Author: Graham Laight
Date: 00:59:34 05/12/01
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On May 12, 2001 at 03:22:30, Frank Phillips wrote: >When my program is running on FICS under Linux and accessing the EGTBs >(performing a lot of disk activity), it seems to forget to look at the input >from the server for long periods of time, so that the opponent's clock goes >negative. When not accessing the EGTBs (or running under Windows) everything is >fine. > >(Frustrating, since I may have to move to Linux if MS decide next that your >first born is part of the licence fee for using their sotware, in interests of >the consumer and to protect freedom and democracy against the evil threat of >open source software of course.). I'm afraid I can't help you with your specific problem, but I do think that OS selection is an interesting subject. If you're planning to use a chess program that can make use of the 64 bit capabilities of non-pentium processors (e.g. Compaq Alpha), then you'll need to use a type of Unix (e.g. Tru-64 - the type of Unix we ran on Crafty at WMCCC 2000). However - I suspect that you're using a pentium based machine. For the time being, I'm putting up with Bill Gate's global hegemony, and sticking with Windows. The trouble is, Windows is a "single user, multi-tasking" OS, wheras Unix is a "multi-user, multi-tasking" OS. What's the point of having all that multi-user capability overhead, unless you're setting up a business application which many people are going to use via an X-Windows screen? Creating X-Windows applications is not something I see many people doing any more - the trend is towards browser-based applications. I think it's a tragedy that the world's great shareware OS is one which I think is inappropriate for personal computing. I think the future of personal OSs lies in the browser. When first invented, the browser was a really "thin" client. With the passage of time, browsers are becoming larger and fatter applications, as more and more capability is built into them. Also, I think that to properly manage Windows or Unix is requiring increasing amounts of what used to be called "Computer Operator" skills. Most people have never had any ambition to be a computer operator, so it makes sense to select systems that allow most of the OS operating to be done collectively for large numbers of people - and just give people a browser to use these systems. -g >Any help appreciated. > >Frank
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