why are computers even slower??

The very first computer I used was 20 years ago. I've been fortunate to have been involved in the personal computer scene since not long after it actually began.giving in a factor that i was just a normal Tanzania kid back then,

Many thanks to my father for bringing home,those two little wizards!!the small but extremely Giant to todays standards IBM laptop,and the Amiga desktop.

May be,I would have surely taken a different career if not for my fathers motivation that i should use those two things,AND it felt great!!

In the time since then, I've watched the whole development of the PC, first with excitement at not knowing what direction it would take, then with anticipation at knowing where it would head and waiting for the developments.

In the late 1980s it was a golden era for computing. There were so many different manufacturers entering the PC market that each offered new and exciting hardware designs, unique operating system features and enormous choice and competition.

Sure, they all shared lots of software and hardware design ideas but for the most part they were developing in competition with each other.

Anyone who lived the era of the first Amiga personal computers will recall how utterly unique an approach they had to computing, and what direction and advance they took the home computer to. Since then there have been many failed attempts at resuscitating that excitement.

the point about the Amiga was that radical hardware designs drove development and achieved things that software evolution on existing designs would not take us to.

At that time the IBM personal computer and compatibles were still clunky, expensive, glorified word processing DOS machines.

Owners of them always were putting in different graphics and sound cards yearly, upgrading their hardware to try and approach what was built into hardware like the Amiga and the Atari PCs.

Enter the dark era. The hardware driven computer developments failed due to poor marketing, development and a whole host of other problems. This is when the software became king, and instead of competing, all hardware was slowly being designed to yield to the software and operating system design.

We're all aware of what became the defacto operating system standard at the time. As a result there was no market whatsoever for hardware that didn't work within the framework of that operating system.

As a defacto operating system did take over, all other operating system markets and competition failed one after the other and the hardware manufacturers found themselves marketing for an ever shrinking range of software rather than the other way around.

Hardware has since become subservient to the operating system. It started around 1994 and is just as true today 13 years later. Worse yet, all the hardware manufacturers slowly bought each other out, further shrinking the hardware choices.

So now the hardware manufacturers just make faster and bigger versions of everything that has been done before. We're still plugging in faster CPUs, more RAM, bigger hard drives, faster graphics cards and sound cards just to service the operating system.

Hardware driven innovation cannot be afforded by the market any more. There is no money in it. There will be no market for it. Computers are boring.

The hardware has barely changed in all that time. PCs are ludicrously powerful compared to what they were when Linux first booted in 1991, but that's an issue of increased speed, not increased functionality or innovation.

So what about the PC? Well the PC was 'dying' according to all accounts 20 years ago. We all know now that is crap and for the foreseeable future at least, the one all encompassing, information processing, communication (and frustration creator) is here to stay. The internet certainly has cemented that position for the PC.

So Linux was created to service the home desktop personal computer, and the PC is here to stay.

For those who were looking for some excitement and enjoyment in using their computer, the defacto operating system just doesn't cut it.

We want to tinker, we want control, we want power over everything. Or alternatively we believe in some sort of freedom or some combination of the above. So we use Linux.

That is certainly how I got involved in Linux; I wanted something to use on the home desktop PC.

However, the desktop PC is crap. It's rubbish. The experience is so bloated and slowed down in all the things that matter to us.

We all own computers today that were considered supercomputers 10 years ago. 10 years ago we owned supercomputers of 20 years ago.. and so on. So why on earth is everything so slow?

If they're exponentially faster why does it take longer than ever for our computers to start, for the applications to start and so on?

Sure, when they get down to the pure number crunching they're amazing (just encode a video and be amazed).

But in everything else they must be unbelievably slower than ever.

Computers of today may be 1,000 times faster than they were a decade ago, yet the things that matter are slower.

The standard argument people give me in response is 'but they do such more these days it isn't a fair comparison'. Well, they're 10 times slower despite being 1000 times faster, so they must be doing 10,000 times as many things. Clearly the 10,000 times more things they're doing are all in the wrong place.

one might wonder at even simplest of things "what happened to fast boot!!"

[Steve Dii]

PanguPakavu,
Ahsante sana kwa thread hii, hata hivyo naomba uvute subira kwani sitachangia kwa muda kidogo, ila nakuahidi nitarudi kuchangia hapa(hata baada ya wk tatu)... kwani kwa hiki ulicho kisema, ni kama 'umenichokoza' kiaina fulani hivi...thread ikipotea nitaitafuta au kumwomba admin aichimbue. Naishia hapa kwa sasa kwani matoleo ya MicroMart yangu yamesambaratika! Baadae.

SteveD.

[DAR si LAMU]

..pp,

..slowness ya pc ina-irritate sana at times!

..ila ni kwa sababu kuna mambo mengi yanayokula processor power na memory power!

..apps za siku hizi zinafanya mambo makubwa!but most of them are too big to run faster on normal machines[hizi zetu za bei rahisi!]

..wakati zikifanyakazi zinakusanya a lot of data too!hiyo nayo inaloga!

..zipo lighter apps lakini at times we want more,so the cost is speed!

..virus,spyware,maliware,adware,etc zinakula speed bila aibu!

..mengine tutaongea baadae!

btw,linux looks interesting,can you tell me how effective it is,from a user's experience!

[PanguPakavu]

i have been using Linux for 10+ years and i would say that LINUX has a lot to offer at a very competitive price!!(oh its free)!!
so,as u see its too difficult to compete with free!!Credits to Microsoft for its continuing Lobbying against Opensoftz

Linux is the best choice for severs(here i would say that even
UNIX isn't better than LINUX in some cases)



and bellow is the evidence!!

But as a for desktop uses Linux has a few hurdles to clear up before we see it as a next big thing in common houses,

due to my position as a computer user,as well as demanding academic requirements i was exposed to Linux and the likes of solaris with immense deepness that isn't needed by a normal user i tried to compile a list of few useful things you should be aware about LINUX..,

these were mostly things that i have personally experienced,

01. You'll be able to ignore most viruses
Arguably, due to the lower market share of LINUX on the desktop, and the robust and well thought out security model on LINUX, there are almost no viruses to speak of which could successfully compromise a well maintained LINUX desktop. Viruses just don't exist in the same volumes as they do for Windows.But there are some known vendors offering Antivirus software for LINUX.

2. You'll have some compatibility problems
There are free office applications available immediately after LINUX is installed which can read and write many popular office formats such as Word documents, Excel spreadsheets and Powerpoint presentations. There may be some incompatibilities with complex documents incorporating rich content or documents which include complicated macros, but these are few and far between. Most often there may be slight formatting issues, but for the most part, documents open just fine.

3. The Internet will mostly be the same
Whether you browse the web, chat online, watch videos, download music or talk to friends the internet experience will be much the same as it is on Windows. The applications you use may have different names, and may look different or be missing some features, but for the most part, most people won't notice a difference.

4. You'll be continually amazed at the fit and finish
With projects such as Beryl and Compiz, Cairo and Tango, the look and feel of the LINUX desktop is getting better with every release. LINUX has had the 3D desktop for some time now, and is vastly more customisable in look and feel to either Windows or Mac OS X. With numerous Desktop Environments and Window Managers to choose from, many screensavers & themes and desktop tools & utilities, LINUX can look every bit as good, if not better than, the competition.
check this link for your self..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xC5uEe5OzNQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYY-g6ionzM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yx9FgLr9oTk

5. You'll have a "damn it!" moments
LINUX is not Windows or Mac OS X, things are different. Get used to that. Sometimes a hardware vendor won't ship a driver for their product, or a video card may not work as expected, or a popular application on Windows just isn't available for LINUX. Things are getting better, LINUX has better hardware support out of the box than either Windows or Mac OS X, video drivers are constantly under improvement and applications are being written and ported all the time by the community. The "damn it!" moments are becoming less and less in my house.

6. You'll have some "ah-ha" moments
It's not difficult to be amazed how easy things are in LINUX. For example to install an application there is often only one place one needs to go - the package manager. Generally it's a simple matter of choosing the software from a list. LINUX will download it, and any dependant packages or libraries and install it all. putting a handy icon in the menu for it. For removing packages it's just as easy as installing and can remove the dependent packages too.

7. Keyboard shortcuts will drive you nuts
Some keyboards have extra keys with pretty little pictures on them. Most work, some may not, but might in the future. For those that do work it's possible to configure them to do many common tasks like open email, start the calculator, turn the volume up and down or even put a picture of a teddy bear on the screen if that's what you want.

8. You'll regret your purchase - of Windows, but you'll get over it
Most computers these days come with Windows pre-installed, and paid for. Once LINUX is installed, either by dual-booting or completely removing Windows, you will regret that money you paid for Windows. It didn't take me long to remove Windows completely from the first computer I dual-booted.

9. You'll be amazed at how much there is to modify
If you want to. Some people use the system as it is, out of the box. Others like to tweak their system to make it look "just so". With LINUX you can do either. The system is installed, ready to go, but has many hundreds of options for tweaking this, optimising that, tuning the other, to allow you to tailor your computer to work the way you want it to. Pretty much everything is fair game for modification in LINUX, which can make Windows and Mac OS X look positively rigid in the flexibility.

10. You'll actually rarely have to reboot
With fantastic stability and tools like suspend and hibernate, I can go for very long periods without actually needing to reboot my LINUX computer. Even after installing additional software or updating existing packages, it's rare that a physical reboot is required. There's almost nothing that actually requires a reboot of the computer. If an update does require a reboot of course LINUX will tell me, but I can usually safely dismiss and ignore it for days with no adverse effects.

11. There's so much stuff for LINUX
LINUX has many thousands of applications and utilities available to install for free, immediately after installation. You might want to use your PC as a server, maybe as a telephony system, how about a webcam-based security system or a print server, maybe an internet kiosk or perhaps a child's first computer. Maybe you want to learn how to write programs, or research. Whatever it is you want to do with your LINUX computer, chances are there is set of packages you can install and configure to do it, and chances are it's free too.

12. You'll spend less money than with Windows
LINUX is free. It can be downloaded for free and burned to disc for the cost of a blank CD-R. The applications in the repository are also free to download. Everyone has the freedom to make copies of the LINUX software and give away or even sell the copies to other people. You are allowed to modify the software if you want, and use it in pretty much whatever way you want. The freedom you get with LINUX isn't just about money, but it certainly helps that it's free of cost.

13. You'll generally be able to re-use old hardware
LINUX needs about 256MB of RAM and a 500MHz CPU but can run in less and runs better in more. There are alternatives for computers with slow processors or low amounts of memory. Many people don't discard old computers, but re-use them for other purposes, or hand them down to other members of the family. With LINUX the useful life of a computer can be much longer than originally envisaged.

14. You'll get more things done
LINUX has so much great software which is easily installable and quick to pick up that people are often amazed how quickly and easily they transition over from other platforms.

15. The hardware manufacturer is largely irrelevant
LINUX can be installed on many different hardware platforms. From big-name laptop hardware like Dell and Apple, to independent store beige-boxes, to home-made desktop computers and enterprise servers, LINUX can be installed on most computers around today.

16. You'll play pretty well on a Windows network
I can print to Windows shared printers, access files on Windows file shares and of course open Microsoft Office documents under LINUX.


and if you want to see how BIG this thing LINUX is just check this article here

"it actually points out that LINUX runs in 60% of the worlds supercomputers"!!

	Quote:
	NEW YORK - The homegrown Linux operating system has come a long way from its origins as a college kid's pet project and computer hobbyist favorite. Refined in recent years by professional computer programmers at IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Novell and Red Hat, Linux now has become so technically powerful that it lays claim to a prestigious title--it runs more of the world's top supercomputers than any other operating system. A group that keeps track of the top 500 supercomputers in the world estimates that Linux powers 60% of those machines, displacing Unix, which used to be the most popular operating system for high-performance computing. The official Top 500 list, available at www.top500.org, does not contain operating system statistics. But the scientists who maintain the list privately keep track of what operating systems are running on the computers, says Hans Werner Meuer, a computer science professor at the University of Mannheim, in Germany, who has been publishing the Top 500 list twice a year since 1993. Linux clearly is by far the top choice for high-performance computing. Meuer reckons Linux powers 301 of the 500 top machines, compared to 189 on Unix, two on FreeBSD, a Unix variant, and one on Microsoft's Windows. (Seven machines are categorized as "other.") Linux has dominated the marketplace for high-performance computing," says Mark Seager, assistant department head for advanced technologies at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, Calif., which operates ten machines on the Top 500 list, including Blue Gene/L, the world's most powerful supercomputer, and Thunder, which ranks fifth. Both of those machines run Linux, as do several other Lawrence Livermore supercomputers. Lawrence Livermore shifted to Linux a few years ago as an alternative to AIX, the IBM version of Unix. Linus Torvalds, who created Linux in his college dorm room in 1991, says (via e-mail) that Linux has caught on in part because while typical Unix versions run on only one or two hardware architectures, Linux runs on more than 20 different hardware architectures including machines based on Intel microprocessors as well as RISC-based computers from IBM and HP this was an article from Forbes..a while ago

[DAR si LAMU]

..just what i wanted to hear!

..i'm seriouly considering migrating to linux!

..i've been reading some stuff,checking out various variants of linux!

..opensuse 10.2 impresses me,but ubuntu is more promising as a substitute to windows in pc!and is been widely supported.

..the move by dell has been a bold one!and with the successes firefox [as an open source app]is having especially in europe,this move will prove to be intelligent one!

[PanguPakavu]

	Quote:	DAR si LAMU
	..just what i wanted to hear! ..i'm seriouly considering migrating to linux! ..i've been reading some stuff,checking out various variants of linux! ..opensuse 10.2 impresses me,but ubuntu is more promising as a substitute to windows in pc!and is been widely supported. ..the move by dell has been a bold one!and with the successes firefox [as an open source app]is having especially in europe,this move will prove to be intelligent one!

not only dell are considering that..,even lenovo are following the same track..they will re-instate Linux in their think pad line,

surely UBUNTU is going to be a smart choice for you as a first time user..,with the huge support it gets on mainstream market today..,

also the governments of CHINA,JAPAN and KOREA are working on a very promising version of LINUX for use especially in Asia's governments organizations and public places like universities..,that tells that...,may be one day..,EU will follow the same track..,am not sure US will ever do that to Microsoft!!

one thing to kip in mind..,especially if u ever consider dual booting Linux with either XP,or vista..,it can be tricky..just make sure you get things right since GRUB and MBR can have a hard time co-existing if not properly set..,you can always ask for help in this.,

[PanguPakavu]

	Quote:	SteveD
	PanguPakavu, Ahsante sana kwa thread hii, hata hivyo naomba uvute subira kwani sitachangia kwa muda kidogo, ila nakuahidi nitarudi kuchangia hapa(hata baada ya wk tatu)... kwani kwa hiki ulicho kisema, ni kama 'umenichokoza' kiaina fulani hivi...thread ikipotea nitaitafuta au kumwomba admin aichimbue. Naishia hapa kwa sasa kwani matoleo ya MicroMart yangu yamesambaratika! Baadae. SteveD.

SteveD,
tutakusubiri, huku tukiendelea kubadilishana ujuzi katika hili..,make sure u review thread when u come back kwani mengi yatakuwa yameongelewa....,

waiting for u...,

[DAR si LAMU]

	Quote:	pangupakavu
	not only dell are considering that..,even lenovo are following the same track..they will re-instate Linux in their think pad line,

..i wonder what linux they'll be using!

	Quote:	pangupakavu
	surely UBUNTU is going to be a smart choice for you as a first time user..,with the huge support it gets on mainstream market today..,

..have you taken a look at sabayon?especially v3.3!

..it looks great,but you know a good support is all that matters!

	Quote:	pangupakavu
	also the governments of CHINA,JAPAN and KOREA are working on a very promising version of LINUX for use especially in Asia's governments organizations and public places like universities..,that tells that...,may be one day..,EU will follow the same track..,am not sure US will ever do that to Microsoft!!

..i wonder what ours is doing?as linux is a very good platform for institutions!

..some times ago,a germany municipality wanted to shift to linux,and they aborted,i think b'se of microsoft's lobbying!

..but a lot of organizations in europe use linux on their servers,its a matter of time before they shift completely,especially when good and powerful apps are being built on linux platform!

	Quote:	pangupakavu
	one thing to kip in mind..,especially if u ever consider dual booting Linux with either XP,or vista..,it can be tricky..just make sure you get things right since GRUB and MBR can have a hard time co-existing if not properly set..,you can always ask for help in this.,

..i've seen it's very tricky!and so i'm kind of given up on dual booting especially since i don't have a strong machine.i've read somewhere it slows the machine!and i could see it was slow!

..i'm resorting to using another machine for linux so that i can learn more and tinker a lot!

..but for sure i'll be shifting,i'm not afraid of change! i've used ubuntu and the apps[some of them]are very unique!and are coming up fast!

[DAR si LAMU]

	Quote:	pangupakavu
	SteveD, tutakusubiri, huku tukiendelea kubadilishana ujuzi katika hili..,make sure u review thread when u come back kwani mengi yatakuwa yameongelewa...., waiting for u...,

...i could like to see more ppl into this!

...steved and shy where you at?

...nadhani kuna baadhi ya sehemu hapa bongo wanatumia hii platform,invisible upo?

...itakuwa poa kama tuta-share experience!

[Steve Dii]

PanguPakavu and Dar si Lamu, ahsanteni sana kwa kuonyesha kuwa mnajali michango yetu, kama nilivyo ahidi nitarudi hapa kwenye hiyo hoja aliyo anzisha PP, pindi nitakapo kusanya yote ambayo nitayaongelea na kufocus brain yangu kwenye hardware (software pia lakini si sana kwani huko ni kibonde!). I promise when I'm specifically back later on this thread, I try and make things exciting. Thanks for your understanding and patience.

SteveD.