Comment Is this a software or hardware implementation? (Score 1) 89
I suspect that it's mostly my ignorance that is to blame; but what I don't understand about implementing memory compression(especially the schemes that try to do it transparently with high speed general purpose compression/decompression in hardware) is how you compensate for the fact that the amount of memory you need is no longer predictable without significantly more effort(potentially untenably more if you are using RAM because latency is critical).
With normal uncompressed RAM it just demands RAM in direct proportion to its size. Potentially hideously wasteful if there's some memory-backed XML-spew log that would zip down to 10% of its nominal size; but predictable unless you've got memory safety bugs. If you are compressing your RAM suddenly you've got some uses of RAM that are functionally uncompressable and require 100% of the space their nominal size suggests they will; other things might compress exceptionally well and save you 90%; and some might change unpredictably from moment to moment depending on what needs to be stored there.
When you are doing FS compression and dedupe for backups and stuff that is normally manageable; on average enough compression is possible enough of the time that you can safely assume that you'll do better than you would if you just didn't try; and you can just keep an eye on how quickly the big SAN appears to be filling up as versions accumulate and (if tapes or other fixed-sized media are involved) just change the backup media more or less quickly; do you do that for RAM? Just use the big slack area for FS caching or something you can drop on short notice in case a burst of incompressible data comes in? Do you essentially have to rebuild how your entire workload handles RAM so that it considers, at least approximately, how well a given use of memory will compress ahead of time?
Given the sorts of files and data structures you commonly encounter I can easily enough believe that compression is worth the trouble a lot of the time; but unless you are leaving a lot of slack in your available RAM it seems like a situation where, under certain circumstances, you could go from being fine because most of what is in-memory compresses well to suddenly needing as much physical RAM as you do logical RAM because you have a bunch of already-compressed or incompressible data would markedly increase the complexity or potential for things to go wrong.
Comment Translator (Score 3, Insightful) 50
I ran this through the translator. "Having a dedicated home with Prime Video allows us to build on that legacy with unprecedented global reach and a broader commitment to the Television Academy and our mission throughout the year."
It came out "Jeff offered more money."
Comment Re:Wake me when they actually shift (Score 1) 90
The difference is that if you pay people to monkey around with things, you get a non-revocable perpetual license to the result. With license rental, you get a perpetual bill. It's the same rent trap as individuals get stuck in but with less excuses.
Comment Re:There are still VMWare customers? (Score 1) 90
For some customers, they looked at the resources needed to migrate, and decided it was cheaper to stay put and/or invest the resources that would be needed elsewhere in their business.
Yes, and the reason is that they stupidly painted themselves into a corner and never thought about an exit strategy. Had they been thinking about the possibility that they might one day need to migrate from the beginning, it would be much cheaper to do so now.
That's the thing about painting yourself into a corner, a little better planning at the start can always avoid it with little to no additional effort.
Comment Re:AI Argression is Not A Vulnerability (Score 1) 14
AI is doing exactly what it was designed to do: gather money and information at any cost.
that's cool, but wtf does that have to do with this post? did you just read the word "AI" and jump to the comments to share your deep wisdom?
Comment This should surprise nobody (Score 1) 86
I've said it before, but I'll say it again for those who arrived lete: If you give an AI agency of any kind, imagine everything you ask of it to be appended with "by any means necessary", because that' how it will interpret it. Slander, doxxing, and murder will definitely NOT be off the table even if you explicitly forbid them. That's the problem.
Comment Re:Laws of physics (Score 1) 17
Honestly it should be called string toolbag. It contains some math that might (or might not) one day be useful in constructing a theory but it honestly has never actually been predictive enough to call it a theory.
Comment Re:Same old song and dance (Score 1) 90
A little of each. Banks in the U.S. actually maximized inconvenience by being closed any time most people actually had a decent opportunity to go to the bank, but it worked out somehow.
Comment Re:Laws of physics (Score 1) 17
We already have string theory for that:-)
Comment Re:Why did the soup make atoms ? (Score 1) 17
While the line of reasoning is sound, it's more or less a non-theory of exclusion.
Comment Re:We already tried it (Score 1) 90
I was in the 2nd grade when that happened. From my perspective, it was a great novelty and meant we got to take (mostly unnecessary) flashlights to school that we used in the morning walking to our bus stop. It was a hit with the kids I knew. We were disappointed that the "experiment" was stopped.
Meanwhile, in the northern-most states, the kids go to school in the dark now part of the year.
Comment Re:Same old song and dance (Score 1) 90
U.S. Banks have managed OK opening after "business hours" start and closing before they end for pretty much the history of the U.S.
Comment Re:Crazy idea here... (Score 1) 90
Even a few places where it doesn't actually rise in June because it didn't set in the first place and won't for another month or so.
Comment Re:None (Score 1) 90
This is all about getting us to have warm fuzzy feelings for our Flock protectors. Probably so we are willing to report the vile criminals who vandalize them to steal the valuable metals and precious SSD, HDD and memory components inside.