Vector64 Blog
Here you'll find some stuff that interests me that's generally
unrelated to the Mozilla stuff. This is a low-budget blog in that it's
just a plain HTML file and isn't interactive. There is a one-click blog
program with this web server but I haven't had the time to look into
turning it on yet. Maybe someday in the future.
.
March 21, 2009
Spring is here and the temperatures are warmer
but I've had a cold for a week and it has been a bit of a pain. The
kids were off for Spring Break which meant that I had a lot more time
to myself. I spent it working out and losing about ten pounds in the
last two weeks. It feels good but I have more weight to lose and we'll
see how much will power I can muster to watch the calories and workout
daily.
I ordered a used Core i7 system drom Dell for $569. It is
a bare-bones system with moderate expandibility (12 GB of RAM) which
should make for an interesting machine. I hope that Elliott will do
some research work on it to get some performance numbers for CRC32 and
packed compare string to see if they would be useful in open source
projects. The system should arrive around the end of the month and I'm
not sure where I will locate it but it might be at home.
I've
switched back to using the AMD X2 5800+ system as my desktop from the
MacBook Pro in preparation for the Core i7 machine. For now, I'll
probably go with the AMD system and my Dell XPS M1330 on the desk. The
M1330 is for watching movies and television shows as I don't have
speakers on the AMD system right now. I'll grab them from the apartment
the next time I'm down there.
I have to get started on cleaning
the house and that will start tonight. My desk and work area are a
little cleaner but I need to do a better job there. I also need to get
all the dust cleaned out.
Work is going well - we reported good
earnings and there's no talk of layoffs. Life is easier when you aren't
always looking over your shoulder.
The new system should make
doing a Windows 64 Firefox easier. I've been very busy for quite a
while and I would like to get back to Firefox again. I do need to get
my healthy weight back so that Firefox work is sustainable. I haven't
received a code review from pavlov yet and am still waiting there.
.
March 8, 2009
We're still dealing with the residual effects
of the flu and I developed a knee problem last week which makes it hard
to walk up stairs and play tennis. I went back to doing some exercise
after a fairly long break (tennis doesn't count) and I feel like
working out to get back into shape now that the weather is getting
better. It's been a brutal winter so far with all of the snow and
illness.
We're still working on finding internships for Elliott
and he has to get recommendations and transcripts in to various
research opportunities.
Mozilla Stuff
I'm still waiting for
a review from Pavlov on the SSE2 IDCT code which I want to get into
3.0, 3.1 and 3.2. Mozilla seems to be quiet or I'm not plugged into the
right people.
I'd also like to try out the new instructions on
Nehalem but that would mean that I'd need a machine. Unfortunately
there aren't a lot of cheap machines to be had. The cheapest that I've
seen is $899 at Dell. I don't really need a new machine as we're mainly
using our laptops these days. I'd love to be able to borrow one or just
ssh into one to use for about a month. I'd like Elliott to do some
research work on the new instructions.
I think that I may get a new MacBook or MacBook Pro based on Nehalem when they come out. Maybe later this year.
.
February 2009
Return to Homepage
Updated August 30, 2009. For comments and questions, send email to
Vector.x64@gmail.com. Contents of this blog are Copyright 2009. Fair
use portions may be copied with a link back to this vector64.com.