Origins and Development of TOPS-20 by Dan Murphy — the days reading and quite interesting.
Computers
How to bake Apple CPU’s
http://www.cpushack.net/CookingAppleCPUs.html
Now that got my cracking up for the day xD
AMD Knocking me off the chair
The other day I bumped into an AMD K6 family processor and looked it up when I got home, when I read some thing about trasnlating to a RISC like instruction set I nearly fell off my chair… Today I looked up a little more. I would guess the K6 is probably up this ally as well.
RISC86 Microarchitecture
The Nx586 processor fully implements the industry standard x86 instruction set to be able to run the more than 50,000 applications now available. This implementation is accomplished through the use of NexGen’s patented RISC86 microarchitecture. The innovative RISC86 approach dynamically translates x86 instructions into RISC86 instructions. These RISC86 instructions were specifically designed with direct support for the x86 architecture while obeying RISC performance principles. They are thus simpler and easier to execute than the complex x86 instructions. Note that this approach is fundamentally different than RISC processors, which have no support whatsoever for the x86 instruction set architecture. The RISC86 microarchitecture also contains many state-of-the-art computer science techniques to achieve very high performance, including register renaming, data forwarding, speculative execution, and out-of-order execution.
The benefits of this approach are several. First, the performance advantages of RISC design are applied to the x86 instruction set. Second, the execution unit can be smaller and more compact. Third, the execution units can be more specialized to give specific performance enhancements. Finally, it will be easier to add additional execution units in future designs. The RISC86 microarchitecture not only gives the Nx586 processor high performance today, but also allows for significantly higher performance in the future.
KDE4 goes gold !
http://www.kde.org/announcements/4.0/
This is awesome !!! I can’t wait to give it a go without LiveCD 🙂
The new Okular document viewer and Phonon multimedia framework are big interests for me. Oh baby is it gonna be a sweet road to KDE5 😉
Holy glockomoly…. LaTeX makes XHTML look hard and that was a cake walk.
for the software,
pkg_add -r latex2e
Which of course fetches tex. Then I installed print/dvips via ports since there was no package on the mirror. Then I did a pkg_add -r of dvips2ascii because I’d like to setup my vimrc file for viewing files, since it already can handle pdf’s hehe.
So far the only bad thing that seems to come in mind about working directly in LaTeX is having to define label{} on elements that we want to ref{} later
latex handles the *.tex files written and makes the *.dvi, which dvips can turn into *.ps (PostScript), I think dvipdf requires dvips to work right not sure.
So essentially from LaTeX sources a lot of formats can be generated, while allowing a very easy writing experience in the comfort of ones favorite editing application.
ToDo: LaTeX
LaTeX: from quick and dirty to style and finesse
Learning TeX was on my to do list many moons ago but more or less fail off the chopping block because when I ‘need’ printed files that go beyond pure text I’ll usually use Vim to write up a quick doc using (X)HTML and CSS. Because I’d rather write a web page for printing then use a word processor…. MS Word, SWriter, KWord, Abiword, bah humbug — piles of crap.
LaTeX shouldn’t be to bad a starting point, I’m not sure if there is much documentation left for plain ol’TeX yet (also on the todo list).
I did try Lyx in the last and even TeXmacs (which does not use TeX but can export to TeX/LaTeX)… But like WYSIWYG HTML Editors (Nvu, Dreamweaver e.t.c.) I ruled them out as paper weights.
When I tried to learn Vim, I refused to use the GUI (gvim) and used it in console mode only… Couldn’t even figure out how to save a file at first and I dumped it for XEmacs. Sure enough some day I went back and learned Vim, *my way* in console mode and it’s like my arm or a foot… not a crutche but a tool.
The difference between a tool and a crutch, is a tool helps you get work done. A crutch is an excuse not to learn how to do the work. Whether WYSIWYG programs become tools or crutches are a matter of the end users future.
So it is much the same that I would prefer to learn Tex / LaTeX through code not through ‘easy’ interfaces. I learned XHTML and CSS because I was bored one day and decided I’m sitting down and learning to write a web page, I just hit W3C and the road laid before me.
Console makeover
A little play testing hehehe I think I like my laptop 🙂
Well, been meaning to do this for awhile now since I had re-installed PC-BSD awhile ago in the course of an upgrade.
A list of all ports and packages I’ve ‘added’ to the base install (not counting depends).
Note that I installed a bunch of KDE packages on CD#2 since they were not in PBI format,
kdeedu-3.5.7 Collection of entertaining, educational programs for KDE
kdegames-3.5.7 Games for the KDE integrated X11 desktop
kdesdk-3.5.7 KDE Software Development Kit
kdevelop-3.4.1_1 IDE for a wide variety of programming tasks
koffice-1.6.3,2 Office Suite for KDE3
For software I’ve installed since the first boot up,
cscope-15.6 An interactive C program browser
ctags-5.7 A feature-filled tagfile generator for vi and emacs clones
de-kde-i18n-3.5.8 German messages and documentation for KDE3
diablo-jdk-1.5.0.07.01 Java Development Kit 1.5.0_07.01
diablo-jre-1.5.0.07.01 Java Runtime Environment 1.5.0_07.01
docker-1.5_5 A dockapp with support for GNOME2 and KDE3 tray icons
doom-data-1.0_1 Doom data files (Doom, Doom II, Hexen, Heretic and Strife)
elinks-0.11.2_2 Elinks - links text WWW browser with enhancements
emacs-22.1_1 GNU editing macros
gmake-3.81_2 GNU version of 'make' utility
javavmwrapper-2.3 Wrapper script for various Java Virtual Machines
konversation-1.0.1_1 A user friendly IRC client for KDE
kscope-1.6.0 KDE front-end to Cscope
libdvdcss-1.2.9_2 Portable abstraction library for DVD decryption
libdvdnav-0.1.10_3 The library for the xine-dvdnav plugin
linux-flock-0.9.0.2 The free web browser that makes it easier to share with you
linux-mplayerplug-in-3.50 Embed MPlayer into browser
linux-realplayer-10.0.8.805.20060718_2 Linux RealPlayer 10 from RealNetworks
lynx-2.8.7d7 A non-graphical, text-based World-Wide Web client
mg-20050820 A small, fast Emacs-like editor
portaudit-0.5.11 Checks installed ports against a list of security vulnerabi
portupgrade-2.3.1,2 FreeBSD ports/packages administration and management tool s
prboom-2.2.6_2 A multiplayer-capable and modified version of ID's classic
psearch-1.2 An utility for searching the FreeBSD Ports Collection
ruby18-atk-0.16.0.20071004 Ruby binding for ATK
ruby18-cairo-1.4.1_1 Ruby binding for Cairo
ruby18-doc-stdlib-0.10.1 Documentation for the Ruby language standard library
ruby18-gdk_pixbuf2-0.16.0.20071004_1 Ruby binding for GdkPixbuf2
ruby18-gems-0.9.2 Package management framework for the Ruby language
ruby18-glib2-0.16.0.20071004 Ruby binding for GLib2
ruby18-gtk2-0.16.0.20071004_1 Ruby binding for GTK+2
ruby18-pango-0.16.0.20071004_1 Ruby binding for Pango
ruby18-usersguide-20051121_1 Ruby users guide, in HTML format
rubygem-ini-0.1.1 Ruby INI File Parser and Writer
rubygem-rake-0.7.3 Ruby Make
rubygem-rtags-0.96 A Ruby replacement for ctags
scheme48-1.7 The Scheme Underground's implementation of R5RS
supertux-0.1.3_2 Super Tux is a side-scroller similar to Super Mario Brother
wesnoth-1.2.6 A fantasy turn-based strategy game
windowmaker-0.92.0_3 GNUstep-compliant NeXTstep window manager clone
wmappl-0.6_2 An application launcher dockapp similar to wmbutton
wmbsdbatt-0.1_1 Dockapp for battery & temperature monitoring through ACPI
wmclock-1.0.12.2_2 A dockable clock applet for Window Maker
wmdrawer-0.10.5_3 A dockapp which provides a drawer to launch applications
wmicons-1.0_2 Icons mainly for use in Window Maker
wmmatrix-0.2_2 A DockApp that runs a version of the xmatrix screenhack
xgalaga-2.0.34_2 Galaga resurrected on X
xpdf-3.02_3 Display PDF files, and convert them to other formats
zsh-4.3.4_1 The Z shell
This basically amounts to my standard shell (zsh), a few time wasters; xgaliga, supertux, wesnoth, and stuff to play doom.
A couple of useful tools; java runtime and development kit, exuberant ctags, cscope, kscope (just for the heck of it), and gmake because it’s essential to GTK+/QT based projects.
Window Maker and a couple of applets including docker and wmclock (the two I use).
xpdf because I’ve got vim programed to open PDF’s as read only text (using pdftotext)
A few extra editors, (gnu) emacs and mg (micro gnu emacs) just in case => I installed vim from source as I usually do so it’s not listed above hehe. Vim is about all I use regularly.
A couple of libdvd* ports to make use of my laptops DVD-ROM 😉
Web browsers lynx, elinks, and linux-flock, I also have netscape 9 installed manually to the /opt directory within the Linux ABI because it wasn’t in ports.
psearch, portupgrade, and portaudit for managing ports as I’m used to
The linux version of realplayer because although the many codecs I manaually installed for mplayer will play the real media I’ve asked it to, I never had time to twist Mozilla based browsers into using it instead of website foo asking me for a realplayer plugin..
konversation, the worlds greatest IRC client 😉
Various language stuff, mostly scheme48 and various Ruby things including GTK+ bindings. I used to have QTRuby installed manually but lost it during the reinstall/upgrade of PC-BSD. I’d like to experiment with a few C compilers and a few of the GCC based ports later.
I also have the German language files for KDE handy, using a program in another language can some times be a nice ‘crash course’ or pop quiz to ones own studies hehe.
Sneaking a peak at KDE4
I downloaded The Kubuntu-KDE4-RC2 live CD tonight, was only about 422MB of ISO.
I am sorry to say that although I think KDE4 will be a fenominal success (as long as most KDE3 users stick to it) but I am rather disappointed by KDE4 RC2 =/
I do not care much for the Oxygen look and feel as used by default in the Live CD and I especially dislike how there is little distinction between the window and it’s title bar / decore thing. That top bar with the mini/maxi mize buttons and close, e.t.c. or what ever you call it. I did like however the up/down looking buttons for minimize and maximize rather then some of the other things I have seen. As long as Keramik is still available (it was on the live cd as a window decore) I’ll probably be happy.
Konsole seems little changed other then settings->configure konsole it is replaced by editing ones profiles; This will probably cause a small level of new-user confusion but it is worth the clean up to the actual configuration dialog.
I don’t know if it is the way konqueror is done in KDE4RC2 or the way Kubuntu has it set up on the disk but loading any webpage seems to cause a massive flood of download boxes as it loads every page (probably image files). I suspect the problem is Kubuntu’s configuration but didn’t take the time to poke around, got other things to attend to tonight. I was also happy to see that Konquerors configuration system is still very abundant but a lot better organized now in regard to using it as a File Manager, Web Browser, or Both 😉
Kontact id almost the same as I remember it only looking better. Kwrite worked well, did not see Kopete or KOffice apps so I can only guess it is Kubuntu, I’ve often heard that Kubuntu is often pretty bare bones compared to Ubuntu when listing in #kde; which is why I would probably use Ubuntu and apt-get KDE if I swung that way 😉
The panel applets seem to be smoothly and very nicey integrated into the system, I plan to look further at them when I have more time to ‘play’. I fear that KDE4 RC2 seems to show less configuration options to the user then the KDE 3.4.3 through KDE 3.5.7 that I am used to…. However the Control Center has a make over that makes it a lot easier to find what you are looking for, much appreciated in my case but I don’t think it blends in with other or past KDE apps very well. It actually reminds me of the classic style Windows control panel but done in a more integrated way.
The K-Menu is drastically different, not sure if it is an improvement or not… I like the tabbed thing but dislike the focus-follows mouse usage there; it also remembers what ‘sub’ elements you were in when you reopen it, a matter of taste if you like or hate it. But it is rather nice to see a new idea! Or at least, as new as I’ve never seen it before, I used to collect Window Managers for a brief time, along with Terminal Emulators and Shells before settling on my current styles.
I like how the task manager thing in the panel had an icon and a label, I did not try to run a lot of applications to see how it collapses but it is nice the way they show it.
The only thing that really annoys me about the K-Menu is the ability to configure it by a quick right-click didn’t seem available… I don’t think that I will like KDE4 as much as KDE3.. Yet when we get to KDE 4.2 or KDE 4.3 it might be more to my style.
I got to try dolphin the new file manager…. From screen shots that I had seen of its KDE4 port I thought I would love it but after trying it on KDE4RC2 I am very un-amused. It presents a very nice user interface, I always found Konqueror a bit cluttered without stooping to custom profiles for file management and web browsing — A very damn nice feature of konqueror!!! The big killer for dolphin for me, was seeing a large lack of configuration options compared to konqueror or most major KDE applications. Which I could probably stand since it looks like a great program for being able to use effectively for it’s task (file management). The lack of a traditional type the file path address bar was a big let down; I will have to dig deeper into it to see if I can enable that. The alternative method I found in Kubuntu’s setup is a great setup compared to Windows Explorer, which I guess defaults to none… Looking at my moms user settings =/
For me, it is critical to be able to type /path/to/directory/ and go there in any file manager because it is what, like 1,000 times faster then clicking your way through? At least for me — I type at around 70 WPM on typing tests I’ve tried and when composing my self, I can type as fast as I can think; and some times faster as my speeellling show cases often enough on Forums. The primary reason use the Command Line Interface (CLI) for 99% of file management tasks on *nix systems is because the CLI is so much more useful then command.com/cmd.exe that it blows even konqueror away for file management: Most times I do things with file management I would really much rather type it out and use tab-completion then click 20 thousand times to do things. Dolphin and Konqueror however are *very good* file managers as far as GUI File Managers go and I have never found one that I like more then Konqueror (with a custom profile xD) unless I do actually drop to a shell prompt.
I’ll probably end up using KDE4 when it becomes the norm but I think so far, I’d rather have KDE3 as my Desktop with KDE4 applications around it if I could…. Amarok on Windows would probably be worth the concession since the only decent media players I have used are Amarok, MPlayer, Kaffeine, and VLC (which crashes a lot on me in Windows XP).
KDE is one of the projects that I would really like to help in the future, like FreeBSD and Ruby. The main reason I have never tried to get involved with KDE is that I hate C++ and doubt if I could be much use without touching any of it. For KDE I could almost stand working with C++ because I really love KDE. I don’t think I am looking forward to using KDE4 =/ I do however hope that it is the biggest greatest thing to hit the Unix based Desktop since OpenBSD in 1996, Vim (text editor) and the Linux kernel in 1991. Which are the best things I’ve ever bumped into hehe.
Gnome, is not my style and is contrary to my way of doing things. Although Ubuntu 6.06 had a very attractive look/feel with it hehe. I am a KDE User and most of my favorite graphical programs are KDE based or merely front ends to other ones or both in KMPlayers and KPlayers cases xD.
I think for a world of people KDE 4 will revolutionize the desktop when it matures but I am not to sure if it can beat out the matured KDE 3 in my books 🙂
open default browser
for KDE:
$> kfmclient exec
this will open the file with the default binding if at all it exists…i.e. any app that associates itself with .swf MIME type.
for GNOME:
$>gnome-open
^ open file in proper program.