[geeks] Mac definitions (was: Smart phone data usage)

[Sandwich Maker]

" From: Jonathan Patschke <jp at celestrion.net>
" 
" On Thu, 7 Jul 2011, Sandwich Maker wrote:
" 
" > " It'd be an unfair comparison if modern operating systems weren't
" > " variations on 30-year-old themes.  This sort of junk is just change for
" > " the sake of change, though.
" >
" > one could equally argue that modern auto operation was just variations
" > on 120-year-old [or at least 90-year-old [0]] 'themes'.
" 
" Not at all!
" 
" The only real game-changers since the dawn of Unix on microcomputers are:
"    1) Parallelism, as we know it today[1].
"    2) Pervasive networking.
" 
" Every other hard problem I can think of (virtual memory, virtualization,
" multiuser paradigms, scalable storage, memory-speed vs cpu-speed and the
" design changes they bring) is more-or-less unchanged since IBM and/or DEC
" first solved it.
" 
" The Mac UI is not fundamentally different from how it was in System 7.
" The widgets are more colorful, sure.  The underlying OS is not
" fundamentally different from modern NeXTStep.

i don't recall system 7; my first unix was sVr1, in the mid '80s.  it
had no graphic ui at all.  otoh, it was the root for the posix std, so
modern compliant os are all rather like it under the gui.  osx 10.5
even has at&t ksh.

" That the majority of incompatibilities and user-hostilities stem from the
" art department rearranging the user experience, while the Extremely Hard
" problems are largely solved (for end-user-sized problems with
" end-user-sized resources) is something that I find very offensive.  More
" offensive than that, though, is The Steve's apparent intention to take the
" computer I bought and turn it into an advertising platform for movies and
" "Apps", while making it less useful as a workstation.

rather despicable, but hey - it's just business...  which is not to
say i understand it.

" > and hacking via bluetooth won't be far behind, if they don't get the
" > security word.
" 
" It's an antenna, transceiver, and vampire-tap away.  You can splice into
" CAN with almost no disruption.  I would be surprised if law-enforcement
" don't have such a device they can attach to an accessible wiring harness
" while they're fitting the GPS trackers.

hacking such as i described has already been done, with the assistance
of a dongle plugged into the obdII socket.  that of course requires
access to the vehicle's interior - but it's the first step down the
slope.

" > soon will come the day when the black hat in the car next to you can
" > shut your engine down, or firewall your throttle, mess with your brakes
" > wheel-by-wheel, unpower your steering and/or brakes, lock you inside
" > your car, or shift your tranny into reverse - on the highway.
" 
" Which makes my plan to find and restore a 944 all that more appealing.

interesting choice!  a cow orker had a 924, back in the early '80s.

there's lots of cars i'd like to have if i could, but for porsches i'd
lean more toward a 916, or 356b speedster like my hs sci teacher had.

" > [0] 1st appearance of the modern steering-wheel-and-pedals was about
" > 1920.  by 1930 it was virtually universal.  but the 1st mass-produced
" > car appeared in the 1890s.
" 
" In that time there have been lots of game-changers: feedback fuel systems,
" CV transmissions, independent suspension, the air/water cooling debate.
" Yet, somehow the tools haven't fundamentally changed.  There are more
" specialty tools, but a 10mm socket and screwdriver can get a whole lot
" done under the hood of my truck.

feeback fuel systems are new, but cv transmissions and independent
suspensions have been around since almost the first cars.  imho the
only major game changer has been computer controls, of which feedback
efi is a part.  since control algorithms are just bits on a chip, they
have unparalleled flexibility and adaptability.  they've made not
only closed-loop efi but also abs and traction control affordable for
even ordinary cars.

the danger is that they'll create a generation of point-and-click
drivers, with no ability to control a car - or even recognize its
limits - when electronics fail, but that's a different argument.

and one tool -has- fundamentally changed - the gadget you need to
diagnose the powertrain control system.  one could check and adjust
timing and mixture, recurve a distributor or rejet a carb for cheap,
but something that can do more than the most basic diagnostics on the
car of today - never mind reprogramming - is out of reach of the
average weekend mechanic.

that 10mm socket can do a lot - but it can't touch the pcm.  and that
leaves a lot out.

" [0] SMP and NUMA rather than attached processors, although I suppose a
"      modern GPU is a wonderful spin on the attached-processor idea,
"      especially given the excellently-fast interconnect.

and given that high end gpus have more gates on them than cpus these
days.
________________________________________________________________________
Andrew Hay                                  the genius nature
internet rambler                            is to see what all have seen
adh at an.bradford.ma.us                       and think what none thought