Comment Re:Finally, Linux on useable hardware. (Score 1) 73
>Yes, standard PC hardware is cheaper- but with
>all of the options come support nightmares and
>driver conflicts that would drive the most stable
>person into the loony bin [what in the HELL is an
>IRQ, ANYWAY?!]- yes,
>1. I've supported Macs, PCs, HP/9000s and Sparcs. Mac hardware is not any less a support nightmare than PCs.
I would tend to disagree to a point. If a knowledgale Mac person sets up the Mac, then experience shows that it _should_ be cheaper to upkeep
But more often than not since the reality is that Winodws owns >80% of the market, a windows person will attempt to setup the mac and there ignorance will lead to an unstable Platform.
>2. Driver conflicts are going to be an OS issue.
Agreed. I have my share of them, but its is that next step that is important. Hit the 'net and find a _solution_ to the problem.
>3. The whole trying hand-setting IRQs issue was taken care of with PCI.
Without going off the deep end, I Completely disagree. I have a windows machine, that refuses to let the following work together:
Ethernet Card (PCI)
Modem (PCI)
Sound Card (PCI)
USB (MS Natural Keyboard)
PS/2 Mouse (Logitech Cordless Wheel)
The error reported is IRQ Conflicts. I have personally worked on this for a long time. I have consulted "experts" with windows. The problems have never been solved, so I have to hack around the problems.
Then, on top of that I tried to hook up my new digital Camera through USB. What a joke. After calling the cameras tech support, they stated that I need to isolate the IRQ for the USB device. Well that is all well and good, but I seem to be out of IRQ positions. So basically I am trying to cram 10 pounds of crap into a 5 pound bag. Nice...
>Supercomputers are typically not build to be furniture.
True. The iMac Cluster is built using Marathon Computing iRacks. So the entire thing is a big black wheeled thing. You should love it.
And yes, some of us want the computer on our desk to be "cool" looking. We do not want to feel that the thing we just spent a pile of hard earned money is relegated to _under_ the desk. We want to show it off. Let people look at it.
> Considering even the brand new shiny G4s can't match an Athlon (or god forbit an Alpha) for performance, this is just *such* a great choice. Really.
Depends on what you are testing it against. If you are doing Photoshop/DV for a living, then the G4 is BETTER than an Athlon. Tests have shown this to be true. If you are doing other things, then the Athlon would be faster.
> Macintoshes are FAR from cheap from a price/performance ratio persepective. Not to mention that PCs are *JUST AS RELIABLE*.
Again, I am paying a bit more for two things, both of which I prioritize over raw speed. I am paying for a Nice looking Box and an User Interface that is both pleasing to my eye and logical for _me_ to use. Considering My PC does not seem to want to work well at all, then I would have to disagree with the second part of your Sentence.
>Not to mention that, in order to make the things reasonably compact (yes, floor space costs money) you have to rip them apart and likely void their warranties.
Yup, the APPLE warranty is toast, BUT Terra Soft provides their own warranty for the cluster.
> Kindly stop talking out of your ass. It doesn't make for a pleasant debate.
Remember, other peoples Milage may vary from yours. Feel free to debate. Point out problems with the post. State your case, but when you make wide sweeping statements be able to back them up with Facts not religous war type hype crap.
>all of the options come support nightmares and
>driver conflicts that would drive the most stable
>person into the loony bin [what in the HELL is an
>IRQ, ANYWAY?!]- yes,
>1. I've supported Macs, PCs, HP/9000s and Sparcs. Mac hardware is not any less a support nightmare than PCs.
I would tend to disagree to a point. If a knowledgale Mac person sets up the Mac, then experience shows that it _should_ be cheaper to upkeep
But more often than not since the reality is that Winodws owns >80% of the market, a windows person will attempt to setup the mac and there ignorance will lead to an unstable Platform.
>2. Driver conflicts are going to be an OS issue.
Agreed. I have my share of them, but its is that next step that is important. Hit the 'net and find a _solution_ to the problem.
>3. The whole trying hand-setting IRQs issue was taken care of with PCI.
Without going off the deep end, I Completely disagree. I have a windows machine, that refuses to let the following work together:
Ethernet Card (PCI)
Modem (PCI)
Sound Card (PCI)
USB (MS Natural Keyboard)
PS/2 Mouse (Logitech Cordless Wheel)
The error reported is IRQ Conflicts. I have personally worked on this for a long time. I have consulted "experts" with windows. The problems have never been solved, so I have to hack around the problems.
Then, on top of that I tried to hook up my new digital Camera through USB. What a joke. After calling the cameras tech support, they stated that I need to isolate the IRQ for the USB device. Well that is all well and good, but I seem to be out of IRQ positions. So basically I am trying to cram 10 pounds of crap into a 5 pound bag. Nice...
>Supercomputers are typically not build to be furniture.
True. The iMac Cluster is built using Marathon Computing iRacks. So the entire thing is a big black wheeled thing. You should love it.
And yes, some of us want the computer on our desk to be "cool" looking. We do not want to feel that the thing we just spent a pile of hard earned money is relegated to _under_ the desk. We want to show it off. Let people look at it.
> Considering even the brand new shiny G4s can't match an Athlon (or god forbit an Alpha) for performance, this is just *such* a great choice. Really.
Depends on what you are testing it against. If you are doing Photoshop/DV for a living, then the G4 is BETTER than an Athlon. Tests have shown this to be true. If you are doing other things, then the Athlon would be faster.
> Macintoshes are FAR from cheap from a price/performance ratio persepective. Not to mention that PCs are *JUST AS RELIABLE*.
Again, I am paying a bit more for two things, both of which I prioritize over raw speed. I am paying for a Nice looking Box and an User Interface that is both pleasing to my eye and logical for _me_ to use. Considering My PC does not seem to want to work well at all, then I would have to disagree with the second part of your Sentence.
>Not to mention that, in order to make the things reasonably compact (yes, floor space costs money) you have to rip them apart and likely void their warranties.
Yup, the APPLE warranty is toast, BUT Terra Soft provides their own warranty for the cluster.
> Kindly stop talking out of your ass. It doesn't make for a pleasant debate.
Remember, other peoples Milage may vary from yours. Feel free to debate. Point out problems with the post. State your case, but when you make wide sweeping statements be able to back them up with Facts not religous war type hype crap.
