SuzukiSavage.com /cgi-bin/YaBB.pl General Category >> The Cafe >> Linux use here on the list  (vote multiple times) /cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1523183419 Message started by Oldfeller on 04/08/18 at 03:30:19

Title: Linux use here on the list  (vote multiple times) Post by Oldfeller on 04/08/18 at 03:30:19 This is a "fuzzy" poll to see where we are on the list as far as operating systems goes.   I am questioning the value of what I have been doing and wish to see how much falls on totally committed deaf ears. When you sit down to type a post, what are you using?    I understand multiple devices (I have some of all of them) but when I sit down to type a post I am generally always sitting in front of my typing desk generally always typing on Linux. There are some who read the list on phones and type replies in at a sit down spot -- report what you use when sitting down typing your longer replies with. (yes, I know you can do a reply on a phone -- we all know from the short, scrunched nature when you do that, too.)

Title: Re: Linux use here on the list  (vote multiple tim Post by bobert_FSO on 04/08/18 at 05:39:09 I'm not quite 100% linux, but the wife's and my laptops we use in front of the TV are linux (Ubuntu and Mint). The desktop in the basement is Win 7, mainly because of some music recording software. I manage 2 laptops for church. Win7 and dWin8.1. The only reason is for the best PowerPoint compatability with other members and guests. If I had the power to make a decree, they would be on linux. I run LibreOffice myself. The computer that runs our digital sound mixer is linux. We use iphones and I have an Android tablet. I don't use the tablet a lot because I just prefer the laptop format. Oldfeller, I for one enjoy your posts, as I don't follow a lot of computer hardware, but I do think that the Wintel stuff is way too big and complicated and is starting to fall behind.

Title: Re: Linux use here on the list  (vote multiple tim Post by oldNslow on 04/08/18 at 06:57:00 I have an old Dell desktop with a 32bit processor that Dual boots Linux Mint Mate 16 and Windows XP. It's my primary computer. One of these days I should probably update to a newer version of Mint. but I really don't have a compelling reason to bother. None of the horrible things that were supposed to happen to XP once microsoft stopped supporting it have happened to mine. However that side of the machine is almost never connected to the internet when I'm using it. I have an 8" Android tablet, but I rarely use it to write anything on except for the occasional email when I'm traveling, because I don't like trying to type on a touch screen. All my posting on this site and a few others is done on the desktop. My wife has a fairly new laptop with Windows 10 on it that she bought when her old Win 7 laptop died. She hasn't had any issues with it so far except for a couple of annoyingly long updates when she first got it.  She didn't have any trouble adapting form 7 to !0. They are pretty similar,at least as far as the things she uses the laptop for. Her laptop has one feature that I like a lot. It has an HDMI output, so that when I livestream flat track races on FansChoice  I can plug it into our TV and watch on a 40" screen instead of the 15" monitor on my desktop. Oldfeller, I probably would not have bought the CD and installed Linux on my old Dell if it were not for your posts. The fact that I am still chugging along with this antique is thanks to you.

Title: Re: Linux use here on the list  (vote multiple tim Post by Serowbot on 04/08/18 at 07:36:43 Windows for media manipulation and conversion,... some file sorting. Photos, videos, music. Disc burning. Linux for most everything else... Irfanview, Photshop, Audacity, Freemake, AShampoo, Dupe Finder, MP3Trim,... can't be replaced... Linux OpenShot is a pretty good video editor... Audacity doesn't work as well on Linux for me.

Title: Re: Linux use here on the list  (vote multiple tim Post by ArkansasBrian on 04/08/18 at 08:20:16 Not that I post a ton on here, but when I do it's a pretty even split between my Android phone, a Nexus 5x, and my iPad. The wife has a laptop from work and my computing needs are pretty limited these days. For a while there when she was between jobs we didn't even have a laptop, much less a desktop computer. We now have a desktop running Windows that we got off my sister-in-law (who owns a 2016 Savage), but I still mostly compute from the couch on my phone or iPad. It increases typos, but I'm just not in the habit of sitting down at a desktop these days.

Title: Re: Linux use here on the list  (vote multiple tim Post by justin_o_guy2 on 04/08/18 at 09:34:41 I read a lot of your stuff. I do it Knowing It's probably gonna be over my head Or My Ken Doll won't do what you are talking about.

Title: Re: Linux use here on the list  (vote multiple tim Post by jcstokes on 04/08/18 at 11:55:45 Actually attempted to dual boot off the cd I brought last year. I had to find out what a BIOS was, as the letter with the cd told me to alter the BOOT order in the BIOS. When I attempted to do this, a small white window obscured the BOOT order and I couldn't do it, so it looks like I'm stuffed. I may try again later but windoze seems to want to repair itself after I attempt to dual boot.

Title: Re: Linux use here on the list  (vote multiple tim Post by Oldfeller on 04/08/18 at 14:24:43 They were telling you that you have to have the DVD drive boot first, which is the default setting with most normal Windows machines anyway. So you actually got stopped by Windows, not by Linux. Stick the DVD in the drive and turn the machine off and then turn it back on -- see what happens after about 5 minutes. As far as your white rectangle covering up what you need to see, I have not a clue what that was all about.

Title: Re: Linux use here on the list  (vote multiple tim Post by jcstokes on 04/08/18 at 16:12:55 OF, looks like I've done it, I'm posting this off Linux now, so thanks for your help. I'll have to see how the learning curve goes.

Title: Re: Linux use here on the list  (vote multiple tim Post by Oldfeller on 04/08/18 at 18:40:05 The important thing is that you have started, you realize it works and that it isn't going to charge you an assload of money to mess you around into spending even more money for something else. Is it totally totally easy?   No, not always, but like most thing here on the list you can ask for help and get it if you get stuck on something. =================================================== Neat trick, type your question in in plain English into a search engine and you will get an answer or 10 as Linux Mint Mate is supported by a world full of fellow users. Do you use Firefox or Chrome at all already?    You are not going to find any MS products being used in Linux and the first thing you are going to need is a browser.   You obviously found one already, so that is good.   Firefox comes stock on the distro so that is always a good place to start.   Chrome requires going on the web to Google Chrome to download it.

Title: Re: Linux use here on the list  (vote multiple tim Post by jcstokes on 04/08/18 at 23:05:19 OF, I may have made one big stuff up. The Linux package came with two installation disks, on 32 bit and one 64 bit. I think I've installed the 32bit disc and Linux only seems to accept a Chrome download on 64 bit. I was using Chrome on Windows, but Windows seems to have vanished. This isn't a big deal as I've already done internet banking on LINUX and I will book mark most of my favourite sites on Linux. The only thing I have lost is a lot of pictures, but that's not life or death.

Title: Re: Linux use here on the list  (vote multiple tim Post by Oldfeller on 04/09/18 at 03:15:56 Did you really install the 32 bit disk?    That is the big question now. You can answer that question by taking out the DVD disk completely and turning the machine off and back on again with nothing in the DVD drive -- wait 3-4 minutes until it finishes loading and tell us what you get from that exercise. ALWAYS REMEMBER, If you want to dual boot to Windows, you have to say yes to the dual boot question when it comes up in the installation menu series of question/responses. ====================================================== You can always decide to use Firefox as it is built in to the distro itself.    If you go 64 bit you can try downloading Chrome again and by trying to do so you will see if your machine is really a 64 bit machine.   If not, it will not install. What machine do you have, anyway?   True 32 bit machines are sort of rare these days ......

Title: Re: Linux use here on the list  (vote multiple tim Post by oldNslow on 04/09/18 at 06:43:27 Quote: I've installed the 32bit disc and Linux only seems to accept a Chrome download on 64 bit. Yep. The version of Chrome I've got on my 32 bit Dell is 47.0. I can't upgrade it from Google cause they don't have a 32 bit Linux version of the newer versions anymore as far as I can tell. I think the newest Chrome is 50..something.

Title: Re: Linux use here on the list  (vote multiple tim Post by ohiomoto on 04/09/18 at 07:58:33 I use Windows 10 and am logged into Linux servers all day at work using Putty.  I wouldn't need Window except that my company develops software in C#.  That said, I don't hate Windows like I did 10 years ago when I was a staunch Linux supporter.  Looking back, I did that mostly because I hate paying the Windows tax on hardware and though it made me "smarter than you".  Then I realized having to send my laptops back to the manufacturer to get a $65 Windows tax refund wasn't even worth wasting my time over.   We have ZERO Windows machines at home.  I mostly use my phone, but we do have 3 Mac Books and a laptop with Lubuntu on it.  On the rare occasion that I need a computer, I usually prefer the MacBooks over my Linux laptop.  I can log into Linux servers or surf the web with either, but prefer the trackpad on the MacBooks.  Otherwise, I don't care what I use.   I actually don't really give two craps about desktop OS.  To me, they all accomplish the same tasks just fine.  I mean, 99.9% of the time all we ever do with them is web browsing, email, and composing a document every once in a while (which I do in a browser. anyway.)  I don't really understand why anyone cares much beyond the increased security risks with Windows (which can mostly be attributed to user stupidity). If you forced me to buy a new laptop today (assuming I don't have to code C# on it) I would be torn between a Linux machine or a MacBook.  I would probably get the MacBook because I like the trackpad better and the gestures work out of the box.

Title: Re: Linux use here on the list  (vote multiple tim Post by sjaskow - FSO on 04/09/18 at 10:16:37 I read it once in a great while on my Android phone but I'm not signed in. When I post, it's from Windows, either Win7 at home or Windows 10 at work. And I'm like ohiomoto, most of my work life is spent in PuTTY windows on AIX or HP-UX or Linux. The windows part is just so I can communicate with my team mates and the rest of the company.

Title: Re: Linux use here on the list  (vote multiple tim Post by Steve H on 04/09/18 at 16:02:06 I have a couple machines that are completely linux. A netbook that is dual boot linux/win xp and a desktop that is win xp. I keep xp on the desktop for some software that I use. One the netbook, Mepis with the full desktop load and KDE is still faster than XP. I am really liking mint except for the scroll bars give me a fit with a trackpad. Mint even found my fancy Nvidia One video card and asked me if I wanted to load the best (proprietary) drivers or use the linux drivers. On that little dual core atom box I can stream 1080p with only about 30% processor load, no dropped frames. I am like a couple others out here and don't really care too much which OS I am using as long as it does what I need it to do. I am definitely not a fan of the Microsoft tax and think all systems should come blank as they did in the earlier days of PC's.  You buy and use the OS that is right for you without having to wipe out one that you paid for and don't want in some cases. My son has an iMac and a pc laptop and has just come up with a desktop on which he wants me to load linux. OF, I read just about all of your posts about the computer stuff. Sometimes I don't find it relevant at the time to my situation but it may be in the future and I will have already heard about it here.  It sure doesn't hurt to stay up on what's really happening without all the marketing hype.

Title: Re: Linux use here on the list  (vote multiple tim Post by jcstokes on 04/09/18 at 20:32:12 Well, OF, I'm pretty sure the 64bit LINUX is installed and Google Chrome appears to have downloaded successfully according to the screen. Where it is I'm buggered if I know, the same applies to Windows 7, Ad block plus has been downloaded for Firefox on 64v bit, but can't seem to get it for Chrome. Have yet to test the printer and scanner on 64bit, but they worked @sort of@ on 32 bit. Note the funny@ this now works on the inverted comma key and the old@ key now produces inverted commas. So the learning curve is staggering forth.

Title: Re: Linux use here on the list  (vote multiple tim Post by Oldfeller on 04/10/18 at 04:43:23 JC, have you upgraded your Mint?  On the bottom bar at the bottom right of the screen there is a shield symbol next to the connected router plug symbol.   Click on the shield, then look up at the top of the Update Manager square insert for an Edit located between File and View.   Click on Edit and see that you have any major upgrades pending.    The shield itself will tell you how many minor updates you have for this week, but since you are entire worlds and worlds behind the times them little shield notifications are pretty much moot for you at this point. Actually, you should have several major world size upgrades pending, which may show up one at a time after you upgrade from one to the next.   You don't have to do this right away, but yes, you need to go do it periodically when a .rev comes available and YES you do need to get caught up.   Current .rev is 18.3 and I expect you are 3-4 world sized upgrades behind at this point in time. Issue is that if you don't stay current, what we tell you to do to fix things may not work because you are running a different .rev from us and are seeing completely different menus. ================================================================ Next, finding AdBlock inside Chrome.   Look for the 3 stacked dots on the right upper part of the Chrome Browser screen.  Click once to open the Chrome system menu. Look down the systems menu list 3/4 of the way and you will find More Tools.  Click on it and then pick Extensions.   AdBlock is one of the extensions you can choose from. ================================================================== Where is my stuff   ..... getting a Chome icon on to the Mint desktop. Click on the Mint Menu at the very left bottom of your screen. Look in the middle (center) section for Applications.   Click on Internet and you will find your Chrome sitting there waiting for you. Right click on Chrome and tell it to put a icon on your desktop (or you can do the bottom bar if you prefer that location for your action items) Exploring all of this main Mint Menu can get frustrating to a new person because ALL of Linux Mint's functionality is right here clustered inside this one little nugget.   Software Manager all by itself is especially boggle prone as every software that there is --- is behind that one click. You can't grasp it all, nobody can.  I still get all boggled by it as it is rather a lot to keep track of.   So, I took the track that I'd go into a section when I needed it, learn a little bit, get it done then go about my business normally. Taking little bites as needed ..... you don't get stressed and you learn at an easy pace.

Title: Re: Linux use here on the list  (vote multiple tim Post by Oldfeller on 04/10/18 at 05:50:36 JC, Finding your dual boot menu (finding Windows 7) Go to Mint Menu (bottom left of screen) Go to bottom of first column and find Quit Hit Quit and see Restart in the center of you choices.   Hit Restart. Your machine will roll Linux up neatly and put it away, and if you successfully installed a dual boot system you should see your GRUB (grand unified bootloader) menu pop up as the machine restarts itself. GRUB is where you choose which OS you want to boot up this time around. IF YOU HAVE A DUAL BOOT SYSTEM YOU WILL NEED A BOOT REPAIR TOOL CD as Mickey will destroy your GRUB boot system about once every fourth month just out of pure perverseness as Mickey does not want you running Linux on "his" machine and MS updates routinely replace this entire functional area willy-nilly. Realize that as long as Mickey is visiting your machine each week they will be running around deleting some stuff about every other time they visit.   https://sourceforge.net/projects/boot-repair-cd/files/ Mickey will eventually destroy your dual boot Win7 machine and then may well tell you YOU ARE NOT AUTHORIZED to run Win 7 any more -- you need to go BUY Win10 all over again, this time you specifically have to buy it from the Microsoft Store.    If you have a good set of Win7 disks you can try to reinstall them, but before too long Mickey is at it all over again and you are getting told point blank you have to buy Win10 all over again from the Microsoft store.   At this point is where folks tend to get fed up, put in their most current Linux Mint DVD and then tell it to take the whole drive during the install procedure. Once Mickey is all 100% gone, things do tend to get a lot more stable.

Title: Re: Linux use here on the list  (vote multiple tim Post by Oldfeller on 04/10/18 at 12:34:59 Rough results off of a rough poll About 1/3 are pure Linux now About 1/3 do dual booting between Linux and Windows About 1/3 are Windows only Only a couple do Android and only a couple do Apple Only one person does Chrome (I was a bit surprised at that) Justin forgot that he does FireOS  (or else mebbe he still has a PC stuck around someplace that he posts from) I'd say Linux has moved from being the minority to the MAJORITY now here on the list, just about like it has done in Europe.

Title: Re: Linux use here on the list  (vote multiple tim Post by jcstokes on 04/10/18 at 17:34:11 OF, I got your PM, thanks. I did sort out the grub thing in the end , and yes I can now get windows. I' not sure about the chrome installation and must try the method you mentioned in your latest post. The problem is that chrome tells me I've downloaded it, but then it wants to "finish the installation by adding it to my phone". I'm not sure I want it to do this, in the meantime I'll just use the Firefox browser.

Title: Re: Linux use here on the list  (vote multiple tim Post by Oldfeller on 04/11/18 at 00:00:51 JC, it is saying that it wants to link to your appropriate gmail.com account.   This is so it can find your saved settings, call lists, favorite places, menu bar set-ups, preferences, etc. etc. etc. You use a gmail.com account to start up any android phone, and yes you got one if you have an android phone.    Sales personnel at a phone store set it up most likely originally.   If you are able to use gmail.com it is that same account, or if you want to you can go create a new account at gmail.com if you can't get into your old one.   I have 3 Android/Chrome devices and I have a brand new Gmail.account for each one of them separately (I hate it when it gets all confused together, so I learned to have a separate account for each Android or Chrome device).    I think this is the simplest and smartest way to use Gmail.com and Chrome so that is what I recommend people to do. When I go into Chrome on a subsequent new Mickey induced crash install, I just tell it where the appropriate gmail.com account is and then Chrome asks me if I want to import all my old settings.   I tell it yes and whola !!!   I got my full Chrome set up back up on my screen, exactly as it was before whatever happened.   This works for Chrome on PC or Chrome on Android. This saves hours and hours of fiddling, and it is a major advantage to Chrome.   Plus, each Gmail.com account comes with 5 gigs of web storage, which is very nice to have for keeping photos and stuff up in a cloud location where you can get them back at will. You will be asked by Chrome on the PC (if this isn't set up already) if you want Chrome to back itself up to your G.mail account and that is what it is asking to do, to keep a copy of all your set-ups, etc up in the cloud so you can get your stuff back effortlessly when you switch cell phone devices or reload your PC.

Title: Re: Linux use here on the list  (vote multiple tim Post by jcstokes on 04/11/18 at 01:29:05 OF, the positives 1/ chrome and adblock plus are up and running on Linux, chrome is now the default browser, comes up instead if firefox and there's a chrome icon at the bottom of the screen. 2/ I managed to burn some windows downloads on to a disc and these are now in Linux. Don't think I got all the downloads, but none of them are fatal if I lose them. Same thing goes with pictures, I've got 11 plus gigs of pictures and a  blank DVD appears to have only 4.8 or so gigs of storage. So I' ve yet to sort out how to do this, might try and find a computer literate person. In the meantime, thank you for your help, and remember your posts are read by more people, than most posts on this site.

Title: Re: Linux use here on the list  (vote multiple tim Post by v-pilot on 04/11/18 at 14:52:19 Iphone and Macbook Air here since Microsoft quit supporting the security patches on XP during tax season a few years back  >:(

Title: Re: Linux use here on the list  (vote multiple tim Post by zipidachimp on 04/14/18 at 14:10:03 Switched to linux desktop when MS started requiring verification of windoze purchase.  Been with Mint for last 15+ years. Never had a virus, but printer hook-up can be a problem. Blew windoze out of a laptop and replaced with Mint. BTW, why does mozilla keep screwing with FF? The best one was 5 years ago! 8-)

Title: Re: Linux use here on the list  (vote multiple tim Post by Oldfeller on 04/15/18 at 04:52:18 Zip, Mozilla Firefox is an old, old, very odd beastie which originated in the original Netscape Browser back when 300 baud phone modems were state of the art.   Way way back before MS stole their way into the browser industry, in other words. It is pure old school FOSS which means it meanders along year to year according to the wishes of the people who are working on it this year. Firefox made an abortive attempt 3-4 years ago to be an Android phone OS competitor, then when that failed they tried to be a free FOSS appliance based OS system (was fairly successful in refrigerators for a while and is still being used by LG last I heard). During this period of time Mozilla let the PC space go pretty much, and they are just now trying to stage a return to their original roots. I keep Firefox on my machine for the times when Chrome messes up (and this happens less and less frequently as time goes on).   My wife uses a lot it as the anti-Google liberals at her University have it installed on all PCs as the default so it is on my machine for her to use as well. In my opinion. Firefox is a better browser than Edge or the other MS products but not nearly as good as Chrome.

Title: Re: Linux use here on the list  (vote multiple tim Post by jcstokes on 04/15/18 at 12:14:13 OF, what happens when Chrome "messes up"?

Title: Re: Linux use here on the list  (vote multiple tim Post by Oldfeller on 04/15/18 at 15:19:59 Let's see --- last time it messed up was when DRM (Digital Rights Management) was being pushed against the industry by Microsoft and company for a profit motive while the Linux distros held firm to the original open standards. Proprietary video playback, streaming and this and that simply quit working in Linux because of "pay for it" proprietary software key requirements being used by the commercial suppliers and the Linux guys wouldn't cave in on paying for the DRM key subject any at all.   Firefox caved first and actually paid Daneguild to the DRM people for a formal key license, and as such this got FF used by me for most of a year before the Open Software Foundation reached an agreement with the DRM people.   Agreement was that the two groups simply quit cutting each other's fingers off in MAD nuclear fashion (each had points of control that could not be gotten around and each could hurt the other about equally and had been doing so for several months before they reached an agreement).   Funny thing was that Google bought a license early on too (wanting to be completely legal) but wouldn't use the license until the unfairness to all the little players was completely stopped. Apart from taking some firm stances against some very unfair commercial laws, Linux in general has kept on trucking flawlessly for a decade now.    We used to have issues with MS drivers, back when MS was a major innovator and did new stuff -- nowadays the new stuff comes from FOSS and MS uses our drivers and stuff, not vice versa. Face it, Linux used to be small and weak compared to Mickey, but not any longer.

Title: Re: Linux use here on the list  (vote multiple tim Post by Oldfeller on 04/16/18 at 17:23:35 https://liliputing.com/2018/04/microsofts-new-operating-system-for-iot-uses-a-custom-linux-kernel.html http://https://liliputing-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/azure-sphere-680x448.jpg So here’s something I never thought I’d be writing: Microsoft’s newest operating system is Linux-based. Today the company introduced Azure Sphere, a new solution designed to bring better security of Internet-of-Things (IoT) gadgets including smart cars, smart kitchen appliances, and just about anything connected to the internet that’s not a traditional PC. What’s unusual is that rather than run a version of Windows on those devices, Microsoft developed an Azure Sphere OS featuring a custom Linux kernel, marking the first time Microsoft has basically launched its own Linux distribution. Sure, you’re not going to be running this on a PC, or even a server anytime soon. But we’ve come a long way from the company’s old “embrace, extend, extinguish” roots. Well, maybe. So here’s the deal: Azure Sphere includes: A new type of micro-controller unit (MCU) That new Azure Sphere OS Linux-based operating system A cloud-based security service Microsoft says the goal is to be able to offer “security protection for a 10-year lifetime of the device.” The company plans to license the MCU designs to chip makers and the Azure Sphere cloud service can work alongside other cloud-based services utilized by a device. So a company like Amazon could theoretically continue to use its own cloud services to power the smart speaker/voice assistant services on its Echo products while tapping Microsoft’s solution for keeping the gadgets secure (note: I do not necessarily expect Amazon to do this, but it’s the sort of thing that other companies could do). During the Azure Sphere announcement, Microsoft’s Brad Smith noted that it was unusual for the company to be distributing software built around a custom Linux kernel, but that sometimes the best solution for a specific product category isn’t necessarily a Windows-based operating system. There are a few ways of looking at that. You could take Smith’s statement at face value and accept that full-fledged Windows is overkill for IoT devices (even though the company already has a Windows 10 IoT Core SKU that’s already pretty slimmed down to run on exactly the sort of devices we’re talking about). You could figure that Microsoft wants to release something that’s compatible with a lot of existing IoT devices, which are already using Linux-based software, and which developers will be able to adapt to quickly. Or maybe you could assume that this is the new Microsoft… the one that’s not afraid of Linux… the one that even includes a Linux command line terminal in Windows 10. So maybe Microsoft decided it would be less work to adapt the technology that’s already used by most IoT device makers rather than try to fit a Windows peg into a square hole… particularly one that isn’t already widely used by device makers. On the other hand, maybe Microsoft’s recent friendliness to Linux isn’t so much an effort to embrace the platform… as to get Linux users and developers using Microsoft’s software and services (including Windows 10, Azure Cloud, and other software… particularly the type Microsoft can charge subscriptions for on an ongoing basis). As for Microsoft’s promises of better security for IoT devices, I have to say, I like the idea of at least 10 years of security updates… but in some situations I still prefer devices that don’t need updates at all. My laptop automatically installs security updates. My phone does too… for now. In a few years, it probably won’t, because even Google typically only offers up to 3 years of official updates for its own Android phones. Third-party phone makers have an even worse track record. Buy a smart refrigerator, TV, or speaker today, and you’re kind of playing the lottery with updates… which is disappointing when it comes to the types of gadgets you probably aren’t going to replace every few years. Refrigerators typically last for more than a decade and aside from replacing a light bulb every now and again, the only thing you have to worry about with a “dumb” model is the expiration on the yogurt in the back, or the spinach that somehow turned to goo in the crisper. Get a smart fridge and maybe it’ll be vulnerable to hackers in a few years when it stops getting security updates (or when a zero-day exploit is discovered), allowing someone to remotely spy on your home over the internet. So yeah, 10 years of updates is a step in the right direction… but even that might not be good enough. But it might provide a clue as to why Microsoft is cool with releasing a Linux-based operating system rather than trying to cram a Windows square peg into an IoT round hole. Over the past few years, Microsoft has been shifting its business model from one that relies on one-time sales of software like Windows and Office to one that brings recurring revenue from subscriptions to things like Office 365 and Azure services. In that light, the company’s decision to release a Linux-based OS isn’t all that surprising. Microsoft doesn’t really care if you’re using Windows, Linux, Android, or iOS anymore… as long as you’re running Microsoft software and services on top of it. My take on this is that Mickey still wants to sell his software packages alright,  but Mickey does not want the hassles and expense of having to maintain an entire OS to do that.   So go let Linux do it for you.    And for the actual processing unit set up, pick whomever/whatever is the most powerful right now at the very best cost that Linux already does already support 100% completely.   Note that 100% Linux support becomes a key business metric and a crucial requirement to be met before shipping a product. Package up this package of other people's FOSS products up and say to the world you are selling "an integrated product that showcases your final app software". Weeeeee    .......   MS's new plan is to be a leading Value Added Reseller of ARM and Linux products  .......     Red Hat has them a brand new competitor in the package and support marketplace. Roll this concept around a bit in your mind and see where that leaves Intel.

Title: Re: Linux use here on the list  (vote multiple tim Post by Oldfeller on 04/17/18 at 07:37:55 https://liliputing.com/2018/04/intels-leverages-gpu-for-security-scanning.html Noting that Mickey is sincerely distancing itself from Intel more and more and more -- jest what is poor ol' Intel doing to try to recover from being considered the Typhoid Mary of Computing? http://https://liliputing-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/ams-680x364.jpg Ah well, it seems that Intel really CANNOT REALLY FIX the root problem with their current processor designs, especially not on any hardware designs that first shipped 5 years or longer ago.   So what can Intel do with what they have, to at least offer the public a Vague Appearance of having fixed something? Why heck, Intel can go teach their old built in Intel GPU (yeah, the one Intel doesn't use at all any more in preference to the much better, separate AMD GPUs that they just bought this spring so they could be competitive on graphics) yep, go teach that old useless built-in integrated Intel GPU to go scan the Intel boot, memory and HD systems CONSTANTLY, CEASELESSLY, UNENDINGLY in rotation for any already known attack vectors.   This might be kinda sorta almost as good as fixing the real problem, and Intel can make a FEATURE out of this kludge type system that might fool a few teenager gamer type people (Intel's largest dedicated customer base at the moment).   Intel might go rename it "Intel Security Module" and charge more money for it. Issue is that it takes a varying ~ 2% to 20% ~ of total system resources to support this endless forever running constant head up your arse butt check .....   and it will only look for known issues, not any newly developing attacks.   It is totally blind to anything new, anything just made up fresh just to fool it.   All the old traditional security holes are still there jest a waiting to be used in new and novel ways. Intel deserves to die.    I bet they start selling expensive plug in cards to "retrofit" this new feature on to the older Intel based machines. How is it that Linux can go ahead and fix this mess on all the old hardware and Wintel (who made it originally) needs to sell you something expensive to kinda sorta look like they are fixing it? =================================================== LATE BREAKING NEWS ---- this fix will only be available on processor systems designed starting like next quarter, going out into the future (trick has to be built into the new hardware, in other words).   This is beginning to smell quite a lot like jest some more just "announced" stinky brown PR vapor, doesn't it?    Actually, it only constitutes a little more added pressure on you to go buy a brand new super expensive PC .....

Title: Re: Linux use here on the list  (vote multiple tim Post by Oldfeller on 04/18/18 at 15:57:25 https://liliputing.com/2018/04/facebook-may-be-designing-its-own-chips.html Apple is said to be designing its own chips for use in upcoming Macs computers, which isn’t a huge surprise since the company already designs the chips its uses in iPhones and iPods. But there also seems to be a trend toward companies that typically source their chips from companies like Intel and Qualcomm turning to in-house designs. Last year Xiaomi started making its own smartphone chips. Rumor has it that Amazon is developing its own chips for use in smart speakers. And now it Bloomberg reports that Facebook may be developing its own processors. It’s unclear at this point what they’ll be used for: but there are a bunch of possibilities, including: Servers Virtual reality headsets (Facebook owns Oculus) Smart speakers (Facebook is said to be working on a device to compete with Amazon Echo and Google Home-style speakers) OK, each major company (Apple, Google, Samsung, Huawei, Xiaomi, Amazon, Facebook) seems to be designing themselves up a custom fitted ARM chip to specifically fit their specific needs.  All are using the RISC based ARM DynamIQ system technology to do so.   NOBODY IS USING PURE INTEL CISC BASED TECHNOLOGY solely for any of it anymore.   Even AMD is now using ARM DynamIQ tech as the roots of their "CISC similar" co-processing CPU and graphics chipsets.   Now even Intel says they are going to be doing some of the same sort of thing later on this year, incorporating more of the tech that AMD uses. (And yes, this is legal -- Intel has a long standing ARM systems design license -- has had it for over 5 years now and AMD is certainly free to peddle their stuff to Intel if they want to) Intel is the one losing the largest piece of this shifting chunk of market share, with Qualcomm being the second biggest chunk size loser. We are looking for ARM to evolve more drastically this year and to change up DynamIQ in the direction of MORE GRUNT POWER per big core fairly soon. Two things drive this, First -- Apple, Samsung and Qualcomm are already using the current heaviest hitter A-75 big cores and will soon need something better -- real soon.  They will need this later on this year or early next year, as a matter of fact.    Apple is the hard driver pushing this hard -- asking ARM Holdings to come up with a PC class core designed at 7nm lithography as that is where they will be next year 100% as they are phasing into it on phones this year. Because ARM will never announce anything new until it is in real production at one or more of their vendors, we find that we are currently sitting in the "silence zone" over these potential new cores all over again ...... Second item is all the major players that are signalling they are sick and tired of Wintel and tired of being gamed, screwed over and then bled dry all the time by Wintel.   Wintel needs to die, Intel needs to die.   The age of Dinosaurs is over, boys and girls --- it is LONG past due for the Wintel boys to go retire to the tar pits ..... ARM Holdings needs to step up to the plate with a bigger bat PC class main core, something that can knock the ball slam out of the park -- not just be doing them fast bouncing grounders all the time as they have been doing. You got Google cooking up an inherently secure, blazing fast, no-legacy-entanglements FOSS OS for ARM based processors that the stated intent is to cover phones, tablets, laptops, PC and Server Class machines.   You got Apple laying in ARM based plans for dropping a new mystery chip into all their laptops and PCs.  You got lots of industry leaders hiring chip design team leaders away from Qualcomm (who is squaring up for some really big layoffs right about now) and making lots of new home grown SoC moves with new chip designs using some new undisclosed ARM Holdings tech as the base. Something is gonna give, soon. Intel CISC simply has no compelling plan for the future.   Microsoft is planning on swinging over into being a Linux based Value Added Reseller instead of a historical industry innovator as they have been in the past.   Both MS and Intel have now de-manned so very very deeply they can't really seem to do any real innovation any longer. =================================================== News Flash -- 4/19/2018 Qualcomm announces their first relatively large round of American layoffs and acts to refocus itself on its core businesses as Trump trade actions cause Qualcomm to lose the ZTE and Huawei business volumes.   And no, Qualcomm isn't invulnerable to losing some big lawsuits or by having some of its largest overseas customers prevented from buying American technology for SEVEN YEARS by US government action. https://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1333198 Qualcomm is joining Intel in the ranks of the declining American industrial giants now.     See Huawei and Xiaomi and ZTE grow rapidly & suddenly USING THEIR OWN ARM BASED HOME GROWN CHIP DESIGNS to cover this brand new opportunity.   You got to remember that both ZTE, Xiaomi  and Huawei are all controlled quietly by the Chinese Central Committee and they all are prone to getting Central Committee directives to sell stuff to each other upon need.     It is clear that Qualcomm was riddled with Chinese agents, witness how fast Huawei and Xiaomi was able to crank up a state of the art SoC based phone chip complete with a matching cellular radio system (< 1 year) and just how fast a 5g LTE system was able to be copied by the Chinese telecoms (can you say Huawei again three times fast?) It is embarrassing how quickly China can go steal current American military secrets and industrial core technologies and have them up and running before the Americans can even finish up their own original efforts. :-/        Change, she comes again .....   We are approaching a world-wide tipping point for basic phone and computer technology that will see the USA drop flat off the competitive and developmental road map inside 3 years.

Title: Re: Linux use here on the list  (vote multiple tim Post by Oldfeller on 04/19/18 at 23:58:32 I predicted that Huawei and ZTE and Xiaomi would erupt out into the marketplace as fully Chinese designed chip sources after Trump's government actions mandated a full cut off of all American technology outflow to one of those Chinese companies that are directly under the control of China's Central Committee. The spy vs spy stuff now was coming out of the shadows, in other words.   We saw China block Qualcomm from buying NPS by denying Chinese "approval" and we saw the US government block Hoc Tan's attempts to buy Qualcomm outright by telling him point blank to withdraw all efforts. China and America are currently tusselng over 5g LTE technology and the future of the internet.   Both countries see the new 5g LTE based web backbone as a military significant infrastructure, and both intend to control that resource technology worldwide.   This competition for the new 5g web is now also coming out of the shadows now and you can see moves being made. Remember please, the internet itself was initially an American Military Program and all of the original nodes were military based.   This tech has been replaced 6 times now with better generations of tech and greatly expanded as it penetrated all of society, but its significance militarily has never changed or waned.   The next generation of internet tech is coming soon, and will it be America tech again, or will it be Chinese in origin? It did not take long to see evidence of this technical "eruption" as it wasn't so much a change so much as a "pulling away of the veil" that had been hiding  existing information which has been there for a while.  Or you could say it is a case of everybody is looking for it now. =================================================== In the last month, more of the following veils have been lifted: https://liliputing.com/2018/04/honor-10-smartphone-launches-in-china-for-about-415-dual-cameras-kirin-970-6gb-ram-and-a-notch.html     That's a heck of a nice phone for only $415 -- shame it wants to report your personal data back to Chinese servers instead of American servers.   It is a totally Chinese designed processor and cellular modem/radio SoC that was both designed and built in China.   Is it totally state of the art ??? -- NO, but it doesn't miss it by much.   It really isn't but about a year back at this point in time. http://www.atimes.com/article/china-set-launch-new-supercomputer/   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SW26010 This is becoming revealed, but it obviously isn't current any more.   New chip lines that have been put into Chinese chip foundries can easily beat 1.45 gigahertz core speeds by quite a bit now.   The use of many many many small ARM based cores in supercomputers is now accepted by both American and Chinese supercomputer efforts as the lowest energy cost way to get to exascale computing. https://liliputing.com/2018/04/honor-unveils-its-first-laptop-the-14-inch-magicbook.html    Huawei has broken out into laptops and PCs now and you can count on them being a real competitor in that space over the next few years. https://www.gsmarena.com/xiaomi_announce_surge_s2_chipset_mwc_2018-news-29270.php   This actually smells very much like a 1 year old Kirin 970 chipset -- was Huawei instructed to share the older Kirin tech with Xiaomi and with others as this tech is now showing up in new PC class replacement chipsets like the  item following just below. https://www.nextplatform.com/2016/09/01/details-emerge-chinas-64-core-arm-chip/ OK, this is being fronted by Xiaomi, not Huawei and it also involves Lenovo supplying some old IBM technology know how to the mix.  Look at the speeds and core types and REALIZE that this really puts meat behind the idea that the Chinese supercomputer revealed above was only revealed after it became obsolete and had been replaced as China can do much much better than that commercially right now.    Being Chinese Military based, you can count on anything you are allowed to know about Chinese Supercomputers as being 1-2 generations back and that it has already been replaced by something better. Also take away that China is now clearly gunning for Intel's server and desktop market niches and they are doing it the same way that Qualcomm showed us -- many many many ARM cores using some DynamIQ tech to connect them all.   Old IBM connection technology was copied and used by the Chinese in the two generations before, but since ARM DynamIQ tech is much more current it will likely be used by everybody as an industry standard fashion going forward. http://www.thephonetalks.com/hisilicon-kirin-980-mass-production-starts/ In production now, this is the very first 7nm Chinese processor.    First mention here of Huawei designing their own CPU & AI block to match up with their own home grown cellular radio.   This unified system strongly supports the new Chinese telecom and Indian telecom standards -- note it will not run well at all on some various USA systems.   So, Huawei is pushing their own 5g internet standards both on the telecom equipment side (Huawei is a huge supplier in Asia for the Internet backbone supplier things) and again on the lower cost handset side of things.   If you get the impression we pay a WHOLE LOT MORE for stuff in the USA right now, yes you are catching the drift now.   Our entire domestic phone and computer supply chain really lives in China now .... surprise.   Lower cost on both ends say to the rest of the world to use the Chinese 5g internet systems standards and guess what the world is starting to be doing.

Title: Re: Linux use here on the list  (vote multiple tim Post by Oldfeller on 04/20/18 at 08:15:22 https://liliputing.com/2018/04/zte-still-hopes-to-reach-a-deal-to-avert-us-trade-ban-and-to-survive.html ZTE is now the hardball poster child of the US Commerce Department -- in a negative sort of way.   It is the first Chinese company to be disciplined for breaking export bans to Iran and North Korea by having all US component exports to it banned for 7 years. ZTE claimed "confusion" and then came up with a kinda good enough plan to comply, got granted a limited remission of the 7 years penalty and then stupidly ignored that compliance plan in a very public fashion.   The remission of the 7 year penalty is now formally revoked and American companies are being reminded of the penalties for shipping ANYTHING to ZTE, with anything specifically including Google software. ZTE is busy trying to drum up sympathy for its plight (no luck so far) and Google is now being pointedly reminded that the PlayStore, GMail, Google Maps, etc are USA component exports as well.   Qualcomm already says it will stop all shipments on the effective date as given by the US Commerce Department, so they are not being surprised by this action. Now China will see if they can help ZTE game the American legal system some and we will see how far that goes.   Expect the 5th District Federal Court of Appeals to get utilized by ZTE/China for its reputation for issuing total rebellious and extra-legal appeals orders -- it is also expect that appeal action to get elevated to the Supreme Court for review post haste.   The 5th District Federal Court of Appeals has an 85% reversal rate for items reviewed by the Supreme Court and the 5th District Federal Court of Appeals is also coming due for some internal disciplinary actions for intentionally not obeying the law of the land itself if it continues to allow itself be used in this obvious fashion. Also be aware that the needed ZTE American sourced components could be ordered by Xiaomi or Huawei and then quietly transferred once inside China.   Or else ZTE could "fold up shop" and a new company spring up in its place, using the same plant, same people.   These are all old Chinese style tricks.   If you ever watched Kung Fu movies with the greedy evil totally amoral bad guys, then you got some insight into the history of these modern Chinese business goings on. The Chinese are games players, historically, right big time. =================================================== Taiwan has declared that all Taiwan electronic suppliers will cease shipping products to ZTE at once. This means no Mediatek processors or various other necessary components. All suppliers that have been sneaking stuff into North Korea or Iran are frantically covering up their tracks like crazy at the moment, as ZTE is toast as of this point in time.    Huawei  is also panicking as they have similar exposures as well ....... =================================================== ZTE officially ceased operations as of 6/9/18.   Expect it to reopen as a new company and attempt to place some new orders.   If this gets preemptively squashed by US Commerce Department, then that action is what sends the real message to the oriental games players ......

Title: Re: Linux use here on the list  (vote multiple tim Post by Papa Bear on 04/25/18 at 13:52:30 The Bionic Beaver launches April 26 !!  ;) https://itsfoss.com/ubuntu-18-04-release-features/

Title: Re: Linux use here on the list  (vote multiple tim Post by Oldfeller on 04/25/18 at 16:33:22 Papa Bear, Ubuntu is calling out to me some yet again, but Mint hasn't screwed up any in the past 2 years either so I am immovable at the moment.   As a pair they make an excellent team of choices and I see Ubuntu backing off more and more on the items that caused me to leave in the first place. I see a nice stock Gnome desktop, and a Ubuntu installer that lets you single click during install and have all the proprietary drivers tucked in place in a much more user friendly fashion.   Ubuntu boot speed was found to be slow in the last run off between Mint and Ubuntu, so Ubuntu is fixing that also this time around. Ubuntu is still backing their home made Snap packaging format instead of Flatpack, which is my decider right there.  Lots of distros support Flatpack, but Snap is "Ubuntu only".    Gabe at Steam is a Flatpack sorta guy, so guess what I am going to use ..... Until the industry gets behind a single "user easy" app packaging format, you gotta pick between distros for silly stuff like the packaging formats that are being used. Mint and Ubuntu switch places for the #1 rated distro fairly often, so obviously both are pretty good stuff.    I also find it interesting that Mickeysoft pays close attention to the pair's competing against each other, as this time around Mickey is also actually working on their porky butt slow boot speed as that is what people seem to value right now.   The reason for this is as follows, Mickey is also trying to get people to buy more Mickey apps even if they choose to run them on Ubuntu/Mint as their OS of choice. (so even Mickey recognizes an untapped large market niche when they see one) I am also watching Google and Chrome putting cross platform Wine capability deep into Chrome OS.   Wine currently lets you run Office and other Mickey Apps in Linux -- soon that same ability will be in Chromebooks by default.   Wine is also working on putting Android apps into Windows using the same tricks -- so this is a real two edged sword that folks are picking up on. =================================================== This is funny ......  I mentioned Mickey was gonna work on their boot speed to try to get rid of  the porky slow boot lag that they have now. In checking into it further, I am amused to learn THAT BY DESIGN MICKEY NEVER EVER SHUTS DOWN REALLY, NOPE, NOT EVER ..... Shush, this is a secret -- don't tell anybody.   WIN 10 MACHINES, THEY ONLY GO INTO A SUSPEND OR HIBERNATE MODE WHEN SHUT DOWN ....     AND THAT HAS BEEN A CONSTANT WIN 10 TRAIT SINCE THE BEGINNINGS OF WIN 10. This was so your machine was always left in a residual hot state so Mickey can get into it each night to fiddle with it.   This also meant Mickey has intentionally left you constantly and secretly exposed so internet hackers could use your machine to mine bitcoins and run porn sites while conveniently still running in Mickey's "hidden mode" (while still using up your electric meter kilowatt/hours and tons & tons of your internet data plan overage gigabytes). ;D     Anybody wanna go join a joint class action suit over this really cute one ???            Got all your old unexplained data plan overages on paper from the last few years? So Mickey is actually trying to speed up their "exit from SUSPEND" to try to get it up into the speed range of Linux's real cold boot speeds. ;D If you want to see your real cold boot speed on a Win 10 machine you have to use the power switch on the machine AND THEN UNPLUG IT, yep unplug the plug for a few minutes (or totally remove your laptop battery for a few minutes if you are a laptop guy) when your machine is supposedly completely turned off to get a real cold boot when you plug it all back up. Yep, you really do need to learn how to do this trick because many small fiddle illnesses in Windows can still only be fixed by a good REAL cold booting. Do not be surprised it seems you lost part of your hard drive or some complete OS sections show up missing during the cold boot process and you get a few "file not found" warnings.  It likely will all come back in 5 minutes or so after your boot up is finished completely (and you log back into Windows) as Win 10 has to keep part of your laptop's drive space up in the Microsoft Cloud (swapping in large chunks of OS and app memory as needed because all of Win 10 is SIMPLY TOO HUGE to actually fit in your laptop's scant hardware resources any longer.)   When this cold boot sequence happens in a manner unplanned by Mickey, bad things can sometimes happen on a reboot and since you, sir, are obviously are a bitcoin mining lecherous pornographer pirate in your spare time ---- well, you,  you evil pirate sir,  now have to go buy yourself a brand spanky new AUTHORIZED copy of legitimate MS Store Win 10 OS all over again. ::)      (your evil crime only pays when it is Mickey who wants your money, honey) ::)      ::)      ::)     ::)        amazing, ain't it, how frikkn' porky fat and frikkn' HUGE Win 10 has become over time.   Got all complex and tricksy, too.

Title: Re: Linux use here on the list  (vote multiple tim Post by Oldfeller on 05/08/18 at 14:35:55 https://liliputing.com/2018/05/its-official-chromebooks-are-getting-linux-app-support.html It’s official: Chromebooks are getting "integrated Wine support" and new full Linux app support I have been saying that this is coming -- now it is official.    This now gives Chromebooks "end of life coverage" that is built in to the Chromebooks from the very beginning. Google has confirmed that it’s bringing support for Linux apps to Chrome OS, which means you’ll be able to code on a Chromebook using Android Studio, an IDE like Eclipse, edit images using tools like GIMP, or run thousands of other apps. We’ve known this was coming for a while thanks to code commits and even early versions of the feature going live in the Chrome OS Dev channel. But now it’s official. Google says a “preview of the new tool” will be available for the Pixelbook soon, but there’s evidence that it will roll out to other Chrome OS devices in the future, including some with ARM-based processors. The feature is initially aimed at developers, but it could make Chromebooks a whole lot more useful for non-developers too. Linux will run in a virtual machine designed specifically for Chromebooks. It’s said to start in seconds and integrate with Chrome OS so that when you install a Linux app it’ll show up alongside your other Chrome OS apps in the launcher. Click it and it will load as if it were running natively, and you’ll be able to resize or move the window and access files saved to your Chromebook from within that virtual machine. In other words, while you can already use Crouton to run Ubuntu or another GNU/Linux distribution alongside Chrome OS, you need to switch between environments to get anything done. Google’s new Linux implementation (code-named “Crostini”), will offer a much more seamless experience so that it feels like you’re running one operating system, not two separate ones. Chromebooks can run Chrome Apps, Android Apps and Linux Apps and mebbe most compatible Apple Apps (if you buy them) and mebbe most compatible MS Office Apps (if you buy them). In the future they can stick whatever fat porky overly huge softwares (that they can't possibly load and hold in local memory because of small systems or HD memory sizes) up into a cloud based memory container and run it anyway off the cloud server (exact same tricks Win 10 uses all the time). Microsoft has some real competition lined up now and Mickey certainly isn't staying abreast with the ever changing Chrome world very well ...... Telling point for business users -- Chromebooks are naturally secure, very very easy to administer and they cost a whole lot less to purchase than a new generation of Wintel machines.   Sys Admins and companies with a tight budget seem to like the new Chromebooks ..... a lot. ==================================================== Something's coming up the pike ........ yet again ..... on the server end of things. Qualcomm just quietly dropped their current development of the next generation of 48+ ARM Core Centriq Server Processor which were to be run at 7nm.    This was the smoking hot gun that Qualcomm had held to Intel's head last year at 10nm that resulted in Intel and others orchestrating the attempted Qualcomm buy out by Hock Tan that got Trump's administration all upset and involved, bringing to a point all the political techno-stress between China and America. China's Military Based top secret super-computing systems have already taken up this 48 core plus baton and have been rolling forward in secret as we speak.    In tip top Chinese Military type secret, using unannounced new ARM technology that will be run at some level of 7nm at a new top secret Chinese foundry that isn't officially announced at all just yet. Apple is now slowly cooking themselves some PC class applesauce, using unannounced new ARM technology that is currently being run at second generation 7nm at TSMC as we speak ..... Now Qualcomm is dropping all developmental efforts on their existing successful 10nm Centriq Falcor Server Systems seemingly in mid stride for no reason ????     Is this a case of the "hidden customer" thing rising up to bite them in the butt???   Did Qualcomm actually lose their real largest customer, the one sitting behind the red curtain? Something is up alright .....  but they just won't say what at this point in time.   =================================================== So, China has created 5 new foundries in the last 2 years, some of which are swinging state of the art brand new ASML production lines at unannounced locations.   The big 3  Chinese government owned cell phone companies have each started building things like laptops and PCs and making internet backbone products and providing SoCs to each other in violation of all existing market agreements with their old South Korean and American main SoC  providers.    Face it, China isn't going to honor old agreements past the point it suits their needs to do so -- they will either buy their way or spy their way into getting all your tech secrets and then build it themselves, faster and cheaper than you can. Lenovo (now Chinese owned) has been shown to have provided some old mainframe IBM backbone technology to these hidden Chinese efforts (although Lenovo was never actually part of that piece of IBM in the past).   This shows that Lenovo isn't to be trusted either as it is acting as a technology pipeline as well. 'Sup, boys and girls ???   Playing Spy vs Spy for much ???

Title: Re: Linux use here on the list  (vote multiple tim Post by Oldfeller on 05/09/18 at 07:14:35 https://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1333271 Next nugget out of this year's Google I/O is a brand new Tensor Processing Unit TPU 3.0 which is a neat clean water cooled 100 petaflops of raw learned item execution speed per card.     Each card by itself is the equivalent of any of the currently disclosed Chinese supercomputers in terms of raw execution speed.   Note please, there are four (4) water cooled processor blocks per card (the picture at the bottom only shows two, you can imagine a mirror flip of what you can see to complete the card image). http://https://www.extremetech.com/g00/3_c-8yyy.gzvtgogvgej.eqo_/c-8OQTGRJGWU46x24jvvrux3ax2fx2fyyy.gzvtgogvgej.eqox2fyr-eqpvgpvx2fwrnqcfux2f4230x2f27x2fVRW5-862z648.lrix3fk32e.octmx3dkocig_$/$/$/$/$/$ Kinda insanely powerful stuff, huh?   Could mebbe explain why Qualcomm gave up on their ARM 48+ core Centriq stuff all of a sudden.    Better tech was out there, time to start using it. You can build up a single vertical rack stack out of these in a tower case ---  four of these puppies would make up a world beating supercomputer for raw speed and throughput compared to anything that is known at this point in time. http://https://m.eet.com/media/1304506/1TPU3closeup.png You can get the same effective raw execution speed in these "room filled with units" computer pile-ups ....  but I suspect the "room filled with units" have a whole lot of much slower more parallel raw grunt computing power instead of the massive Tensor raw blazing speed like the Tensor Processing Unit has. POINT TO REMEMBER Tensor Processing is different, it can handle MANY MANY MANY simultaneously changing input variables at blazing speeds, and it always comes up with an optimized answer FAST even when there are a few actual missing pieces of the puzzle, something that Intel CISC processing cannot do at all.   Intel CISC processing just stops running until the data fields are all input by you, something that may never happen in sloppy real time real world problems like driving a car. https://www.networkworld.com/article/3218098/data-center/top-10-supercomputers-of-2017.html#nextSlideshow Issue with Tensor Processing (and AI in general) is it fits the fuzzy "optimization" problems best and our human minds are having a hard time understanding how to program it, or indeed exactly how it works.   Indeed, we currently tend to let it learn the tasks for itself as it finds decision pathways we cannot grok to get to the answer -- but always much much much much faster than before. Think of it as the difference between a written on paper decision tree logic and an artist's instant intuition .....

Title: Re: Linux use here on the list  (vote multiple tim Post by Oldfeller on 05/09/18 at 09:09:07 And typical for Mickey, whenever Google releases "done things" at Google I/O ----  IMMEDIATELY Mickey always has to go shoot off their biggest BS PR cannons immediately, verbally promising the same sorta stuff to be coming from them "soon" which sorta kinda never actually really happens as promised. https://liliputing.com/2018/05/windows-on-arm-is-getting-64-bit-app-support-and-a-linux-subystem.html Microsoft has promised the release of a preview of a new software development kit that would allow developers to create 64-bit ARM apps that could run on Windows 10 PCs with Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processors (or other ARM-based chips if and when any PCs with other stronger ARM chips arrive). Oh, and it looks like the move will also let you use the Windows Subsystem for Linux on ARM PCs, allowing you to run native Linux apps on the HP Envy x2, Asus NovaGo, or Lenovo Miix 630. Once again, Mickey vaguely promises, promises, promises -- then eventually fails to deliver.   But they do always remember to charge you lots of money for whatever they do eventually partially give to you ...... Google and ARM both deliver for low cost (or free) before talking any at all.     Quite a difference here as Mickey can try to talk up a good game, but Mickey doesn't do so good in the actual doing of things any more. Yep, old son, them LaBrea Tar Pits are down the hall to the left ........  still taking new volunteers, too.

Title: Re: Linux use here on the list  (vote multiple tim Post by Oldfeller on 05/23/18 at 19:44:20 OK, it has been over 3 weeks since Google showed Intel how to get over into the rackspace and server tar pits and Microsoft has gone and fired them off a big salvo of "Me too, sometimes soon -- (once I understand what all that stuff is ....) " in reply. Now in the 3 week lull following this witty exchange ARM Holdings has released Trillium 2.0 which is an AI sub processor block which offers 4.6 TRILLION operations per second and which works in concert with ARM's own CPU and GPU designs and with the new much faster (and larger) non-volatile layered memory standards being sold by Samsung, Micron, Crucial, Sandisk and others .   PLUS, it has a new set of 3x compression tuning multiplier effects that come with it, giving it functionally 3x much greater raw speed and throughput in real life uses.   Why is ARM releasing info on this stuff now?  Simple, somebody has it in production and is selling it right now --- ARM never releases any information on new stuff until their customers make their first production moves and start selling it (allowing them to take the "first mover advantage", which is all part of a standard ARM Holdings contract). Huawei and Qualcomm have both announced a new set of mid-line processors that use this Trillium functionality to make up their main punch of goodness/newness --- customers are no longer depending on getting a yet smaller more expensive more powerful CPU to be their "be all and end all" any more.   Get real boys and girls, upping the lithography has never given more than say a 25-30% boost at any one given time, but these AI increases result in whole multiples of throughput improvements (like 10x and 3x and other such much larger relative change numbers). Please note AI requires an OS and some learned programs that actually use the new functionality, and that is the slow down that is operating at the moment.   But this is changing, fairly quickly in the Automotive side of things especially. Google is actually putting AI Trillium style executeables into basic Android OS codes, mainlining the AI revolution.   Video and optical and automotive self-driving uses are the foremost users of the new style of compute power -- but it is getting used around the edges of most stuff more and more and more. Stock pundits are telling folks like you and me to sell off their historically large Intel and Microsoft holdings from their retirement accounts as these stocks are way over valued at this time.   Stock pundits don't like them non-current older weaker "non-advancing" type stocks that like to go bathe in warm tar pools all the time.    If you don't do this adjustment soon before the bottom drops out of these stocks, it will be you that will be taking that messy tar bath too. http://www.bookmice.net/darkchilde/lost/land18/6.jpg Intel and Mickey go for a dip 7nm generation 2 is now in full production at TSMC making the Apple A12 chipsets for this fall.   These same lines will be used to make the first A12+ chipsets that will make up Apple's answer to the Intel laptop chipsets they are currently buying from Intel. When this comes off, it signals the start of the end for Intel as at one blow they will lose 25% of their retail business, losing both the radio portion and the CPU portion of the Apple business at the same time to Apple's very own manufactured in house silicon products. Intel losses to AMD are increasing as well, Intel is simply not competing very well at all lately in laptops and PC space.   AMD keeps advancing and Intel is dead on the ground, so this market share loss will continue over time. Both Intel and Microsoft bet heavily on getting a strong presence inside Automotive self-driving systems, but reality shows that they do not carry as much weight in Automotive as it was originally hoped that they would have. Their stock holders who are asking for the "new Intel and Microsoft plans for going forward" are getting a lot of PR and not much real anything else --- it is beginning to look bad for the tar babies.   They missed the phone wave and are now busy missing the AI wave as well ..... Google is showing the general pathway forward and ARM is broadly implementing it and the Far East is romping on down the new path gleefully as it offers a cheap path to new levels of computing power. The tar babies are jest setting back, soaking in their warm black pool,  watching all the others run around like warm blooded living breathing beings. ================================================== New layoffs in June at Microsoft        https://www.thelayoff.com/microsoft New layoffs are currently rolling around at Intel         https://www.thelayoff.com/t/H1p0syq 50,000+ laid off by late 2018 This is just getting started people. Intel makes nothing that the market needs. Intel is arrogant and believes that hordes of PHD level individuals will be happy doing sh-- work that can be done by individuals with AA or high school degrees. Intel is going down in to the sh--ter fast. Get your money out while you can before they just simply fire you. IF YOU HAVE ADVANCED SKILLS, GET OUT!

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