Eegore wrote on 10/19/18 at 07:06:52:


Do you have a spare box somewhere in your IT storage spaces?   Take it home and load up Linux Mint Mate 19 on it, making sure to tell Mint Mate 19 to take over the entire hard drive and not accidentally set up a test result confusing dual boot.  

For your test to be valid, you need to get MS completely off the machine.  Then learn how to use Mint Mate (which is mostly instinctive to you anyway as it looks like Win7) and then you can have a test bench unit of your very own ( ........ for free ........) to analyze to death.

It will likely be more powerful and somewhat faster than my old box.

OF, someday, definitely not today, I will write a post called "Linux the illiterates journey".

The "Cosmic Cuttlefish" is out .... looks good  

 
 https://liliputing.com/2018/10/chrome-os-updates-to-bring-linux-apps-to-media...


 
Google has reached a consensus point with the EU fine situation, Google will pay the 5 billion dollar fine and will start to charge like $40-60 per phone if the EU customers want Google Services installed on their phones.   Google tried to make an ad sharing agreement available to users, one of several possible agreements were proposed but Brussels won't approve any of them.   Brussels wants their people to have to PAY to use Google, thinking this evens up the playing field as everyone else has to charge money for their stuff.
 
No matter how it goes the EU Android phone users will pay a lot MORE and parts of Google Services will not be free or ad supported any more in the EU.   This is what Brussels wants.  

Brussels expected the cost of the phones to go down eventually, but that doesn't seem to be happening.   EU Telecom operators are unhappy as user folks are not buying the new phones that are coming stripped of Android functionality.   Keeping your old Android phone for another year is suddenly very popular.   So is ordering generic unlocked phones all the way from China.

Speaking of Google, Google is forging forward with their new Fuchsia OS system, but it is still pretty far away at this point in time.  The extra manning remains assigned on the Fuchsia project, so progress is still moving faster than before.

Google Chromebooks are forging forward as well, all newly sold Chromebooks mount Android 9.0 Pie Apps now and now most of the better units come with Linux Apps showing up on the stock Chrome OS file system right along with the Android Apps.   This was done mainly for business users, who wanted their people to have true ease of use with their Business Chromebook Systems.

Some of the weaker non-Intel Chromebook systems didn't have the natural ability to run Linux Apps (not enough processor and resources).   Google has lately been getting inspiration from their gaming cooperations with Gabe at Steam and has now started to add Tensor support to these older, weaker Chromebook processors.  This can come from a larger device mounted AI block, or from Tensor Servers on the net like Gabe uses for his gaming service.  Mediatek is mounting the larger required AI block on their current crop of Chromebook processors.

Compared to supporting Gabe's 3-D VR plans, supporting some weaker older stock Chromebooks with some Tensor Power is a piece of cake.  

Google is actively working with Mediatek in this effort, as Mediatek wants to sell a WHOLE LOT of Chromebook processors next year and Mediatek epitomizes a "weaker much cheaper Chromebook processor" right now ......


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Chrome OS updates to bring Linux apps to MediaTek Chromebooks, Android 9 to most Chromebooks

https://liliputing.com/2018/10/chrome-os-updates-to-bring-linux-apps-to-media...

Here’s why these updates matter.

Most Chromebooks released in the past few years have been able to run the Google Play Store and Google apps. But it’s been a while since Google updated the Android subsystem.

The move to Android 9 Pie brings some user interface tweaks, new file system support for apps and features that may not have been available for Android Nougat and some other tweaks — the default camera app in Chrome OS Canary now seems to be the Google camera app for Android.  The file system shares some of the latest improvements also.   All your various Android and Linux worlds just show up in the stock Chrome OS file system and you can park the apps in your tool bars, etc.

Meanwhile, the addition of Chrome OS file system support for Linux apps allows users to download and install desktop applications that work whether you have an internet connection or not. That allows you to run office software, applications for editing audio, video, or images, or games that might not otherwise be available for Chromebooks.   And yes, MS Office is available through this path as well.   All of these things make Chromebooks more appealing to Big Business.

Linux app support is still very much a work in progress and still seems like it’s aimed at developers rather than casual users at the moment. But Google keeps adding features that make Linux apps work more like native apps and the company keeps adding support for more devices.

The latest update means the Acer Chromebook R13, Lenovo Chromebook 300e, and a handful of other devices will soon join the ranks of Chrome OS devices capable of running Linux apps.

This means Chromebooks for Business can be cheaper and still have access to the added ranks of fully usable apps that come either for free or at low cost.

Since MS has jerked the price of Windows and Office 365 up so sharply of late and Intel has raised the cost of their processors 50% due to their own self-created "production shortages" so the alternate OS systems using ARM processors are gaining more ground in Consumer and in Business.  

Wintel is slowly pricing itself to death.   ARM processors are getting stronger (with larger AI blocks and more memory).   ChromeOS is getting stronger and better with both Android and Linux apps showing up in the file systems.   Tensor support tricks are being worked out for older weaker Chromebooks so they can go ahead and work the new stuff for their full lifetimes.

About that lifetime stuff --- Linux Apps have no expiration date, nor do Android Apps.  ChromeOS just stops updating itself at end of life and once it reaches end of life maturity and becomes a fixed system which will still continue to run new Linux Apps and Android Apps that can be side loaded and updated at will over the years that follow.

So, Chromebooks will have a natural life span that is extended for a goodly bit.    Fuchsia will be along later on to replace ChromeOS (supposedly) but you can continue to use ChromeOS that came with your device as a Mature End of Life system for quite a while if that makes sense to you.


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The world class all time cheapest computing is still to buy or acquire an old Intel desktop PC or laptop and put Linux Mint (or if you like that system one of the Ubuntu flavors) on it.

It requires you to learn a little bit over time, but it isn't bad and since you only have to pick it up slowly as you go along it is relatively less effort than keeping Win 7 running on an old Win 7 box.    

Linux gets updated, new features, new capabilities though, just like any modern OS does.    

Win 7 does not get new features plus Win 7 still requires the monthly anti-virus and de-fragmentation maintenance routines,  etc.  etc.

 I'm still trying to figure out how I don't have any of these problems.  Not so far anyway.  Luckily I have around 10 or 12 Dell 7577 laptops sitting unused, so the plan is to fire them up and have half update and half stay the same.  My IT guy says they can easily check daily for changes.

 Also I can't find a subscription plan for Windows 10 ($140 a year) but I can for Office.  
 
 Lastly do you think Linux will work well with multi-monitor connections.  As in 4 monitors on one PC, and also things like projectors, TVs and wireless monitor connections.

https://semiaccurate.com/2018/10/22/intel-kills-off-the-10nm-process/

SemiAccurate has learned that Intel just pulled the plug on their struggling 10nm process. Before you jump to conclusions, we think this is both the right thing to do and a good thing for the company.

Quotable Quotes:

Before we explain why knifing 10nm is good for Intel, lets start with a few quotes:

“We hear that internally Intel is quite worried about making the launch of Cannon even though it is still about a year away. This is no ordinary early silicon issue, it is a serious and unexpected problem. Coffee lake being added at the last minute between Kaby and Cannon should shed some light on the depths of Intel’s 10nm woes, things are a mess. More when we get it, but for now, not a merry Christmas for those singing from hymnals D1C and D1D.” -SemiAccurate Dec 22, 2016

“Doing the same job on a 14nm process results in cheaper chips that perform better. Intel has to put out 10nm parts because they are expected to by Wall Street. Don’t for a second think the top brass isn’t aware of this and actively making product decisions because of that pressure.” -SemiAccurate Dec 28, 2016

“All of these things back up the three financial graphs Intel presented multiple times at Manufacturing day. Although costs are going up, with hyperscaling the net result is a great benefit for Intel, not the expected losses from node transition slips. This is all quite true if yields are the same or better for newer nodes. Intel normalized the graphs for some reason so you can’t tell what the actual yields are, nor their effect on the financial outlook. If they are far worse on newer nodes as some have intoned, the rosy financial conclusions may not smell quite so sweet. If yields on 10nm are better than 32, all is well. Feel free to draw your own conclusions based on yields for current processes.” -SemiAccurate April 4, 2017

“This says that Intel has roughly zero confidence in their current roadmap for 10nm, another insertion of a 14nm product undoubtedly means another delay to the above schedule. What does it mean? It means don’t be surprised when the Q1/2019 conference call delays things yet again.” -SemiAccurate May 21, 2018

“The 10nm Cannon Lake parts aren’t real and never will be viable, financially or technically speaking.” -SemiAccurate May 29, 2018

“Told ya” – Authors Note, Today

Don’t Mourn:

For several years now SemiAccurate has been saying the the 10nm process as proposed by Intel would never be financially viable. Now we are hearing from trusted moles that the process is indeed dead and that is a good thing for Intel, if they had continued along their current path the disaster would have been untenable. Our moles are saying the deed has finally been done.

This isn’t to say the road to this point has been easy or straightforward, and the road ahead is even less solid. Intel has continually moved the public bar on 10nm back, incrementally, while singing a different song internally. In their Q1/2018 earnings call they moved the timetables and spun it in a curious way but were telling partners a different story.

Nothing however tops the masterful “Hyperscaling” stunt where Intel brought in press and analysts to a ‘manufacturing day’ in early 2017 to explain how the crippling slide of 10nm was not actually a slide, it was a good thing and not a delay at all. SemiAccurate laughed and stopped just short of calling Intel liars.

The company redefined terms well past the breaking point to show that scaling was ‘on track’ even if node cadence was ‘intentionally’ longer. As you can see from the above graph, all was good publicly, internally SemiAccurate was hearing a very different story. (Note: Intel was on track to miss that graph by 1+ year and sliding before 10nm was killed.)

The knifing of 10nm shows that Intel is finally willing to do the right things for the right reasons even if it costs them some short term pain, it is the first adult decision we have seen from the company in several years. Let us walk through the reasons why it is a good thing, from cost to timetables to competitiveness to management changes to potential product roadmaps. It is not a clean, easy or pithy story to pull a sound bite from but it is interesting.


OK, this Intel internal leak, reported by Semi-Accurate and confirmed by two Intel internal sources, has already been denied by Intel's PR function who has trotted out the current lies all over again --- Intel upper management is simply acting scared shiteless at what will happen to their stock prices.  

And it will.    It will happen.  

Intel is only 3-5 months away from getting lapped by AMD on the upper end and getting lapped by ARM processors on the bottom to middle end.    Intel is in trouble, deep deep trouble.

Micron is dodging away from Intel just as fast as they can.    MS is forging ties with Qualcomm and with the Linux world so as to have a post-Intel future pathway.

Intel does not have a viable future plan at this time.   The repeat it all again stuff they pushed out again this afternoon is patently BOGUS.   They have had to lie on their latest benchmark testing just to show "appreciable progress" but only at the 10% level compared to their previous bogus benchmarks.

PC Vendors are rolling in AMD motherboard units just as quickly as they can make them up, having been released from Intel's restrictive agreements due to Intel not being able to provide them the chipsets they ordered.   They are not loving Intel's latest 50% price hike either ......


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https://www.techpowerup.com/248783/intel-could-have-killed-10-nm-process-acco...

UPDATED by dmartin Monday, October 22nd 2018 11:47

Update: Intel has made an official statement on Twitter denying this and explaining that "Media reports published today that Intel is ending work on the 10nm process are untrue. We are making good progress on 10nm. Yields are improving consistent with the timeline we shared during our last earnings report."

Intel has been talking for years about the leap to the 10 nm process, a technology whose launch has been delayed time and time again. We were supposed to start seeing these microprocessors in 2016, but that date was postponed to 2017 and later to 2018. The manufacturer assumed the problems once again this year, but made a new promise: you will have 10 nm processors by the end of 2019.

The market seems to continue to trust Intel despite everything. Others, on the other hand, say that Intel is about to announce the total cancellation of this project. You have to take this news of Charlie Demerjian in SemiAccurate not with a grain of salt, but with a lot of grains of salt, because according to their sources, Intel would have already killed the process of 10 nm. This analyst has maintained the theory that Intel would never take that step, and in his analysis indicates that in his opinion this is the right decision. Evidently there has not been any official confirmation or comment from Intel, so for the moment Demerjian's statement raises many doubts and could be mere speculation.

In SemiAccurate they mention reliable sources that indicate that Intel has already taken this decision, which they welcome as being the most accurate despite the economic cost that such abandonment could cause in Intel. Demerjian not only reveals that Intel has decided to abandon this 10 nm process, but also adds that Intel's discourse has been deceptive all along: what it said publicly and its internal discourse were very different things.

Events at Intel don't help to clarify the situation. With Krzanich out, there is now new information that indicates Intel splitting manufacturing into three different segments. The problems with 10 nm silicon fabrication continue, and some analysts have mentioned how Intel is at least 5 years behind TSMC and may never catch up.  On the other hand, recent reports give us (and their stock) some optimism, but the recent piece published at SemiAccurate shakes things up again.

Eegore, I have no idea how you get your updates or what types you get.   You are buying business machines from a business supplier (Dell) and you keep mentioning the word PRO after all your softwares.   One would think mebbe you have a Dell Pro set up ....

Don't ask me to explain your stuff, I am half a country away from you.

"You are buying business machines from a business supplier (Dell) and you keep mentioning the word PRO after all your softwares"

 I actually have not mentioned the word PRO, none of my software says that to my knowledge.  It says Windows 10 Home on all but 7 of them.

"Don't ask me to explain your stuff, I am half a country away from you. "

 Understood.

 To clarify I was asking that if you have knowledge of any methodology that Windows, or Dell would use to identify a single person purchaser, as a business and alter their software appropriately.  Single person meaning any one person and not a specific person.  I ask because you have more knowledge in this particular subject than I do, had your articles read to me and didn't see that particular issue mentioned.