He didn't claim that the resulting kernel would contain 12 million lines of code. 12 geniuses might come up with the same functionality coded in considerably fewer lines. That being said, I actually doubt it's possible. Not even for 1 billion, because projects of such size have a high likelihood of cost explosion.

You must live under a rock, right? Java was an interpreted language 10 years ago, but that has changed since. Probably about the same time as HTPP/CGI got obsolete.

They might need 30.000 servers, but at least they don't need 30.000 programmers and another 30.000 testers.

What's more: because they "use" AES (no matter how they use it), they can also put one more bullet point on the box: FIPS-140 certified by the NIST. This certification is misleading and should no longer be given.

Similarly, you'd have to be a complete idiot to give such devices any kind of certification. We all know that companies can sell any junk they want, that's why we rely on certification agencies. But now we know that certification agencies really work as marketing agencies, boosting the sale of junk hardware by sticking their logo on it.

The flaw clearly is in the device! The access software is irrelevant because anyone can copy or modify such software. The device must protect the data regardless whether the access software has been compromised. If the FIPS approval does not consider this, then it's nothing more than a marketing gag.

This "encryption" is just as effective as locking one's door with the most powerful locks available while leaving the window wide open... As someone else said: the unlock program is irrelevant. The security must be in the USB stick. But it obviously isn't, hence the device (if not the "encryption" per se) has been cracked.

You're right, but: Like the big block, the Itanium arch hasn't seen considerable enhancements for years. Now it's obsolete because there are more efficient and more economical designs, which exceed the Itanium also in absolute performance numbers. No one will miss it in the long term.

If IT companies started to phase out their 50 year old designs _now_, we would still be dealing with punched cards and probably not even use magnetic tapes. So you better look for more suitable analogies. No company buys a computer just because it hauls ass and looks good. Instead, they throw 3 years old machines away because they are not (cost) efficient anymore.