Comments on: How The GPL Can Save Your Ass http://www.linux-mag.com/id/5379/ Open Source, Open Standards Sun, 07 Sep 2008 07:57:12 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.11 by: davrusso http://www.linux-mag.com/id/5379/#comment-963 Mon, 07 Apr 2008 01:54:52 +0000 http://www.linux-mag.com/id/5379/#comment-963 By and large it appears to me that the vast majority of users use their computers for nothing more than word processing, email, and accessing databases. At this point the average PC strikes me as satisfactory with a single-core CPU. Even my parametric solid-modeling CAD and small engineering simulations work well with a single CPU. The extra CPU's are helpful though to parallel-process a CFD problem or whatever other science you're into. Perhaps this should really be the direction of the industry, developing the parallel processing towards those who need it, using a generic MPI or something. By and large it appears to me that the vast majority of users use their computers for nothing more than word processing, email, and accessing databases. At this point the average PC strikes me as satisfactory with a single-core CPU. Even my parametric solid-modeling CAD and small engineering simulations work well with a single CPU. The extra CPU’s are helpful though to parallel-process a CFD problem or whatever other science you’re into. Perhaps this should really be the direction of the industry, developing the parallel processing towards those who need it, using a generic MPI or something.

]]> by: hacklinuxdude http://www.linux-mag.com/id/5379/#comment-938 Fri, 28 Mar 2008 11:24:18 +0000 http://www.linux-mag.com/id/5379/#comment-938 Microsoft does not like this and is trying to make GPL non free by patent threats. http://www.digitalmajority.org/forum/t-49513/brad-smith-continues-its-fud-spreading-wants-to-tax-redhat I dont know how long can GPL stand againts the $250 billion godzilla that microsoft is. Microsoft does not like this and is trying to make GPL non free by patent threats.

http://www.digitalmajority.org/forum/t-49513/brad-smith-continues-its-fud-spreading-wants-to-tax-redhat

I dont know how long can GPL stand againts the $250 billion godzilla that microsoft is.

]]> by: grndrush http://www.linux-mag.com/id/5379/#comment-923 Wed, 26 Mar 2008 03:25:13 +0000 http://www.linux-mag.com/id/5379/#comment-923 I see nothing 'new" or "innovative" in this article, but one thing you need as badly as top-notch parallel programmers, is a top-notch technical editor. Both the lack of substance AND the copy, so bad it hurts to read (if you're a technical copy-editor, anyway), indicate you started writing this about 2 hours before deadline. I see nothing ‘new” or “innovative” in this article, but one thing you need as badly as top-notch parallel programmers, is a top-notch technical editor. Both the lack of substance AND the copy, so bad it hurts to read (if you’re a technical copy-editor, anyway), indicate you started writing this about 2 hours before deadline.

]]> by: pmpope http://www.linux-mag.com/id/5379/#comment-909 Mon, 17 Mar 2008 06:59:02 +0000 http://www.linux-mag.com/id/5379/#comment-909 Wow! I guess if I make as many coding mistakes as you do grammatically I could be some sort of senior and blame it on the fact that I'm a writer and not a coder. WOW! God bless Amerika! Wow! I guess if I make as many coding mistakes as you do grammatically I could be some sort of senior and blame it on the fact that I’m a writer and not a coder. WOW! God bless Amerika!

]]> by: nihil75 http://www.linux-mag.com/id/5379/#comment-907 Sun, 16 Mar 2008 17:11:04 +0000 http://www.linux-mag.com/id/5379/#comment-907 I think saying we need a solution before we are "knee deep in water" is an exaggeration. The big corps don't mind waiting a few years, They will profit alot more from having patented the solution as their own. The only ones who are loosing right now are the end users, who cant utilize this technology. I think saying we need a solution before we are “knee deep in water” is an exaggeration.

The big corps don’t mind waiting a few years,
They will profit alot more from having patented the solution as their own.

The only ones who are loosing right now are the end users, who cant utilize this technology.

]]> by: hhemken http://www.linux-mag.com/id/5379/#comment-905 Fri, 14 Mar 2008 19:12:24 +0000 http://www.linux-mag.com/id/5379/#comment-905 No doubt this proposal will be derided as hare-brained commie pinko bullshit of no relevance to civilized capitalist society, but I think it is pretty much on the mark. Parallelism needs to be a low-level functionality that is reused by developers as if it were just another library. Standardized use-cases should be supported, as well as the flexibility to design more specialized software mechanisms. Even Aunt Tilly and Grandma will make full use of their multicore personal supercomputers once everyday software arrives making use of open-source parallelism libraries and techniques. Making videos, music, renderings of various kinds, and a variety of other heavy-duty simulation functionality will be subsumed into industrial, professional, and even consumer software. No doubt this proposal will be derided as hare-brained commie pinko bullshit of no relevance to civilized capitalist society, but I think it is pretty much on the mark.

Parallelism needs to be a low-level functionality that is reused by developers as if it were just another library. Standardized use-cases should be supported, as well as the flexibility to design more specialized software mechanisms.

Even Aunt Tilly and Grandma will make full use of their multicore personal supercomputers once everyday software arrives making use of open-source parallelism libraries and techniques. Making videos, music, renderings of various kinds, and a variety of other heavy-duty simulation functionality will be subsumed into industrial, professional, and even consumer software.

]]> by: junnufunky http://www.linux-mag.com/id/5379/#comment-904 Fri, 14 Mar 2008 18:11:20 +0000 http://www.linux-mag.com/id/5379/#comment-904 I agree with the editor that (we) programmers are really facing a challenge in front of the parallel programming paradigm. And we really need some new tools and thinking how to use the resources the new architectures provide. But as if GPL would be the answer to the problems? My personal experience is that if, for example, libraries and tools are licenced with LGPL-type licence, the following business model covers much more ground compared to being licenced by plain GPL. There are numerous examples of high quality tools and libraries produced this way with remarkable developement input from commercial users. To consider that GPL is the silver bullet that solves the problem...not! Much more can be gained if the interests of commercial and non-commercial communities can be unified. What results is useful for parties developing commercial and non-commercial software. Is there something wrong with this scenario? I agree with the editor that (we) programmers are really facing a challenge in front of the parallel programming paradigm. And we really need some new tools and thinking how to use the resources the new architectures provide.
But as if GPL would be the answer to the problems? My personal experience is that if, for example, libraries and tools are licenced with LGPL-type licence, the following business model covers much more ground compared to being licenced by plain GPL. There are numerous examples of high quality tools and libraries produced this way with remarkable developement input from commercial users.
To consider that GPL is the silver bullet that solves the problem…not! Much more can be gained
if the interests of commercial and non-commercial communities can be unified. What results is useful for parties developing commercial and non-commercial software. Is there something wrong with this scenario?

]]> by: bradlepc http://www.linux-mag.com/id/5379/#comment-903 Fri, 14 Mar 2008 16:33:00 +0000 http://www.linux-mag.com/id/5379/#comment-903 The point of the article is that the solution needs to be broader and more easy to retrofit than what existing options offer. There's billions of dollars worth of software out there that needs to stay on the performance curve, but for which "rewrite it in J2EE or Labview" is clearly not a viable answer. It would be great if the OS could just handle it, but the OS has little visibility into the inherent parallelism of an application. TBB is closer to the right idea, but it is still closely identified with Intel and its scope is relatively narrow at present. The point of the article is that the solution needs to be broader and more easy to retrofit than what existing options offer. There’s billions of dollars worth of software out there that needs to stay on the performance curve, but for which “rewrite it in J2EE or Labview” is clearly not a viable answer. It would be great if the OS could just handle it, but the OS has little visibility into the inherent parallelism of an application. TBB is closer to the right idea, but it is still closely identified with Intel and its scope is relatively narrow at present.

]]> by: quickening http://www.linux-mag.com/id/5379/#comment-902 Fri, 14 Mar 2008 15:24:57 +0000 http://www.linux-mag.com/id/5379/#comment-902 Folks here mentioning programming solutions and I think that misses the big picture. Handling multiple cores should be no different than handling multiples of any other hardware resource - a task suited best for the OS. Multiple cores should be considered an <strong>opportunity</strong> to implement advances in computer intelligence such as the community of specialized agents concept. Folks here mentioning programming solutions and I think that misses the big picture. Handling multiple cores should be no different than handling multiples of any other hardware resource - a task suited best for the OS. Multiple cores should be considered an opportunity to implement advances in computer intelligence such as the community of specialized agents concept.

]]> by: lry198010 http://www.linux-mag.com/id/5379/#comment-901 Fri, 14 Mar 2008 08:32:17 +0000 http://www.linux-mag.com/id/5379/#comment-901 so,How about the erlang! what's the role of erlang! so,How about the erlang! what’s the role of erlang!

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