Computers
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M1 Mac Update
After having the M1 Mac for a few months now, I am happy with the little machine, but some hiccups have to be overcome. Apple has fixed many of the issues that plagued the machine, like my dock disconnecting randomly, but others remain, mainly due to software issues with third parties. Some issues will never to be overcome without an update to the number of ports and the possibility to add more RAM. (more…)
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Why I am buying the new 2019 Mac Pro
My old 2009 Mac Pro has had a very long and productive life. The insides of the machine have nothing except one DVD ROM drive from the original packaging. Everything has been upgraded, from the processor to the graphics cards. The machine supports USB type C, and a host of other technologies that were not available when I bought the machine. The firmware has been upgraded to make it seem like a newer version to get a few more years out of the little beast that could. (more…)
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Upgrade to the AMD Ryzen 2700x
I have been very happy with my Ryzen build from last year where I was using the 1800x. I really did not need to upgrade, other than to take advantage of some of the improvements that AMD made in the Zen architecture. There is a slight speed difference between the two chips, which also is nice, though, I would have like to see a bigger bump in speed. The new 2700x includes a fan, but I am using water cooling, so no big deal for me. In 10 minutes I had opened the case, pulled out the old CPU,
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Programmers are the security problem
Larry Ellison of Oracle has spoken numerous times about how bad security is in the industry. However, I don’t think he acknowledged the problem; Programmers are under skilled and require guidance. Anyone can be a Java, C or C# programmer, but how good are they at their job? Unfortunately, businesses are asking the wrong questions when hiring individuals, especially granting highly coveted visas to these individuals. Sure it is easy enough to program Java, but do they know how to program an enterprise Java application? Most likely not. That’s not an issue when the management has a very talented
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AMD’s 16-core ‘Threadripper’ CPU is built for ultra-high-end PCs
I may have built a new Ryzen system, but this is very interesting, and my system may be getting a upgrade very shortly. The new Ryzen chips work great for my development work and will make some of my transcoding work even faster. Hooray for AMD, finally! Source: AMD’s 16-core ‘Threadripper’ CPU is built for ultra-high-end PCs
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I’m upgrading to Ryzen
My main server at home is running Linux that I use for compiling code, analyzing dumps, running my Plex server, running some VMWare instances, and used as a sandbox for other applications. I have been running a fairly old AMD FX 8350 8 core system with 32 GB of memory. At the time, this was one of the fastest AMD processors I could buy, and it has served me very well. Since AMD’s new Ryzen 7 was released, I’ve decided to upgrade. There is plenty of information on the web about Ryzen 7 performance against Intel Core i7 while
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Cool does not equal usefulness
Apple is not listening to its users, and is falling behind with its products being cool and useful. The new Macbook Pro is anything but a professional machine. It maybe can replace some desktops, but not all. It can certainly replace the 2013 Mac Pro, which is supposed to be the top of the line professional computer from Apple. For some reason Apple takes years to update its computers. I would love to spend another $5400 on a new Mac Pro with more modern CPUs and GPUs, but I do not have that option. (more…)
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Dongles are Apple’s new business model
I am extremely disappointed with the new Apple Macbook Pro laptops. Sure the new Touch Bar is a cool gimmick, and that is exactly what it is, but killing all the ports that pros actually use is a huge mistake. I am not even sure Apple knows what people do with their laptops. I use Apple products for work. I have Mac Pro computers at home that are powerful enough to handle running multiple VMWare Fusion virtual machines, while I am coding in Eclipse and may be editing photos in Lightroom or Photoshop. Sorry Apple but the Photos