26-bit computing

In computer architecture, 26-bit integers, memory addresses, or other data units are those that are 26 bits wide, and thus can represent values up to 64 mega (base 2). Two examples of computer processors that featured 26-bit memory addressing are certain second generation IBM System/370 mainframe computer models introduced in 1981 (and several subsequent models), which had 26-bit physical addresses but had only the same 24-bit virtual addresses as earlier models, and the first generations of ARM processors.
History.
IBM System/370.
As data processing needs continued to grow, IBM and their customers faced challenges directly addressing larger memory sizes. In what ended up being a short-term "emergency" solution, a pair of IBM's second wave of System/370 models, the 3033 and 3081, introduced 26-bit real memory addressing, increasing the System/370's amount of physical memory that could be attached by a factor of 4 from the previous 24-bit limit of 16 MB. IBM referred to 26-bit addressing as "extended real addressing," and some subsequent models also included 26-bit support. However, only 2 years later, IBM introduced 31-bit memory addressing, expanding both physical and virtual addresses to 31 bits, with its System/370-XA models, and even the popular 3081 was upgradeable to XA standard.
Given 26-bit's brief history as the state-of-the-art in memory addressing available in IBM's model range, and given that virtual addresses were still limited to 24 bits, software exploitation of 26-bit mode was limited. The few customers that exploited 26-bit mode eventually adjusted their applications to support 31-bit addressing, and IBM dropped support for 26-bit mode after several years producing models supporting 24-bit, 26-bit, and 31-bit modes. The 26-bit mode is the only addressing mode that IBM removed from its line of mainframe computers descended from the System/360. All the other addressing modes, including now 64-bit mode, are supported in current model mainframes.
Early ARM processors.
In the ARM processor architecture, 26-bit refers to the design used in the original ARM processors where the Program Counter (PC) and Processor Status Register (PSR) were combined into one 32-bit register (R15), the status flags filling the high 6 bits and the Program Counter taking up the lower 26 bits.
In fact, because the program counter is always word-aligned the lowest two bits are always zero which allowed the designers to reuse these two bits to hold the processor's mode bits too. The four modes allowed were USR26, SVC26, IRQ26, FIQ26; contrast this with the 32 possible modes available when the program status was separated from the program counter in more recent ARM architectures.
This design enabled more efficient program execution, as the Program Counter and status flags could be saved and restored with a single operation. This resulted in faster subroutine calls and interrupt response than traditional designs, which would have to do two register loads or saves when calling or returning from a subroutine.
Despite having a 32-bit ALU and word-length, processors based on ARM architecture version 1 and 2 had only a 26-bit PC and address bus, and were consequently limited to 64 MiB of addressable memory. This was still a vast amount of memory at the time, but because of this limitation, architectures since have included various steps away from the original 26-bit design.
The ARM architecture version 3 introduced a 32-bit PC and separate PSR, as well as a 32-bit address bus, allowing 4 GiB of memory to be addressed. The change in the PC/PSR layout caused incompatibility with code written for previous architectures, so the processor also included a 26-bit compatibility mode which used the old PC/PSR combination. The processor could still address 4 GB in this mode, but could not execute anything above address 0x3FFFFFC (64 MB). This mode was used by RISC OS running on the Acorn Risc PC to utilise the new processors while retaining compatibility with existing software.
ARM architecture version 4 made the support of the 26-bit addressing modes optional, and ARM architecture version 5 onwards has removed them entirely.


Boot flag

A boot flag is a 1-byte value in a non-extended partition record, within a master boot record. It appears at the beginning of a partition record, as the value 0x80. A value of 0x00 indicates the partition does not have the boot flag set. Any other value is invalid.
Its primary function is to indicate to a MS-DOS/MS Windows-type boot loader which partition to boot. In some cases it is used by Windows XP/2000 to assign the active partition the letter "C:". The active partition is the partition where the boot flag is set. DOS and Windows allow only one boot partition to be set with the boot flag.
Other boot loaders used by third-party boot managers (such as GRUB or XOSL) can be installed to a master boot record and can boot primary or extended partitions, which do not have the boot flag set.
There are many disk editors that can modify the boot flag, such as Disk Management in Windows and fdisk.
Some buggy BIOSes test if the boot flag of at least one partition is set, otherwise they ignore the device in boot-order. Therefore, even if the bootloader does not need the flag, it has to be set to start the boot code from BIOS.


Nokia N76

The Nokia N76 is a multimedia 3G Smartphone made by Nokia. It was introduced at the Las Vegas CES 2007 in January 2007 and was launched on 5 May 2007 with a sales price of 390 EUR. It is advertised as "The computer done beautifully" and as a "multimedia computer". It is also the slimmest Nseries phone to date, following many trends such as mirrored exterior screen and Motorola RAZR metal keypad. Hardware-wise the N76 bases off a platform by Freescale, being a first of kind in the family of “cheap” 3G smartphones. In fact the difference between the OMAP2420 and this Freescale CPU, is the lack of a graphics accelerator.
The phone was originally released without stereo bluetooth, but a later firmware update v30.0.015 adds A2DP and AVRCP bluetooth profiles. There are also numerous stability improvements and bug fixes as well as new features including the inclusion of Nokia Maps and a new search feature in active standby.
The N76 is among the more rarer Nokia devices and they go for relatively high prices in the second hand market.


Tiny Core Linux

Tiny Core Linux (TCL) is a minimal Linux kernel based operating system focusing on providing a base system using BusyBox and FLTK. It was developed by Robert Shingledecker, who was previously the lead developer of Damn Small Linux. The distribution is notable for its small size (11 to 16 MB) and minimalism; additional functions are provided by extensions. Tiny Core Linux is free and open source software and is licensed under the GNU General Public License version 2.
Types of "Cores".

"Tiny Core" (16 MB) is the recommended option for new users who have a wired network connection. It includes the base Core system and a dynamic FLTK/FLWM graphical user interface.
"Core" (11 MB) (also known as "Micro Core Linux") is a smaller variant of Tiny Core without a graphical desktop, though additional extensions can be added to create a system with a graphical desktop environment.
"dCore" (12 MB) is a core made from Debian or Ubuntu compatible files that uses import and the SCE package format, a self-contained package format for the Tiny Core distribution since 5.x series.
"CorePure64" is a notable port of "Core" to the x86_64 architecture.
"Core Plus" (106 MB) is "an installation image and not the distribution". It is composed of Tiny Core with additional functionality, most notably wireless support and non-US keyboard support.
"piCore" is the Raspberry Pi port of "Core".
System requirements.
Minimal configuration:
Tiny Core needs at least 46 MB of RAM in order to run, and Core requires at least 28 MB of RAM. The minimum CPU is an i486DX.
Recommended configuration:
A Pentium II CPU and 128 MB of RAM are recommended for Tiny Core.
Design philosophy.
The developers describe TCL as "a nomadic ultra small graphical desktop operating system capable of booting from cdrom, pendrive, or frugally from a hard drive." As of version 2.8.1, the core is designed to run primarily in RAM but with three distinct modes of operation:


NASCAR 99

NASCAR '99 is a racing simulator video game developed and published by EA Sports and co-developed by Stormfront Studios. It was released for Nintendo 64 on September 11, 1998, and for the PlayStation on September 29. NASCAR '99 was the second game in the EA Sports NASCAR series of video games.
Features.
"NASCAR '99" is the second game relating in EA Sports NASCAR series of video games. The game features thirty-one of the drivers from the 1998 Winston Cup Series season and six legendary drivers. The game also includes seventeen different NASCAR race tracks, including Atlanta Motor Speedway, Sears Point, and Michigan International Speedway. Furthermore, the game includes instructions from a crew chief, such as when to make a pit stop or when cars are around the player.
Reception.
"Next Generation" reviewed the PlayStation version of the game, rating it four stars out of five, and stated that "in the end, "NASCAR 99" isn't going to win any converts from "GT", but it is sure to please those looking for a good stock car challenge. While not a huge improvement over "NASCAR 98", it is a better game, and makes it a worthy upgrade if only for the Dual Shock support".
"NASCAR '99" received mixed reviews upon its release. The game was praised for its authenticity, although critics felt that the graphics and sound effects were not improved from the previous game, "NASCAR '98". Also, critics stated that the player would become "tired" of the game if they were a "racing-game fan".


PlayStation 2 models

There were many revisions of the PlayStation 2 (PS2) in its history from 2000 to 2013, some only of internal construction and others involving substantial external changes. These are colloquially known among PS2 hardware hackers as V0, V1, V2, ..., V18. Each region receives a different model number; for example, the V18 was released in North America as SCPH-90001, in Australia as SCPH-90002, and in Hong Kong as SCPH-90006. The final digit is a region code with no bearing on the hardware; many games and DVDs are restricted to certain regions, and the system software displays in different languages.
The PS2 is primarily differentiated between models with the original "fat" case design and "slimline" models introduced at the end of 2004. In 2010, a television incorporating a PS2 was introduced.
Original case design.
Three of the original PS2 launch models (SCPH-10000, SCPH-15000, and SCPH-18000) were only sold in Japan and lacked the expansion bay of later PS2 models. These models instead included a PCMCIA slot. SCPH-10000 and SCPH-15000 did not have built-in DVD movie playback and instead relied on encrypted playback software that was copied to a memory card from an included CD-ROM (normally, the PS2 will only execute encrypted software from its memory card; see PS2 Independence Exploit). V3 had a substantially different internal structure from the subsequent revisions, featuring several interconnected printed circuit boards. In V4, everything except the power supply was unified onto one board. V5 introduced minor internal changes, and the only difference between V6 (sometimes called V5.1) and V5 is the orientation of the Power/Reset switch board connector, which was reversed to prevent the use of no-solder modchips. V5 also introduced a more reliable laser than the ones used in previous models. V7 and V8 included only minor revisions to V6.
There was also the SCPH-3000x, 3500x, 3900x, and 500xx models.
Beginning with model SCPH-500xx, the i.LINK port was removed. An infrared receiver was added for use with a remote to control DVD playback, leaving both controller ports free from the external receiver.
The PS2 standard color is matte black. Several different variations in color were produced in different quantities and regions, including ceramic white, light yellow, metallic blue (aqua), metallic silver, navy (star blue), opaque blue (astral blue), opaque black (midnight black), pearl white, Sakura purple, satin gold, satin silver, snow white, super red, transparent blue (ocean blue), and also Limited Edition color Pink, which was distributed in regions including Oceania and parts of Asia.
The small PlayStation logo on the front of the disc tray could be rotated 90 degrees, in order for the logo to be the right way up in both vertical and horizontal console orientations. This feature is also used on slimline consoles and the PlayStation 3. The original models were discontinued in 2004, as Sony ended production to clear existing inventory and prepare for the release of the slimline model.
Slimline case designs.
In September 2004, Sony unveiled its third major hardware revision (V12, model number SCPH-700xx). Available in late October 2004, it is smaller, thinner, and quieter than the older versions and includes a built-in Ethernet port (in some markets it also has an integrated modem). Due to its thinner profile, it does not contain the 3.5" expansion bay and therefore does not support the internal hard disk drive. It also lacks an internal power supply, similar to the GameCube, and has a modified Multitap expansion. The removal of the expansion bay has been criticized as a limitation due to the existence of titles such as "Final Fantasy XI", which require the use of the HDD.
The official PS2 Linux also requires an expansion bay to function. Currently only the modified Multitap is sold in stores; however, these are also compatible with the older versions, and also added support for multiple memory cards on some games. Third-party connectors can be soldered into the unit giving hard drive support due to still containing some of the necessary I/O controllers and firmware, but the process is involved, requiring the user to solder 39 IDE pinouts directly to the board. Two special aftermarket kit were created to make this mod easier for the consumer. The first was the "HD Connect" which was simply a board that sat attached to the back of the console, with communication wires taped to the PS2 through its air vents and drive power through one of its 5 V USB headers. The second, more expensive option, was the "HD Combo": it included a replacement case with room for a hard drive. Certain modchips enable the use of a USB hard drive or other mass storage device.
There are two sub-versions of the SCPH-700xx, one with the old Emotion Engine (EE) and Graphics Synthesizer (GS) chips, and the other with the newer unified EE+GS chip, but otherwise are identical. The sub-versions are variously referred to as V12 for both models, V11.5 for the older and V12 for the newer model, and V12 for the older and V13 for the newer model. The V12 model was first released in black, but a silver edition was available in the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, United Arab Emirates and other GCC countries, France, Italy, South Africa, and North America. A limited edition pink console also became available after March 2007.
V12 (or V13) was succeeded by V14 (SCPH-7500x), which contains different ASICs than previous revisions, with some chips having a copyright date of 2005, compared to 2000 or 2001 for earlier models. It also has a different lens and some compatibility issues with a different number of PlayStation games and even some PS2 games. An addon to add HDD support to newer 7500x and onward models called the "HDPro" was created but had limited success.
In the beginning of 2005, it was found that some black slimline console power transformers manufactured between August and December 2004 were defective and could overheat. The units were recalled by Sony and replaced by a 2005 model.
Later hardware revisions had better compatibility with PlayStation games ("Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions" operates on most silver models); however, the new Japanese slim models have more issues with playing PlayStation games than the first PS2 revisions.
In 2006, Sony released new hardware revisions (V15, model numbers SCPH-7700xa and SCPH-7700xb). V15 was first released in Japan on September 15, 2006, including the Silver edition. After its release in Japan, it was then released in North America, Europe and other parts of the world. The new revision uses an integrated, unified EE+GS chip, a redesigned ASIC, a different laser lens, an updated BIOS, and updated drivers.
In July 2007, Sony started shipping a revision of the slimline PlayStation 2 (SCPH-7900x) featuring a reduced weight of 600 grams compared to 900 g of the SCPH-7700x, achieved through a reduction in parts. The unit also uses a smaller motherboard as well as a custom ASIC which houses the EE, GS, and the RDRAM. The AC adaptor's weight was reduced to 250 g from the previous 350 g.
Another refinement of the slimline PlayStation 2 (SCPH-9000x) was released in Japan on November 22, 2007. As well as some cosmetic changes, the design of the hardware was overhauled, incorporating the power supply into the console itself like the original (fat) PlayStation 2 revisions; this also increases the total weight to . On SCPH-9000x series consoles manufactured after the third quarter of 2008 as the last revision of the PlayStation 2, some changes were made (indicated by date code 8C) to incorporate a revised BIOS, which disables an exploit present in all older models that allowed homebrew applications to be launched from a memory card.
PSX.
Sony also manufactured a consumer device called the PSX that can be used as a digital video recorder and DVD burner in addition to playing PS2 games. The device was released in Japan on December 13, 2003, and was the first Sony product to include the XrossMediaBar interface. It did not sell well in Japan, and was not released anywhere else.
The PSX featured one USB port, a Memory Stick card reader and two PlayStation 2 Memory Card slots.
Sony BRAVIA KDL22PX300.
Released in 2010, the Sony BRAVIA KDL22PX300 is a 22-inch (56 cm) 720p television that incorporates a PlayStation 2 console and four HDMI ports. The 720p TV also includes BRAVIA Internet Video Access, allowing users access to streaming services such as YouTube and on-demand television. It was only released in Europe and could only play PAL games. Although the maximum resolution is 720p/1366×768, 1080p input sources can be used and displayed.


Blaster Master 2

Blaster Master 2 is a video game developed by Software Creations and published exclusively in North America by Sunsoft of America for the Sega Genesis on March 15, 1993. The game is a sequel to the original "Blaster Master" originally published for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). It was published specifically for the North American market following the success of the first NES game in the same region. The staff of the original Japanese version of "Blaster Master", titled "Chô Wakusei Senki Metafight", had nothing to do with "Blaster Master 2", and Sunsoft Japan did not release BM2 in Japan.
Plot.
The game takes place four years after Jason's Encounter with the Plutonium Boss and the radioactive mutants under the Earth. His only reminder of the incident is S.O.P.H.I.A., the vehicle he used to stop them, which he has hidden in an abandoned barn. One day, one bolt of lightning struck the house and caused the ceiling to crumble, knocking Jason unconscious. When Jason woke up, S.O.P.H.I.A. was in pieces and the parts he had collected from his first dealings with the Mutant Bosses were missing. Little does Jason know that there are more lightning beings where the first one came from and they are planning to destroy the Earth. The beings started digging towards the Earth's core in order to shift the planet's weight off its axis, leading to total annihilation. The parts from SOPHIA are being used to create a robotic army to assist the being in accomplishing their mission. Now, Jason must stop them, but he won't make it without the help of SOPHIA. Since he can't recover the parts, he decided to redesign it to better prepare himself for the ordeal facing him. After 29 days, SOPHIA was completely rebuilt and ready for battle. Remembering where he saw the being's footsteps, Jason jumped in his vehicle and headed towards the mountains where the challenge begins.
Characters.
Jason Frudnick - He is the protagonist throughout the "Blaster Master" series. He is the character that accidentally discovered SOPHIA while trying to retrieve his pet frog Fred. In "Blaster Master 2", Jason is young (age 19) and couldn't have been more prepared for battle. His job is to eliminate the Plutonium Boss once and for all. Jason's equipment is fairly simple in "Blaster Master 2". He is wearing body armor that has moderate protection from heat and impact. Jason also comes with his usual blast cannon that is equipped onto his left arm brace. It does not overheat, and has unlimited energy. In "Blaster Master 2", Jason is mostly seen inside SOPHIA's canopy, but can easily hop out at any time in the game when in the sidescroll view. Jason does not take impact from falling too well in BM2, but when in the "Jason view" he does not take damage from falling impact. Jason is more easily seen in detail when challenging a boss or even an underboss. He is approximately ten times larger in this view.
S.O.P.H.I.A. (sometimes referred to as SOPHIA) - The robotic, combat tank-like vehicle used throughout the "Blaster Master" series. SOPHIA comes in many different models, and the one that is seen in "Blaster Master 2" is SOPHIA 4th (2000). The model has been rebuilt by Jason and has many new and helpful features from the previous models of SOPHIA (SOPHIA Nora MA-01, SOPHIA Nora MA-02).
Gameplay.
Under the development team of Software Creations and the marketing team at Sunsoft of America, several things were altered in the new "Blaster Master 2" game, such as the name of the vehicle (now "S.O.P.H.I.A."), as well as significantly expanded gameplay. There are now 8 levels to play through, and each level containing a power-up or new obtainable weapon in which Jason or SOPHIA can use throughout the game. The platform-jumping characteristics that made the original NES game so popular among fans were preserved, while other viewpoints provided an additional level of gameplay unique to BM2 alone. There were now three ways to play: sidescroll view (S.O.P.H.I.A. and Jason), overhead view (S.O.P.H.I.A.), and Jason running through rooms (with a large view, and a small view with Jason running through certain parts of the stages).
Sidescroll view.
In the sidescroll view, players battled through levels just like in "Blaster Master", except in 16-bit graphics. Jason could get powerups such as homing missile, three-way missiles, bubble shield, and lightning spread.
Overhead view.
In the overhead view, S.O.P.H.I.A. can not use upgrades, but instead could rotate the turret 360 degrees while the player runs through obstacles and gunfire. S.O.P.H.I.A. rotates her turret differently than when in the sidescroll view. A tap of the B and C buttons on the Genesis controller will rotate left and right.
Jason view.
During the course of the game, Jason could enter several rooms, one of which may contain a mini-boss (such as a giant bee or worm) that he must fight in order to gain a powerup or key that will let him enter the next stage. Sometimes these mini-bosses will give Jason or S.O.P.H.I.A. a powerup that enhances their abilities. For example, Jason can get a jetpack, or missile launcher. S.O.P.H.I.A. can get a hover module, or a drill that can break through stone.
Reviews.
"Electronic Gaming Monthly" scored the game 7 out of 10. Their four reviewers were divided about the game; one hailed it as having "better graphics, better sounds, and better play" than the original "Blaster Master", one expressed disappointment over the removal of some of the original's power-ups but judged it an overall solid sequel, and the remaining two felt the game to be merely average.


COMMAND.DOS


SiS 6326

The SiS 6326 was a graphics processing unit (GPU) manufactured by Silicon Integrated Systems. It was introduced in June 1997 and became available to the consumer market in the end of that year. Although its performance was low compared to the GPUs of its age, eventually it became very successful, specially integrated in many motherboards designed to the corporate market, where the low cost is prioritized over 3D performance. SiS shipped over seven million units of the SiS 6326 in 1998.
Architecture.
The SiS was available as a discrete card, with an AGP 2x or PCI bus, and as an integrated GPU. It had a 64-bit 2D/3D graphics accelerator, a DVD decoder, a TV decoder. It was available with 4 MB or 8 MB of memory.
Performance.
Since the model aimed for low cost over high performance, its capabilities were low compared to contemporary products. According to a test conducted by Tom's Hardware on January 21, 1998, it possessed roughly a third of the performance of an NVidia RIVA 128 or 40% less than an ATI Rage Pro in terms of frames per second in Direct3D benchmarks, and simply could not play Quake 2 due to its lack of OpenGL support. Yet the same article says that even the "slow and unknown graphic chip" could still produce "quite nice image quality".
A beta driver codenamed Java was released as late as 1999, being the only version with an OpenGL ICD included, which finally allowed it to run some OpenGL applications such as GLQuake, "Quake 2" and GLexcess. it still crashes in "Quake 3" though, due to its incomplete 3D features.
The SiS 6326 was even capable of running relatively newer 3D applications such as 3DMark2001/2001, with no significant image flaws to be found despite its abysmal speed.
Linux support.
There is little support for Linux aside from the drivers developed independently by Thomas Winischhofer. Since the driver does not support OpenGL, not even the Windows one provided by SiS, it only allows for 2D acceleration. There is also an experimental FrameBuffer driver developed by Sergio Costas, currently unsupported, available only for 2.4 kernels and without any kind of hardware acceleration. This driver was not ported to 2.6 because the native VesaFB driver available offered the same capabilities.
Variants and immediate successors.
In 1998, DVD/Macro-Vision and then AGP variants of the SiS6326 were released. Later that year, northbridge chipsets with integrated GPUs were released: SiS530 for Socket 7, and SiS620 for socket 370. It was in April 1999 that the SiS6326 was made officially obsolete by the SiS 300.


PowerNow!

AMD PowerNow! is AMD's dynamic frequency scaling and power saving technology for laptop processors. The CPU's clock speed and VCore are automatically decreased when the computer is under low load or idle, to save battery power, reduce heat and noise. The lifetime of the CPU is also extended because of reduced electromigration, which varies exponentially with temperature.
The technology is a concept similar to Intel's SpeedStep technology. The adaptation of PowerNow! for AMD's desktop CPUs is called Cool'n'Quiet. Newer Opterons also use an adaptation of PowerNow! called "Optimized Power Management."
AMD has supplied and supported drivers for its PowerNow! technology that work on Windows 98, ME, NT, and 2000.
See also.
Power Saving Technologies:
Performance Boosting Technologies:


DIR.COM


COMMAND


DELLRMK.BIN


IBM BladeCenter

The IBM BladeCenter was IBM's blade server architecture, until it was replaced by Flex System in 2012. The x86 division was later sold to Lenovo in 2014.
History.
Introduced in 2002, based on engineering work started in 1999, the IBM eServer BladeCenter was relatively late to the blade server market. It differed from prior offerings in that it offered a range of x86 Intel server processors and input/output (I/O) options.
The naming was changed to IBM BladeCenter in 2005. In February 2006, IBM introduced the BladeCenter H with switch capabilities for 10 Gigabit Ethernet and InfiniBand 4X.
A web site called Blade.org was available for the blade computing community through about 2009.
In 2012 the replacement Flex System was introduced.
Enclosures.
IBM BladeCenter (E).
The original IBM BladeCenter was later marketed as BladeCenter E. Power supplies have been upgraded through the life of the chassis from the original 1200 to 1400, 1800, 2000 and 2320 watt.
The BladeCenter (E) was co-developed by IBM and Intel and included:
IBM BladeCenter T.
BladeCenter T is the telecommunications company version of the original BladeCenter, available with either AC or DC (48 V) power. Has 8 blade slots in 8U, but uses the same switches and blades as the regular BladeCenter E. To keep NEBS Level 3 / ETSI compliant special Network Equipment-Building System (NEBS) compliant blades are available.
IBM BladeCenter H.
Upgraded BladeCenter design with high-speed fabric options, announced in 2006. Backwards compatible with older BladeCenter switches and blades. Features:
IBM BladeCenter HT.
BladeCenter HT is the telecommunications company version of the BladeCenter H, available with either AC or DC (48 V) power. Has 12 blade slots in 12U, but uses the same switches and blades as the regular BladeCenter H. But to keep NEBS Level 3 / ETSI compliant special NEBS compliant blades are available.
IBM BladeCenter S.
Targets mid-sized customers by offering storage inside the BladeCenter chassis, so no separate external storage needs to be purchased. It can also use 110 V power in the North American market, so it can be used outside the datacenter. When running at 120 V , the total chassis capacity is reduced. Features:
Intel based.
Modules based on x86 processors from Intel.
HS12.
(2008) Features:
HS20.
(2002–6) Features:
HS21.
(2007–8) This model can use the High-speed IO option of the BladeCenter H, but is backwards compatible with the regular BladeCenter. Features:
HS21 XM.
(2007–8) This model can use the High-speed IO option of the BladeCenter H, but is backwards compatible with the regular BladeCenter. Features:
HS22.
(2009–11) Features:
HS22v.
(2010–11) Features are very similar to HS22 but:
HS23.
(2012) Features:
HS23E.
(2012) Features:
HS40.
(2004) Features:
HC10.
(2008) This blade model is targeted to the workstation market, Features:
HX5.
(2010–11) This blade model is targeted at the server virtualization market. Features:
AMD based.
Modules based on x86 processors from AMD.
LS20.
(2005-6) Features:
LS21.
(2006) This model can use the high-speed I/O of the BladeCenter H, but is also backwards compatible with the regular BladeCenter. Features:
LS22.
(2008) Upgraded model of LS21. Features:
LS41.
(2006–7) This model can use the High-speed IO option of the BladeCenter H, but is backwards compatible with the regular BladeCenter. Features:
LS42.
(2008–9) Upgraded model of LS41. Features:
Power based.
Modules based on PowerPC- or Power ISA-based processors from IBM.
JS20.
(2006) Features:
JS21.
(2006) This model can have the High-speed IO option of the BladeCenter H, but is backwards compatible with the regular BladeCenter. Features:
JS22.
(2009) Features:
JS23.
(2009) Features:
JS43 Express.
Features:
JS12 Express.
Features:
PS700.
Branded as part of IBM Power Systems. Features:
PS701.
Features are very similar to PS700, but
PS702.
Think two PS701 tied together back-to-back, forming a double-wide blade
PS703.
Features are very similar to PS701, but
PS704.
Think two PS703 tied together back-to-back, forming a double-wide blade.
Cell based.
Modules based on Cell processors from IBM.
QS20.
Features:
QS21.
Features:
QS22.
Features:
UltraSPARC based: 2BC.
Themis computer announced a blade around 2008.
It ran the Sun Solaris operating system from Sun Microsystems.
Each module had one UltraSPARC T2 with 64 threads at 1.2  GHz and up to 32 GB of DDR2 SDRAM processor memory.
Advanced network: PN41.
Developed in conjunction with CloudShield, features:
Modules.
Switch modules.
The BladeCenter can have a total of four switch modules, but two of the switch module bays can take only an Ethernet switch or Ethernet pass-though. To use the other switch module bays, a daughtercard needs to be installed on each blade that needs it, to provide the required SAN, Ethernet, InfiniBand or Myrinet function. Mixing of different type daughtercards in the same BladeCenter chassis is not allowed.
Gigabit Ethernet.
Gigabit Ethernet switch modules were produced by IBM, Nortel, and Cisco Systems.
BLADE Network Technologies produced some switches, and later was purchased by IBM.
In all cases speed internal to the BladeCenter, between the blades, is non-blocking. External Gigabit Ethernet ports vary from four to six and can be either copper or optical fiber.
Storage Area Network.
A variety of SAN switch modules have been produced by QLogic, Cisco, McData (acquired by Brocade) and Brocade ranging in speeds of 1, 2, 4 and 8 Gbit Fibre Channel. Speed from the SAN switch to the blade is determined by the lowest-common-denominator between the blade HBA daughtercard and the SAN switch. External port counts vary from two to six, depending on the switch module.
InfiniBand.
A InfiniBand switch module has been produced by Cisco. Speed from the blade InfiniBand daughtercard to the switch is limited to IB 1X (2.5 Gbit). Externally the switch has one IB 4X and one IB 12X port. The IB 12X port can be split to three IB 4X ports, giving a total of four IB 4X ports and a total theoretical external bandwidth of 40 Gbit.
Pass-through.
Two kinds of pass-through module are available: copper pass-through and fibre pass-through. The copper pass-through can be used only with Ethernet, while the Fibre pass-through can be used for Ethernet, SAN or Myrinet.
Bridge.
Bridge modules are only compatible with BladeCenter H and BladeCenter HT. They function like Ethernet or SAN switches and bridge the traffic to InfiniBand. The advantage is that from the Operating System on the blade everything seems normal (regular Ethernet or SAN connectivity), but inside the BladeCenter everything gets routed over the InfiniBand.
High-speed switch modules.
High-speed switch modules are compatible only with the BladeCenter H and BladeCenter HT. A blade that needs the function must have a high-speed daughtercard installed. Different high-speed daughtercards cannot be mixed in the same BladeCenter chassis.
10 Gigabit Ethernet.
A 10 Gigabit Ethernet switch module was available from BLADE Network Technologies. This allowed 10 Gbit/s connection to each blade, and to outside the BladeCenter.
InfiniBand 4X.
There are several InfiniBand options:
Roadrunner TriBlade (custom module).
The IBM Roadrunner supercomputer used a custom module called the TriBlade from 2008 through 2013. An expansion blade connects two QS22 modules with 8 GB RAM each via 4 PCIe x8 links to a LS21 module with 16 GB RAM, two links for each QS22. It also provides outside connectivity via an Infiniband 4x DDR adapter. This makes a total width of four slots for a single TriBlade. Three TriBlades fit into one BladeCenter H chassis.


Scroll Lock

Scroll Lock (⤓ or ⇳) is a lock key (typically with an associated status light) on most IBM-compatible computer keyboards.
Depending on the operating system, it may be used for different purposes and applications may assign functions to the key or change their behavior depending on its toggling state.
The key is not frequently used, and therefore some reduced or specialized keyboards lack altogether.
Pressing performs the same function as pressing . This behavior is a remnant of the original IBM PC keyboards, which did not have a dedicated key. Instead, they assigned the Pause function to and the Break function to .
Function.
Window scrolling.
The key was meant to lock all scrolling techniques, and is a vestige of the original IBM PC keyboard. In the original design, was intended to modify the behavior of the arrow keys. When the mode was on, the arrow keys would scroll the contents of a text window instead of moving the cursor. In this usage, is a toggling lock key like Num Lock or Caps Lock, which have a state that persists after the key is released.
Today, this particular use of is rare. Modern programs honoring this behavior include IBM Lotus Notes, Forté Agent, Image-Line FL Studio, Renoise, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Project, LibreOffice Calc, and on occasions Microsoft Word.
Some text editors (such as Notepad++, Microsoft Visual Studio) exhibit similar behavior when the arrow keys are used with pressed.
Most GUI environments neglect , which means scrolling must be accomplished with a mouse, using means such as scrollbars or scroll wheels. Often, the middle or the wheel mouse button works as a toggle determining if mouse movements will move the mouse cursor or scroll the contents in scroll window.
Some web browsers including Firefox and Internet Explorer support a Caret browsing mode which can be toggled by . While the window scrolling behaviour with Caret navigation disabled (the default) is similar to that suggested for Scroll Lock, enabling Caret navigation will enable a cursor scrolling behaviour as if Scroll Lock were disabled.
Console scrolling.
Pressing the key in the Linux console while text is scrolling through the screen freezes the console output (but not input) during which no further text is sent to the screen, while the program continues running as usual. When is pressed again, the screen is unfrozen and all text generated during the freeze is displayed at once. This allows the user to pause the display and read long messages that scroll through the screen too quickly to read, such as for example when the system is booting up (provided the keyboard driver has already been loaded). If not configured otherwise, and can be used instead of Scroll Lock in any terminal in Linux to freeze and unfreeze the terminal output respectively.
This behaviour emulates the Hold Screen key or similar flow control mechanisms on computer terminals.
The behaviour must be distinguished from pressing the Pause key during POST or under DOS, which, by default, has the effect of temporarily halting the running process.
On the FreeBSD system console, the key additionally enables scrolling: after pressing Scroll Lock, one can use and to scroll up or down. Pressing Scroll Lock again disables this mode and moves back to the bottom of the output. The Linux console implements this behaviour by using and , not requiring to be active.
Boot diagnostics.
In Multiuser DOS, System Manager, and REAL/32, activating during boot will always enter a special diagnostic mode, where the operating system and loaded device drivers will display detailed status and debugging information about themselves and their interaction with the operating system, sometimes up to several screenfuls per loaded driver. Automatic scrolling is suspended for as long as remains activated.
DR-DOS 7.02 and higher provides a CONFIG.SYS directive named codice_1 to change the Scroll Lock status on the fly.
Activating during boot will enter a DIAG mode as well, wherein some special drivers may display more verbose messages, but in contrast to the situation under the Multiuser DOS family normal DOS drivers do not typically display additional information. The operating system, however, will temporarily suspend any automatic timeouts (codice_2) in CONFIG.SYS trace (codice_3) and / single-stepping modes for as long as is active.
Debugging.
In the Microsoft Windows NT family starting with Windows 2000, a debugging feature can be enabled, that allows the user to manually crash the system, generating a memory dump for analysis of the current state of the operating system. This can be accomplished by setting the REG_DWORD registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\i8042prt\Parameters\CrashOnCtrlScroll to 1. Once set, the user can hold the key and tap the key twice to trigger a Blue Screen of Death.
In Microsoft Visual Basic 5.0 and 6.0, pauses the running program in the integrated development environment, as does its alias .
Copy and paste.
In conjunction with the alternative DOS keyboard and console drivers FreeKEYB and K3PLUS, also served as part of a copy & paste facility between applications. Compared to the standard keyboard driver KEYB these drivers offered a number of extensions including an extended keystroke buffer with key stacking facility, macro recorder and a second cursor called CopyCursor, which could be invoked on demand (by default on pressing or the middle mouse button) and freely moved on the screen using the cursor keys or the mouse, even outside the area reachable by the standard cursor in the running application. Once invoked, pressing (or the left mouse button) the characters under the CopyCursor could be stuffed, one after another, into the keyboard buffer, from where they would be read by the running application as emulated key (or Alt Numpad) input, thereby typically showing up at the location of the standard cursor. The CopyCursor would move to the next screen position after each (or backwards with each ). Normal keyboard input was still possible while the CopyCursor was enabled, and the user could switch between the two cursors by toggling the hotkey again. Pressing or would exit the CopyCursor, so that, on its next invocation, it would show up at the position of the standard cursor again rather than at its previous location. If the screen contents was scrolled, the position of the CopyCursor would move accordingly until reaching the display limits. With activated, keypresses would still reach the normal keystroke buffer, while CopyCursor input would be stacked up internally for later use in a second queue, dynamically maintained within the extended keystroke buffer. Thereby, it was possible to "collect" selected screen output from different programs and spool out the data much later while within yet another application by toggling off again. It was also possible to use this as input into the macro recorder for later use as scrap macro. Since this was an integral part of these keyboard drivers, it was fully transparent to running software and therefore worked with virtually any DOS programs, including at the command prompt, temporary shelled programs and task switchers.
Other uses.
IBM PC documentation called an "inactive key". When "PC Magazine" asked an executive of keyboard manufacturer Key Tronic about the key's purpose in a 1983 interview, he replied "I don't know, but we put it on ours, too".
The indicator light is sometimes used for other purposes such as a keyboard layout indicator in some Linux distributions or other applications, because doing so is less likely to cause problems than manipulating other keys/lights.
Keyboard, video, mouse switches (KVM) often use the Scroll Lock key on the keyboard connected to the KVM switch for selecting between computers. On KVM switches with On-screen display (OSD), a "double click" of the Scroll Lock key often brings up the OSD, allowing the user to select the desired computer from a list or access the configuration menu of the KVM. Some models, especially those which lack an OSD, switch to the input corresponding to the number key pressed after Scroll Lock, or in the case of some 2-port switches, the up and down arrow keys. Simple models with only two or four inputs may immediately switch to the next input following a double press of the Scroll Lock key.
Scroll Lock on keyboards without a Scroll Lock key.
Some laptops and keyboards do not have a physical key. Some of these have a second function on another key that acts as if a key was pressed. Some common methods are:
Another way to press the key is to use an onscreen keyboard. In Windows 8 this can be found through the Control Panel > Ease Of Access Center (), selecting "Start On-Screen Keyboard". This will provide access to an emulation of a standard 101/102-key keyboard. In Windows 10, the same function is performed by the "on-screen keyboard" module codice_4 (which can be started from either the command line or, alternatively, from the "Run" menu ()).


List of AMD Opteron microprocessors

Opteron is the name of a family of CPUs within the AMD64 line. Designed by AMD for the server market, it competed with Intel's Xeon. The Opteron family is succeeded by the Zen-based Epyc series.
For Socket 940 and Socket 939 Opterons, each chip has a three-digit model number, in the form "Opteron XYY. For Socket F and Socket AM2 Opterons, each chip has a four-digit model number, in the form "Opteron XZYY. For all Opterons, the first digit (the X) specifies the number of CPUs on the target machine:
For Socket F and Socket AM2 Opterons, the second digit (the Z) represents the processor generation. Presently, only 2 (dual-core), DDR2, 3 (quad-core) and 4 (six-core) are used.
For all Opterons, the last two digits in the model number (the YY) indicate the clock frequency of a CPU, a higher number indicating a higher clock frequency. This speed indication is comparable to processors of the same generation if they have the same amount of cores. Single-cores and dual-cores have different indications, despite sometimes having the same clock frequency.
Model Number Methodology for the AMD Opteron 4000 and 6000 Series Processors.

AMD Opteron processors are identified by a four digit model number, ZYXX, where:

Z – indicates Product Series
Y – indicates series generation
XX – communicates a change in product specifications within the series, and is not a relative measure of performance.
The suffix HE or EE indicates a high-efficiency/energy-efficiency model having a lower TDP than a standard Opteron. The suffix SE indicates a top-of-the-line model having a higher TDP than a standard Opteron.
K10 based Opterons.
Third Generation Opterons.
Opteron 1300-series "Suzuka" (45 nm).
115W TDP Page 54 http://support.amd.com/us/Processor_TechDocs/43374.pdf
ARM Cortex A57 based Opterons.
Opteron A1100-series "Seattle" (28nm).
The AMD Opteron A1100 is an enterprise-class ARM Cortex-A57-based SOC.


EDLIN.COM


List of best-selling PlayStation video games

This is a list of video games for the original PlayStation video game console that have sold or shipped at least one million copies. The best-selling game on the PlayStation is "Gran Turismo". A sim racing game developed by Polyphony Digital, "Gran Turismo" was originally released in Japan on December 23, 1997, and went on to sell 10.85million units worldwide. The second-best-selling game on the console is "Final Fantasy VII" (1997), which sold over 10million units. The top five is rounded out by "Gran Turismo 2" (1999) selling 9.37million units, "Final Fantasy VIII" (1999) with 8.6million units sold, and "Tekken 3" (1998) with 8.3million units sold.
There are a total of 117 PlayStation games on this list which are confirmed to have sold or shipped at least one million units. Of these, 41 were published in one or more regions by Sony Computer Entertainment. Other publishers with multiple million-selling games include Electronic Arts with thirteen games, Namco with ten games, Capcom with nine games, and Eidos Interactive with seven games. The developers with the most million-selling games include Square with ten games, Namco with nine games, and Capcom, Konami, and Sony Computer Entertainment, with six games each in the list of 113. The most popular franchises on PlayStation include "Final Fantasy" ( combined units), "Tomb Raider" (25.9million combined units), "Crash Bandicoot" (25.53million combined units), "Gran Turismo" (20.22million combined units), and "Tekken" ( combined units). The oldest game on this list is "Ridge Racer", first released on the platform on December 3, 1994, while the most recent is "Dancing Stage Party Edition", released November 15, 2002, when the PlayStation 2 had been out for more than two years.
As of March 2007, a total of 962million copies of PlayStation software had been shipped worldwide.


Madden Football 64

Madden Football 64 is a football video game. It was the first game of the "Madden NFL" series to be released for the Nintendo 64, as well as the first Madden game to be fully in 3D. Essentially an upgrade of "Madden NFL 98" designed around the particular capabilities of the Nintendo 64, it replaced the 2D players with 3D models but lacked the full NFL licensing which was customary for the "Madden" series. While this lack of licensing significantly hurt critical response to the game, reviews were mostly positive, with elements such as the detailed player models and realistic gameplay garnering praise. The game has commentary by Pat Summerall and John Madden.
License.
Because Acclaim Entertainment had acquired exclusive rights to the NFL license for Nintendo 64 games for the remainder of the 1997 football season, this edition of "Madden" does not use real NFL team names or logos. Instead, the teams use banners that consist of two bars with the team colors, and the team name on top of them in white, accompanied by players in their uniforms. The Pro Bowl is referred to as the "Madden Bowl", and the Super Bowl as the "EAS Championship". However, the game does have a license with the NFL Player's Association, so real player names are present in the game. This game is, as of 2020, the last game in the Madden franchise that lacked a full NFL license.
Teams are referred to by city only, usually the city in which the real life team's stadium is located. The New England Patriots are referred to as "Foxboro", the Tennessee Oilers as "Nashville", the Arizona Cardinals as "Phoenix", the Minnesota Vikings as "Minneapolis", the Tampa Bay Buccaneers simply as "Tampa", the Carolina Panthers as "Charlotte", and a historic team, the Los Angeles Rams referred to as "Anaheim". Team uniforms are altered; all uniforms have white pants, helmet colors are often altered to be different from jerseys (only the Denver Broncos's home jersey and helmet are the same color), and even some already different colors are changed – Foxboro's helmet in this game is red, and Charlotte's is Carolina blue, when in real life both were silver.
Development.
"Madden Football 64" had a short development cycle, since it was built as an upgrade of "Madden NFL 98", retaining the essentials of that game's AI and features. Changes made from "Madden 98" include the polygonal players, more colorful playcall screens, new end-zone celebrations and taunts, and removal of all full motion video clips.
The game was originally planned for release in 1998, but EA Sports bumped up the release date to early November 1997. Shortly before this date, the NFL complained that the game included all of the NFL's official team colors; EA Sports slightly delayed the game in order to change the colors.
Reception.
"Madden Football 64" met with mostly positive reviews. Critics applauded the detailed player graphics, noting the discernible names on jerseys and black grease under their eyes, and the impressive animations. "IGN" added, "Surprisingly, making the jump to 3D has had no real downside for Madden 64 in terms of slowdown or glitches. The game moves as smoothly as its predecessors and looks a hell of a lot better." Despite the strong approval of the graphics, some questioned the use of polygons; several critics complained that players cannot wrap-tackle, instead bouncing off of each other as in sprite-based football games, and "GameSpot" noted that in the elevated camera view which the game is best played with, the graphics appear blocky. Kraig Kujawa of "Electronic Gaming Monthly" said that while the game is great, giving it a 9 out of 10, the polygonal players did cause slowdown, which together with the controls and lack of NFL licensing made him prefer the game's sprite-based equivalent, "Madden NFL 98". Some reviews also noted that while competitor "NFL Quarterback Club 98" runs in high resolution, "Madden Football 64" does not.
However, Kujawa's co-reviewer Kelly Rickards opined that the game's issues with graphics and licensing are easily overridden by its gameplay. As with "Madden NFL 98", reviewers were greatly pleased with EA's new "Liquid AI". The game's wide range of options and realism were also praised. "GameSpot"s reviewer ventured to say that "I've been a football fan for a long, long time, and I've never seen anything that resembles the NFL more than this game (and that's amusing, since this game doesn't even have an NFL license)." "GamePro" called it "Arguably the most fun football game ever created", giving it a 4.5 out of 5 for sound and a perfect 5.0 in every other category (graphics, control, and fun factor).
"Next Generation" was one of the few publications to not recommend the game, saying the lack of NFL licensing is an unforgivable flaw, and the analog control makes the game unbearably frustrating. They stated that "Despite its lack of merit as a serious football game, "Madden 64" is the fastest-playing N64 football game around and as such is just slightly better than "QBC 64" as an arcade game."


FreeCOM


TurboSPARC

The TurboSPARC is a microprocessor that implements the SPARC V8 instruction set architecture (ISA) developed by Fujitsu Microelectronics, Inc. (FMI), the United States subsidiary of the Japanese multinational information technology equipment and services company Fujitsu Limited located in San Jose, California. It was a low-end microprocessor primarily developed as an upgrade for the Sun Microsystems microSPARC-II-based SPARCstation 5 workstation. It was introduced on 30 September 1996, with a 170 MHz version priced at US$499 in quantities of 1,000. The TurboSPARC was mostly succeeded in the low-end SPARC market by the UltraSPARC IIi in late 1997, but remained available.
Users of the TurboSPARC were Force Computers, Fujitsu, RDI Computer, Opus Systems, Tadpole Technologies, Tatung Science and Technology and Themis Computers. Fujitsu used a 160 MHz version in a SPARCstation 5 upgrade kit, whereas the other companies used the 170 MHz version in workstation, notebook and embedded computers.
The performance of the 170 MHz TurboSPARC was similar to that of a 120 MHz Intel Pentium, but when compared to a 110 MHz microSPARC-II, it had two times the integer performance and one and a half times the floating-point performance.
Description.
The TurboSPARC was a simple scalar in-order design. During the fetch stage, two instructions were fetched from a 16 KB direct-mapped instruction cache. During the decode stage, one instruction was decoded, and its operands read from its register file. Execution began in stage three. The TurboSPARC had an integer unit and a floating-point unit. Most integer arithmetic instructions except for multiply and divide have a single-cycle latency. Multiply and divide was executed by the FPU. Multiply had a seven cycle latency while divide had an 8- to 33-cycle latency. Most floating-point arithmetic instructions except for divide and square-root had a four-cycle latency.
Memory access occurs during stage four. The TurboSPARC has a 16 KB data cache. The cache is direct-mapped and uses a write back write policy. If there is a data cache hit, data is returned in the same cycle, and checked for errors during stage five. Integer results and loads are written to the register file during stage six. Floating-point instructions, which take more cycles are completed by stage seven and written to the floating-point register file during stage eight.
The TurboSPARC had an integrated controllers for the L2 cache, memory, AFX interface and SBus interface. A 256 KB, 512 KB or 1 MB external L2 cache was supported. The cache operated at half or one-third the internal clock frequency: 85 or 56.67 MHz respectively at 170 MHz. It was direct-mapped, had a 32-byte line size and used a write-through write policy. It was parity protected. The cache was built from 12 ns pipelined burst static random access memory (PBSRAM). Memory controller supported 8 to 256 MB of fast page mode (FPM) DRAM in eight banks. The L2 cache and memory were accessed using the system bus, a 72-bit wide bus, of which 64 bits were for data.
The AFX interface enabled AFX graphics cards to directly access the memory. It shares the same data bus with the cache and memory controllers but used its own control lines. The SBus controller had its own 16-entry input/output translation lookaside buffer. TurboSPARC supported SBus frequencies of 16.67 to 25 MHz. The TurboSPARC was not multiprocessor-capable.
The TurboSPARC contained 3.0 million transistors and measured 11.5 by 11.5 mm for a die area of 132.25 mm2. It was fabricated by Fujitsu in their CS-60ALE process, a 0.35 µm four-level metal complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) process. The TurboSPARC was packaged in a 416-ball plastic ball grid array (PBGA). It used a 3.3 V power supply and had a 9 W maximum power dissipation.


Scott McNealy

Scott McNealy (born November 13, 1954) is an American businessman. He is most famous for co-founding the computer technology company Sun Microsystems in 1982 along with Vinod Khosla, Bill Joy, and Andy Bechtolsheim. In 2004, while still at Sun, McNealy founded Curriki, a free online education service. In 2011, he co-founded Wayin, a social intelligence and visualization company based in Denver. McNealy stepped down from his position as CEO of Wayin in 2016.
Career.
Unlike most people who become involved in high technology industries, McNealy did not come from the world of amateur programmers or hardware hackers; instead, his background was in business, having earned a Bachelor of Arts in economics from Harvard and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. McNealy has self-deprecatingly referred to himself as a "golf major" rather than a computer scientist.
McNealy started out working at American Motors, where his father was vice chairman and vice president of marketing. He later became manufacturing director at Onyx Systems, a vendor of microprocessor-based Unix systems.
In 1982, he was approached by fellow Stanford alumnus Vinod Khosla to help provide the necessary organizational and business leadership for Sun Microsystems. Sun, along with companies such as Apple Inc., Silicon Graphics, 3Com, and Oracle Corporation, was part of a wave of successful startup companies in California's Silicon Valley during the early and mid-1980s. The name "Sun" was derived from co-founder Andy Bechtolsheim's original Stanford University Network (SUN) computer project, the SUN workstation.
In 1984, McNealy took over the CEO role from Khosla, who ultimately would leave the company in 1985. On April 24, 2006, McNealy stepped down as CEO after serving in that position for 22 years, and turned the job over to Jonathan Schwartz. McNealy is one of the few CEOs of a major corporation to have had a tenure of over twenty years.
According to the book "The Decline and Fall of Nokia", Scott McNealy was the "dream candidate" to become CEO of Nokia in 2010. However, McNealy said he was not offered the job.
In 2017, Scott joined the golf app startup 18Birdies as advisor and equity partner.
In early 2018, he joined the Redis Labs Advisory Board.
Wayin.
In 2010, the same year Oracle Corporation purchased Sun, McNealy co-founded the social media intelligence company Wayin. The new venture was not widely covered in the media—the day he invited reporters to his home to launch Wayin, was the same day Apple co-founder Steve Jobs died. Their product is an application store for brands to self-publish interactive advertising campaigns using reusable digital assets, removing the bulk of cost involved in delivering multi-channel digital advertising.
Wayin sought out and merged with EngageSciences in 2016, to acquire senior staff and diversify their market. In May of that year, McNealy stepped down as CEO and EngageSciences head Richard Jones became CEO of the combined company.
In July 2019, Wayin was acquired by Cheetah Digital.
Personal life.
McNealy was born in Columbus, Indiana. He grew up in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, where his father, Raymond William McNealy Jr. (1927-2014), was vice chairman of the American Motors Corporation. He graduated from Cranbrook School; he later supported the campaign of fellow Cranbrook alumnus and 2012 presidential nominee Mitt Romney. Most of his work experience prior to joining Sun was in automotive manufacturing.
He is married to Susan McNealy; they live in Nevada, and have four sons: Maverick, Dakota, Colt, and Scout. He is known to be an enthusiastic ice hockey player and has been ranked as one of the best golfers in executive ranks.
He is the commissioner of the Alternative Golf Association (known as "Flogton").
Awards.
In 1987, McNealy was named an Award Recipient of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award in the Northern California Region.
Opinions.
In 1999, Stephen Manes quoted McNealy as saying, "You have zero privacy anyway. Get over it." Manes criticized the statement in his "Full Disclosure" column: "He's right on the facts, wrong on the attitude. ... Instead of 'getting over it', citizens need to demand clear rules on privacy, security, and confidentiality." The authors of "Privacy in the 21st Century" admitted, "While a shocking statement, there is an element of truth in it."
McNealy was an early advocate of the networked environment; his company's motto was "The Network is the Computer". At times, he has been known to be skeptical of products that do not integrate well with networked environments. One example McNealy has given involved the Apple iPod. As quoted in "The Register", McNealy said, "There’s a pendulum thing where stuff is on the client side and then goes back into the network where it belongs. The answering machine put voicemail by the desk, and then it went back into the network. Your iPod is like your home answering machine. I guarantee you it will be hard to sell an iPod five or seven years from now when every cell phone can access your entire music library wherever you are."
McNealy is a self-proclaimed "raging capitalist" and affiliates with libertarian ideologies, although he often supports and endorses the Republican Party. He makes regular appearances on the Fox Business Channel to discuss libertarian business issues. In 2017, McNealy praised the 45th U.S. President, Donald Trump, for his free-market economic policies. On September 17, 2019, McNealy hosted a fundraiser for Donald Trump's re-election campaign.
McNealy was a member of the 1776 Commission. Created by President Donald Trump, it rushed to produce The 1776 Report which was released two days before the end of that administration.
External links.


Mr. Backup Z64

The Mr. Backup Z64 is a game backup device designed by Harrison Electronics, Inc., able to store Nintendo 64 games as ROM images on Zip Diskettes. Units such as this can make copies of a game which can be played in a Nintendo 64 emulator.
Design.
Unlike the Doctor V64, which plugs into the expansion slot in the bottom, this backup unit plugs into the cartridge slot, so the Nintendo 64 perceives it as a regular game cartridge. The unit features an upgradable BIOS, a basic back lit black text LCD panel, and buttons enabling users to unlock and use features of this backup unit. Some units include the ability to add Game Genie codes and various other cheats and saved games.
Hardware revisions.
The original Z64 has a hardware set limit of 128 megabits. Because it is not capable of addressing any RAM above 16 megabytes, the user can not upgrade the RAM in order play bigger games. Once 256 megabit games became more prevalent, the parent company released hardware version 2.0 which includes a fully addressable 32 megabyte RAM chip, allowing the larger games to play. The 1.0 units can not be upgraded to 2.0. No further hardware revision has been made to allow for the playing of the few 512 megabit games that were released.
Features.
Features of the Z64 include the following:
Specifications.
The Z64's system specifications are the following:


Sinclair PC 200


Microsoft CD-ROM Extensions


ATX

ATX (Advanced Technology eXtended) is a motherboard and power supply configuration specification developed by Intel in 1995 to improve on previous "de facto" standards like the AT design. It was the first major change in desktop computer enclosure, motherboard, and power supply design in many years, improving standardization and interchangeability of parts. The specification defines the dimensions; the mounting points; the I/O panel; and the power and connector interfaces among a computer case, a motherboard, and a power supply.
ATX is the most common motherboard design. Other standards for smaller boards (including microATX, FlexATX, nano-ITX, and mini-ITX) usually keep the basic rear layout but reduce the size of the board and the number of expansion slots. Dimensions of a full-size ATX board are , which allows many ATX chassis to accept microATX boards. The ATX specifications were released by Intel in 1995 and have been revised numerous times since. The most recent ATX motherboard specification is version 2.2. The most recent ATX12V power supply unit specification is 2.53, released in June 2020. EATX (Extended ATX) is a bigger version of the ATX motherboard with dimensions. While some dual CPU socket motherboards have been implemented in ATX, the extra size of EATX makes it the typical form factor for dual socket systems, and with sockets that support four or eight memory channels, for single socket systems with a large number of memory slots.
In 2004, Intel announced the BTX (Balanced Technology eXtended) standard, intended as a replacement for ATX. Some manufacturers introduced the new standard; however, in 2006 Intel discontinued any future development of BTX. , the ATX design still remains the de facto standard for personal computers.
Connectors.
On the back of the computer case, some major changes were made to the AT standard. Originally AT style cases had only a keyboard connector and expansion slots for add-on card backplates. Any other onboard interfaces (such as serial and parallel ports) had to be connected via flying leads to connectors which were mounted either on spaces provided by the case or brackets placed in unused expansion slot positions.
ATX allowed each motherboard manufacturer to put these ports in a rectangular area on the back of the system with an arrangement they could define themselves, though a number of general patterns depending on what ports the motherboard offers have been followed by most manufacturers. Cases are usually fitted with a snap-out panel, also known as an I/O plate or I/O shield, in one of the common arrangements. If necessary, I/O plates can be replaced to suit a motherboard that is being fitted; the I/O plates are usually included with motherboards not designed for a particular computer. The computer will operate correctly without a plate fitted, although there will be open gaps in the case which may compromise the EMI/RFI screening and allow ingress of dirt and random foreign bodies. Panels were made that allowed fitting an AT motherboard in an ATX case. Some ATX motherboards come with an integrated I/O plate.
ATX also made the PS/2-style mini-DIN keyboard and mouse connectors ubiquitous. AT systems used a 5-pin DIN connector for the keyboard and were generally used with serial port mice (although PS/2 mouse ports were also found on some systems). Many modern motherboards are phasing out the PS/2-style keyboard and mouse connectors in favor of the more modern Universal Serial Bus. Other legacy connectors that are slowly being phased out of modern ATX motherboards include 25-pin parallel ports and 9-pin RS-232 serial ports. In their place are onboard peripheral ports such as Ethernet, FireWire, eSATA, audio ports (both analog and S/PDIF), video (analog D-sub, DVI, HDMI, or DisplayPort), extra USB ports, and Wi-Fi.
A notable issue with the ATX specification was that it was last revised when power supplies were normally placed at the top, rather than the bottom, of computer cases. This has led to some problematic standard locations for ports, in particular the 4/8 pin CPU power, which is normally located along the top edge of the board to make it convenient for top mounted power supplies. This makes it very difficult for cables from bottom mounted power supplies to reach, and commonly requires a special cutout in the back plane for the cable to come in from behind and bend around the board, making insertion and wire management very difficult. Many power supply cables barely reach or fail to reach, or are too stiff to make the bend, and extensions are commonly required due to this placement.
Variants.
Several ATX-derived designs have been specified that use the same power supply, mountings and basic back panel arrangement, but set different standards for the size of the board and number of expansion slots. Standard ATX provides seven slots at spacing; the popular microATX size removes and three slots, leaving four. Here width refers to the distance along the external connector edge, while depth is from front to rear. Note each larger size inherits all previous (smaller) colors area.
Note: AOpen has conflated the term Mini ATX with a more recent design. Since references to Mini ATX have been removed from ATX specifications since the adoption of microATX, the AOpen definition is the more contemporary term and the one listed above is apparently only of historical significance. This sounds contradictory to the now common Mini-ITX standard ( ), which is why referring to such a product as Mini ATX is only going to confuse people.
A number of manufacturers have added one, two or three additional expansion slots (at the standard 0.8 inch spacing) to the standard 12-inch ATX motherboard width.
Form factors considered obsolete in 1999 included Baby-AT, full size AT, and the semi-proprietary LPX for low-profile cases. Proprietary motherboard designs such as those by Compaq, Packard-Bell, Hewlett Packard and others existed, and were not interchangeable with multi-manufacturer boards and cases. Portable and notebook computers and some 19-inch rackmount servers have custom motherboards unique to their particular products.
Although true E-ATX is most motherboard manufacturers also refer to motherboards with measurements , , and as E-ATX. While E-ATX and SSI EEB (Server System Infrastructure (SSI) Forum's Enterprise Electronics Bay (EEB)) share the same dimensions, the screw holes of the two standards do not all align; rendering them incompatible.
In 2008, Foxconn unveiled a Foxconn F1 motherboard prototype, which has the same width as a standard ATX motherboard, but an extended 14.4" length to accommodate 10 slots. The firm called the new design of this motherboard "Ultra ATX" in its CES 2008 showing. Also unveiled during the January 2008 CES was the Lian Li Armorsuit PC-P80 case with 10 slots designed for the motherboard.
The name "XL-ATX" has been used by at least three companies in different ways:
In 2010, EVGA Corporation released a new motherboard, the "Super Record 2", or SR-2, whose size surpasses that of the "EVGA X58 Classified 4-Way SLI". The new board is designed to accommodate two Dual QPI LGA1366 socket CPUs (e.g. Intel Xeon), similar to that of the Intel Skulltrail motherboard that could accommodate two Intel Core 2 Quad processors and has a total of seven PCI-E slots and 12 DDR3 RAM slots. The new design is dubbed "HPTX" and is .
Power supply.
The ATX specification requires the power supply to produce three main outputs, +3.3 V, +5 V and +12 V. Low-power −12 V and +5 VSB (standby) supplies are also required. The −12 V supply is primarily used to provide the negative supply voltage for RS-232 ports and is also used by one pin on conventional PCI slots primarily to provide a reference voltage for some models of sound cards. The 5 VSB supply is used to produce trickle power to provide the soft-power feature of ATX when a PC is turned off, as well as powering the real-time clock to conserve the charge of the CMOS battery. A −5 V output was originally required because it was supplied on the ISA bus; it was removed in later versions of the ATX standard, as it became obsolete with the removal of the ISA bus expansion slots (the ISA bus itself is still found in any computer which is compatible with the old IBM PC specification (e.g., not found in the PlayStation 4.)
Originally, the motherboard was powered by one 20-pin connector. An ATX power supply provides a number of peripheral power connectors and (in modern systems) two connectors for the motherboard: an 8-pin (or 4+4-pin) auxiliary connector providing additional power to the CPU and a main 24-pin power supply connector, an extension of the original 20-pin version. 20-pin MOLEX 39-29-9202 at the motherboard. 20-pin MOLEX 39-01-2200 at the cable. The connector pin pitch is 4.2 mm (one sixth of an inch).
Four wires have special functions:
Generally, supply voltages must be within ±5% of their nominal values at all times. The little-used negative supply voltages, however, have a ±10% tolerance. There is a specification for ripple in a 10 Hz–20 MHz bandwidth:
The 20–24-pin Molex Mini-Fit Jr. has a power rating of 600 volts, 8 amperes maximum per pin (while using 18 AWG wire). As large server motherboards and 3D graphics cards have required progressively more and more power to operate, it has been necessary to revise and extend the standard beyond the original 20-pin connector, to allow more current using multiple additional pins in parallel. The low circuit voltage is the restriction on power flow through each connector pin; at the maximum rated voltage, a single Mini-Fit Jr pin would be capable of 4800 watts.
Physical characteristics.
ATX power supplies generally have the dimensions of , with the width and height being the same as the preceding LPX (Low Profile eXtension) form factor (which are often incorrectly referred to as "AT" power supplies due to their ubiquitous use in later AT and Baby AT systems, even though the actual AT and Baby AT power supply form factors were physically larger) and share a common mounting layout of four screws arranged on the back side of the unit. That last dimension, the 140 mm depth, is frequently varied, with depths of 160, 180, 200 and 230 mm used to accommodate higher power, larger fan and/or modular connectors.
Main changes from AT and LPX designs.
Power switch.
Original AT cases (flat case style) have an integrated power switch that protruded from the power supply and
sits flush with a hole in the AT chassis. It utilizes a paddle-style DPST switch and is similar to the PC and PC-XT style power supplies.
Later AT (so-called "Baby AT") and LPX style computer cases have a power button that is directly connected to the system computer power supply (PSU). The general configuration is a double-pole latching mains voltage switch with the four pins connected to wires from a four-core cable. The wires are either soldered to the power button (making it difficult to replace the power supply if it failed) or blade receptacles were used.
An ATX power supply is typically controlled by an electronic switch connected to the power button on the computer case and allows the computer to be turned off by the operating system. In addition, many ATX power supplies have an equivalent-function manual switch on the back that also ensures no power is being sent to the components. When the switch on the power supply is turned off, however, the computer cannot be turned on with the front power button.
Power connection to the motherboard.
The power supply's connection to the motherboard was changed from the older AT and LPX standards; AT and LPX had two similar connectors that could be accidentally interchanged by forcing the different keyed connectors into place, usually causing short-circuits and irreversible damage to the motherboard (the rule of thumb for safe operation was to connect the side-by-side connectors with the black wires together). ATX uses one large, keyed connector which can not be connected incorrectly. The new connector also provides a 3.3 volt source, removing the need for motherboards to derive this voltage from the 5 V rail. Some motherboards, particularly those manufactured after the introduction of ATX but while LPX equipment was still in use, support both LPX and ATX PSUs.
If using an ATX PSU for purposes other than powering an ATX motherboard, power can be fully turned on (it is always partly on to operate "wake-up" devices) by shorting the "power-on" pin on the ATX connector (pin 16, green wire) to a black wire (ground), which is what the power button on an ATX system does. A minimum load on one or more voltages may be required (varies by model and vendor); the standard does not specify operation without a minimum load and a conforming PSU may shut down, output incorrect voltages, or otherwise malfunction, but will not be hazardous or damaged. An ATX power supply is not a replacement for a current-limited bench laboratory DC power supply, instead it is better described as a bulk DC power supply.
Airflow.
The original ATX specification called for a power supply to be located near to the CPU with the power supply fan drawing in cooling air from outside the chassis and directing it onto the processor. It was thought that in this configuration, cooling of the processor would be achievable without the need of an active heatsink. This recommendation was removed from later specifications; modern ATX power supplies usually exhaust air from the case.
ATX power supply revisions.
Original ATX.
ATX, introduced in late 1995, defined three types of power connectors:
The power distribution specification defined that most of the PSU's power should be provided on 5 V and 3.3 V rails, because most of the electronic components (CPU, RAM, chipset, PCI, AGP and ISA cards) used 5 V or 3.3 V for power supply. The 12 V rail was only used by computer fans and motors of peripheral devices (HDD, FDD, CD-ROM, etc.)
ATX12V 1.x.
While designing the Pentium 4 platform in 1999/2000, the standard 20-pin ATX power connector was found insufficient to meet increasing power-line requirements; the standard was significantly revised into ATX12V 1.0 (ATX12V 1.x is sometimes inaccurately called ATX-P4). ATX12V 1.x was also adopted by AMD Athlon XP and Athlon 64 systems. However, some early model Athlon XP and MP boards (including some server boards) and later model lower-end motherboards do not have the 4-pin connector as described below.
Numbering of the ATX revisions may be a little confusing: ATX refers to the design, and goes up to version 2.2 in 2004 (with the 24 pins of ATX12V 2.0) while ATX12V describes only the PSU.
For instance, ATX 2.03 is pretty commonly seen on PSU from 2000 & 2001 and often include the P4 12V connector, even if the norm itself does not define it yet!
The main changes and additions in ATX12V 1.0 (released in February 2000) were:
Formally called the "+12 V Power Connector", this is commonly referred to as the P4 connector because this was first needed to support the Pentium 4 processor.
Before the Pentium 4, processors were generally powered from the 5 V rail. Later processors operate at much lower voltages, typically around 1 V and some draw over 100 A. It is infeasible to provide power at such low voltages and high currents from a standard system power supply, so the Pentium 4 established the practice of generating it with a DC-to-DC converter on the motherboard next to the processor, powered by the 4-pin 12 V connector.
This is a minor revision from August 2000. The power on the 3.3 V rail was slightly increased and other smaller changes were made.
A relatively minor revision from January 2002. The only significant change was that the −5 V rail was no longer required (it became optional). This voltage was required by the ISA bus, which is no longer present on almost all modern computers.
Introduced in April 2003 (a month after 2.0). This standard introduced some changes, mostly minor. Some of them are:
ATX12V 2.x.
ATX12V 2.x brought a very significant design change regarding power distribution. By analyzing the power demands of then-current PCs, it was determined that it would be much cheaper and more practical to power most PC components from 12 V rails, instead of from 3.3 V and 5 V rails.
In particular, PCI Express expansion cards take much of their power from the 12 V rail (up to 5.5 A), while the older AGP graphics cards took only up to 1 A on 12 V and up to 6 A on 3.3 V. The CPU is also driven by a 12 V rail, while it was done by a 5 V rail on older PCs (before the Pentium 4).
The power demands of PCI Express were incorporated in ATX12V 2.0 (introduced in February 2003), which defined quite different power distribution from ATX12V 1.x:
This is a minor revision from June 2004. An errant reference for the −5 V rail was removed. Other minor changes were introduced.
This is a minor revision from March 2005. The power was slightly increased on all rails. Efficiency requirements changed.
Also released in March 2005 it includes corrections and specifies High Current Series wire terminals for 24-pin ATX motherboard and 4-pin +12 V power connectors.
Effective March 2007. Recommended efficiency was increased to 80% (with at least 70% required) and the 12 V minimum load requirement was lowered. Higher efficiency generally results in less power consumption (and less waste heat) and the 80% recommendation brings supplies in line with new Energy Star 4.0 mandates. The reduced load requirement allows compatibility with processors that draw very little power during startup. The absolute over-current limit of 240 VA per rail was removed, allowing 12 V lines to provide more than 20 A per rail.
This revision became effective in February 2008. It added a maximum allowed ripple/noise specification of 400 millivolts to the PWR_ON and PWR_OK signals, requires that the DC power must hold for more than 1 millisecond after the PWR_OK signal drops, clarified country-specific input line harmonic content and electromagnetic compatibility requirements, added a section about Climate Savers, updated recommended power supply configuration charts, and updated the cross-regulation graphs.
This the unofficial name given to the later revisions of the v2.31 spec.
The ATX12V 2.4 specifications were published in April 2013. It is specified in Revision 1.31 of the 'Design Guide for Desktop Platform Form Factors', which names this as ATX12V version 2.4.
The specifications for ATXV12 2.51 were released in September 2017 and introduced support for "Alternative Sleep Mode (ASM)" which supersedes the traditional S3 power state. Windows 10 implements this functionality as "Modern Standby".
The specifications for ATXV12 2.52 were released in June 2018 introduces minor changes to the standard, most notably it requires power supply manufacturers to ensure power supplies with "Alternative Sleep Mode (ASM)" support are able to withstand power cycles every 180 seconds (480 times per day or 175,200 per year). Power supply fans are also recommended to turn on with at least a two second delay for an improved user experience.
The specifications for ATXV12 2.53 were released in June 2020 and constitute another minor update to the ATX standard. ATXV12 2.53 makes further recommendations on efficiency and references the Energy Star "Computers Specification Version 8.0" which was finalized in April 2020.
ATX power supply derivatives.
ATX12VO.
Standing for ATX 12-volt-only, this is a new specification published by Intel in 2019, aimed at pre-built systems in the first run, and possibly affecting DIY and "high expandability" systems (defined as a pre-built computer with a discrete GPU) when a market emerges. It was motivated by stricter power efficiency requirements by the California Energy Commission going into effect in 2021. Several OEMs were already using a similar design with proprietary connectors and this effectively standardizes those.
Under this standard, power supplies provide only a 12V output. ATX12VO introduces a new 10-pin connector to supply the motherboard, replacing the 24-pin ATX12V connector. This greatly simplifies power supplies, but moves DC-to-DC conversion and some connectors to the motherboard instead. Notably, SATA power connectors, which include 3.3V and 5V pins, need to move to the motherboard instead of being connected directly to the power supply.
SFX.
SFX is merely a design for a small form factor (SFF) power supply casing, with the power specifications almost identical to ATX. Thus, an SFX power supply is mostly pin-compatible with the ATX power supply as the main difference is its reduced dimensions; the only electrical difference is that the SFX specifications do not require the −5 V rail. Since −5 V is required only by some ISA-bus expansion cards, this is not an issue with modern hardware and decreases productions costs. As a result, ATX pin 20, which carried −5 V, is absent in current power supplies; it was optional in ATX and ATX12V version 1.2 and deleted as of ATX version 1.3.
SFX has dimensions of 125 × 63.5 × 100 mm (width × height × depth), with a 60 mm fan, compared with the standard ATX dimensions of 150 × 86 × 140 mm. Optional 80 or 40 mm fan replacement increases or decreases the height of an SFX unit.
Some manufacturers and retailers incorrectly market SFX power supplies as μATX or MicroATX power supplies.
Some manufacturers make SFX-L dimensions of 125 × 63.5 × 130 mm to accommodate a 120 mm fan.
TFX.
Thin Form Factor is another small power supply design with standard ATX specification connectors. Generally dimensioned (W × H × D): 85 × 64 × 175 mm (3.34 × 2.52 × 6.89 in).
WTX.
Provides a WTX style motherboard connector which is incompatible with the standard ATX motherboard connector.
AMD GES.
This is an ATX12V power supply derivative made by AMD to power its Athlon MP (dual processor) platform. It was used only on high-end Athlon MP motherboards. It has a special 8-pin supplemental connector for motherboard, so an AMD GES PSU is required for such motherboards (those motherboards will not work with ATX(12 V) PSUs).
a. ATX12V-GES 24-pin P1 motherboard connector. The pinout on the motherboard connector is as follows when viewing the motherboard from above:
b. ATX12V-GES 8-pin P2 motherboard connector. This pinout on the motherboard connector is as follows when viewing the motherboard from above:
EPS12V.
EPS12V is defined in Server System Infrastructure (SSI) and used primarily by SMP/multi-core systems such as Core 2, Core i7, Opteron and Xeon. It has a 24-pin ATX motherboard connector (same as ATX12V v2.x), an 8-pin secondary connector and an optional 4-pin tertiary connector. Rather than include the extra cable, many power supply makers implement the 8-pin connector as two combinable 4-pin connectors to ensure backwards compatibility with ATX12V motherboards.
Recent specification changes and additions.
High-performance video card power demands dramatically increased during the 2000s and some high-end graphics cards have power demands that exceed AGP or PCIe slot capabilities. For these cards, supplementary power was delivered through a standard 4-pin peripheral or floppy power connector. Midrange and high-end PCIe graphics cards manufactured after 2004 typically use a standard 6 or 8-pin PCIe power connector directly from the PSU.
Interchanging PSUs.
Although the ATX power supply specifications are mostly vertically compatible in both ways (both electrically and physically), there are potential issues with mixing old motherboards/systems with new PSUs and vice versa. The main issues to consider are the following:
This is a practical guidance what to mix and what not to mix:
Some proprietary brand-name systems require a matching proprietary power supply, but some of them may also support standard and interchangeable power supplies.
Efficiency.
Efficiency in power supplies means the extent to which power is not wasted in converting electricity from a household supply to regulated DC. Computer power supplies vary from around 70% to over 90% efficiency.
Various initiatives exist to improve the efficiency of computer power supplies. Climate Savers Computing Initiative promotes energy saving and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by encouraging development and use of more efficient power supplies. 80 PLUS certifies a variety of efficiency levels for power supplies and encourages their use via financial incentives. Efficient power supplies also save money by wasting less power; as a result they use less electricity to power the same computer, and they emit less waste heat which results in significant energy savings on central air conditioning in the summer. The gains of using an efficient power supply are more substantial in computers that use a lot of power.
Although a power supply with a larger than needed power rating will have an extra margin of safety against overloading, such a unit is often less efficient and wastes more electricity at lower loads than a more appropriately sized unit. For example, a 900-watt power supply with the 80 Plus Silver efficiency rating (which means that such a power supply is designed to be at least 85-percent efficient for loads above 180 W) may only be 73% efficient when the load is lower than 100 W, which is a typical idle power for a desktop computer. Thus, for a 100 W load, losses for this supply would be 27 W; if the same power supply was put under a 450 W load, for which the supply's efficiency peaks at 89%, the loss would be only 56 W despite supplying 4.5 times the useful power. For a comparison, a 500-watt power supply carrying the 80 Plus Bronze efficiency rating (which means that such a power supply is designed to be at least 82-percent efficient for loads above 100 W) may provide an 84-percent efficiency for a 100 W load, wasting only 19 W.


X32 ABI

The x32 ABI is an application binary interface (ABI) and one of the interfaces of the Linux kernel. It allows programs to take advantage of the benefits of x86-64 instruction set (larger number of CPU registers, better floating-point performance, faster position-independent code, shared libraries, function parameters passed via registers, faster syscall instruction) while using 32-bit pointers and thus avoiding the overhead of 64-bit pointers.
Details.
Though the x32 ABI limits the program to a virtual address space of 4 GiB, it also decreases the memory footprint of the program by making pointers smaller. This can allow it to run faster by fitting more code and more data into cache. The best results during testing were with the 181.mcf SPEC CPU 2000 benchmark, in which the x32 ABI version was 40% faster than the x86-64 version. On average, x32 is 5–8% faster on the SPEC CPU integer benchmarks compared to x86-64. There is no speed advantage over x86-64 in the SPEC CPU floating-point benchmarks.
History.
Running a userspace that consists mostly of programs compiled in ILP32 mode and which also have principal access to 64-bit CPU instructions has not been uncommon, especially in the field of "classic RISC" chips. For example, the Solaris operating system does so for both SPARC and x86-64. On the Linux side, Debian also ships an ILP32 userspace. The underlying reason is the somewhat "more expensive" nature of LP64 code, just like it has been shown for x86-64. In that regard, the x32 ABI extends the ILP32-on-64bit concept to the x86-64 platform.
Several people had discussed the benefits of an x86-64 ABI with 32-bit pointers in the years since the Athlon 64's release in 2003, notably Donald Knuth in 2008. There was little publicly visible progress towards implementing such a mode until August 27, 2011, when Hans Peter Anvin announced to the Linux kernel mailing list that he and H. J. Lu had been working on the x32 ABI.
That same day, Linus Torvalds replied with a concern that the use of 32-bit time values in the x32 ABI could cause problems in the future. This is because the use of 32-bit time values would cause the time values to overflow in the year 2038. Following this request, the developers of the x32 ABI changed the time values to 64-bit.
A presentation at the Linux Plumbers Conference on September 7, 2011, covered the x32 ABI.
The x32 ABI was merged into the Linux kernel for the 3.4 release with support being added to the GNU C Library in version 2.16.
In December 2018 it was considered to deprecate the x32 ABI, which has not happened as of November 2020.


HD Loader

HD Loader is a program for the PlayStation 2 video game console which allows users to play games installed on the optional hard drive peripheral via PlayStation 2 Network Adaptor. The games can be copied to the hard drive from within the program, or by using a computer with image dumping software that outputs to a specific custom format.
The HD Loader software does not require an original Sony hard drive to function properly, however some drives may be impossible to attach without modifying connectors. Games may also refuse to detect the drive if it is unofficial.
Reaction.
Sony's public stance on HD Loader is that it is not supported and is illegal (it can enable game piracy by allowing games to be installed, then played later without owning the disc). In October, 2006, Sony filed a $9 million lawsuit against France-based Divineo for Digital Millennium Copyright Act violations for selling PlayStation 2 modchips, along with HD Loader. A clone of the patched version of the official version is being sold as HD Advance, is still being manufactured and can be purchased from many online retailers.
Compatibility.
HD Loader is not 100% compatible with all PS2 games. Some incompatibilities exist because game software depends on certain peculiarities of the PS2 drive hardware. Additional incompatibilities arise from the use of dual-layer DVDs in some PS2 games, which are sometimes not parsed properly by HD Loader (incidentally, dual-layer games can only be installed from a PC but as of 0.8c it's possible to install them from HD Loader). Finally, there are intentional impediments introduced by some recent high-profile PS2 titles, such as "God of War" and "Gran Turismo 4", to prevent them from being executed off the hard drive.
In response to the limitations of HD Loader, a number of independent programmers have developed patches which extend the functionality of HD Loader to improve game compatibility or different software entirely (e.g., OpenPS2Loader). These include a fix to improve dual-layer support, one to implement a non-aligned data buffer (which allows "Gradius V" to be played from the HD), one to defeat newer copy-protection measures (popularly known as the "God of War" fix), one to support the new "slimline" SCPH-70000 series PlayStation 2 hardware and one to implement 48-bit Logical Block Addressing (which allows HD Loader to take full advantage of hard drives larger than 137 GB; or 128 GiB, as reported by HD Loader) as of 0.7c hard drives of up to 2 Terabytes can be used.
These unofficial patches have been accumulated into the HD Loader release known as 0.8b, The unofficial HD Loader is currently at version 0.8c as of April 2007. Version 0.8c continues support for 48-bit (up to 2 Terabyte hard drives), patches for ', ' and "God of War II", 3 more modes and support for installing and running dual layer games directly off the hard drive.
Some games need to be patched in order to be played with HD Loader. Another may require using tricks, such as starting the game with an older, digital controller and then switching to DualShock 2, or refuse to install. According to PS2HD.COM, the compatibility rate of patched HD Loader is around 88.2%.
Original Playstation games are not compatible with this method.
Version history.
Official HD Loader is extracted and released to the internet as a retaliation to the free library files used in its creation.
0.6d - the first unofficial version that improved game compatibility.
0.7c - fix for Suikoden V, patches for 48bit HDDs (up to 2 Terabytes), DMA modes (UDMA/MDMA) and DVD9 fix to allow dual layer games to be played were added. A stable GUI Patching app was created and allowed one to choose which patches and other various edits to apply to an Official unpatched version. Updated compatibility menu added.
0.7e - patches that fixed Shadow of the Colossus and Super Monkey Ball were added. This version enabled playing many previously incompatible games. Updated compatibility menu and changed modes description.
0.8 - A patch that fixed and the ability to edit the DMA button configuration.
0.8b - fixes a bug with HDL0.8 not installing to HDDs over 128 GB and a few other minor errors. Updated compatibility menu.
0.8b+ - A patch that fixed God of War II was added. This version is known under different names because author did not rename the version. Additionally, this patch breaks support for .
0.8c - A fix for the buffer alignment was added into the GUI Patcher app and made both GOW2 and GTA:LCS run without crashing. This is the current version. The unofficial releases can be run on a console with a modchip installed, or by using an exploit such as Free McBoot or PS2 Independence Exploit.
HD Advance.
HD Advance is a cloned version of the HD Loader software for the PlayStation 2, which allow users to play games installed to the optional hard drive peripheral available for the PS2. HD Advance is identical in functionality to many patched versions of HD Loader freely available online (that include DVD-9 support and 48-bit hard drive addressing) - only with a different theme and some changed text strings.
The only benefit of HD Advance is that it is distributed on a pressed disk, giving a patched version of HD Loader that can run on a console without a modchip installed, and also without the need of the PS2 Independence Exploit or any other software modification.
However, players who were using HD Advance 2.0 retail pressed discs (CD or DVD) to format a Maxtor hard disk with 80 GB capacity and subsequently use the disc to play PS2 games from the HDD were reported experiencing a strange problem. HD Loader versions up to 0.7c boot up perfectly via the Independence Exploit but subsequent versions of HD Loader from 0.8 onwards freezes on the splash screen and refuses to start up if formatted with a HD Advance disc. This is possibly due to newer patches that are not in any HD Advance discs;a solution is to reformat the hard disk with HD Loader version 0.8 or higher, which is recommended for newer PS2 games. However, this is not confirmed to work 100% across the board as certain PS2 models (mainly PAL 7xxx consoles) was reported to still freeze at splash screen; a currently-unfixable problem related to HD Loader version 0.8 or higher on PAL single-port network adapter models was the main problem.
Open PS2 Loader.
Open PS2 Loader, abbreviated as OPL, is an open-source program that allows playing of commercial games and homebrew installed from external storage devices. . It has support for the Hard Disk Drive (like HD Loader), USB (like HD Advance), and SMB (over network). It also has additional features, like the GSM feature that is used to disable videos and change the resolution of the game output, virtual memory cards (allowing you to save on USB, HDD, or SMB), usage of the DualShock3 controller over USB and Bluetooth (using a dongle) and a cheat engine. The interface of Open PS2 Loader can be customized with themes. It has been developed in version control since September 27, 2009.