a few small games. Those were the days. And I think
> that the interface was in many ways as good as any of today's.
AMOS was quite a nice system to fit in to 16K or RAM.
>>and that odd RM mode that the
>> RM Nimbus had, with an ocasional smattering of Amiga and Archimedese in
>> between. So mixed UIs don't really bother me.
>
> Ahhhh the Amiga. My first ex-computer (the BBC didn't count as I didn't
> own it)
I have 3 working BBCs :-)
About 3 yeard ago, I wheeled it out after I picked up some old games. I
didn't stop until I became a `Spacelord' in Thrust.
> You are keeping me up past my bed-time and I am now in the "i may be
> talking crap but i don't care" stage....
I'm at the stage where I care way too much
-Ed
--
| Edward Rosten
| u98ejr@
This argument is a beta version. | ecs.ox
| .ac.uk
------------------------------
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Bloody Viking)
Subject: Re: Does anyone know how much computer power we have/
Date: 5 Mar 2001 04:33:30 GMT
Bruce Scott TOK ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) wrote:
: I think we are in the range of what used to be supercomputing (remember
: when 64MB RAM was such a big deal? mid-80s, Cray-2). Even early 90s
: machines like the Cray XMP could not outdo present day PCs, and this is
: even without invoking MPI and clusters.
The DEC Alpha was the first CPU chip to outrace the Cray 1, at 200MHZ and
being 64-bit. That same speed with a Pentium would require double the clock
frequency, and is seen today just fine.
Get a Pentium 3, a gig of RAM, and some 40G hard drives, and yes, Virginia,
you have a cray. And with Linux, you can have a full scale cray equivalent.
Factor some big hairy primes, anyone?
That would be a cool way to use up some idle CPU cycles...
--
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: 100 calories are used up in the course of a mile run.
The USDA guidelines for dietary fibre is equal to one ounce of sawdust.
The liver makes the vast majority of the cholesterol in your bloodstream.
------------------------------
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Bloody Viking)
Subject: Re: Does anyone know how much computer power we have/
Date: 5 Mar 2001 04:41:20 GMT
Peter Hayes ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) wrote:
: I believe the Z80 still sells in embedded systems in vast quantities.
The Zed80 is found in Texas Insturments high-end calculators too. I bought a
TI-86 calc, and it packs twice the RAM and 3 times the speed of my first
computer, a Commodore 64. I have the bugger programmed to do trig, determine
the resistance of paralleled resistors, and I keep a running total of the
money in my bank account like a chequebook.
Quite a bit of life left for that ancient CPU.
--
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: 100 calories are used up in the course of a mile run.
The USDA guidelines for dietary fibre is equal to one ounce of sawdust.
The liver makes the vast majority of the cholesterol in your bloodstream.
------------------------------
From: "Tom Wilson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: It's here! IBM's new Linux ad!
Date: Mon, 05 Mar 2001 04:43:33 GMT
"Tim Hanson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]...
> Tom Wilson wrote:
> >
> > "Tim Hanson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
> > news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]...
> > > Is this walkin' the walk? Or what?
> > >
> > > http://www-1.ibm.com/servers/eserver/linux/passport.swf
> >
> > Well, the cards are certainly on the table now, aren't they?
> >
> > Big Blue -vs- Big Bill
> >
> > The Thriller in MaGNUli...
> >
> > Place your wagers, gentlemen!
> >
>
> It's more than that. Now all the major Unix vendors, which have seen
> market share decline while Linux grabs the spotlight for fastest server
> growth away from Microsoft, are forced to revisit their so far anemic
> Linux strategy. Look for some me-tooisms from HP and Compaq.
Of all those companies, IBM is really the only one with resources enough to
fight MS head to head with any sort of success. They also have some fine
historical reasons for wanting to do so, too. HP getting involved wouldn't
surprise me as the proprietary UNIX makers can see the writting on the
wall. When you consider their talent pools and experience, they'll clean up
in the high end service and support arena. Of the few HP technicians I've
had occasion to meet, I'll say that they know their shit and are worth
their salaries and then some!
Compaq, to me, seems less likely in the short term and, with the exception
of their high-end server support, are lacking in competence and quality.
They won't be missed (By me at least). They used to make, arguably, one of
the best business desktop lines money could buy and their support was well
worth the system's expense. What the hell happened to those people??
>
> Sun, for example, is finding out that the Linux community isn't stupid
> enough to accept all these "Heads I win, tails you lose" overtures.
They'll either wise up or be steamrolled over. I hope its the former as I
like their hardware.
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