Phew! Quite a lot to answer.

[...]

Would not development be speeded yet further, and interoperability improved for all, if the main players could agree at least on using common interconnect standards?

The PC as released by IBM has been a phenomenal success because of this. Using a common interconnect for multiple parallel CPUs that includes direct connect to peripherals would be a great improvement. For example, why the mix of PCIe, SATA, HyperTransport, Ethernet, all with very different protocols, interfaced by a Northbridge and Southbridge? Just one standard hierarchical protocol and one interface could be used...

Or is the "Microsoft" style "Embrace and Extend" to deliberately break interoperability, and so to stifle competition, the more profitable path towards world domination?

There is a wider context...

I think you hate big companies.

Rather, more the way Big Companies often behave... So for example...?

Will the newly developed Intel CSI interconnect be freely licensed for all others to use?

Or are we going to see vendor specific interconnect with the consequent additional costs of multiple motherboard chipset types and multiple "bridge chips" types to connect the peripherals to the vendors' CPUs?


Special note: The AMD HyperTransport and Intel CSI are quite similar to the Ethernet/Internet stack, and all follow a data packet structure for passing data... Using standard protocols over similar link layers should give a huge advantage FOR EVERYONE. Including the vendors.


Regards,
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

You try going to Soltek's website to download latest bios!!!

These companies are letting down their consumers big time!!!

I was going to ask what is wrong with Soltek but then I went to their website - or actually tried. .de is still alive but quite useless. Looks like the others are gone.

Now, tell me, how is Soltek letting down their customers if the company went bankrupt? (Well, that's it seems like.)

-Juha

That I was/am unaware of. However, a customer recently bought a system from PC World - Mobo=Soltek. If they are bankrupt, then PC World are not treating their customers fairly!! & PC World is a BIG Company!!!!

This I believe, proves my point with regards to big companies!!!

Maybe I should clarify my sayings. I am assuming Soltek went bankrupt. I mean, how often a company that still wants to do business lets their website disappear? I tried looking for news about Soltek but found only old motherboard reviews. I think I needed something from their website earlier this year (yeah, there's one Soltek MB next to me) so they haven't been out of business for very long time.

That said, if you really need BIOS files for Soltek's MBs I noticed there are some driver archive sites. Or you could try Wayback Machine.

I don't know anything about PC World so I'm not going to say anything about them.

-Juha

---

You try going to Soltek's website to download latest bios!!!

These companies are letting down their consumers big time!!!

I was going to ask what is wrong with Soltek but then I went to their website - or actually tried. .de is still alive but quite useless. Looks like the others are gone.

Now, tell me, how is Soltek letting down their customers if the company went bankrupt? (Well, that's it seems like.)

-Juha

That I was/am unaware of. However, a customer recently bought a system from PC World - Mobo=Soltek. If they are bankrupt, then PC World are not treating their customers fairly!! & PC World is a BIG Company!!!!

This I believe, proves my point with regards to big companies!!!

Maybe I should clarify my sayings. I am assuming Soltek went bankrupt. I mean, how often a company that still wants to do business lets their website disappear? I tried looking for news about Soltek but found only old motherboard reviews. I think I needed something from their website earlier this year (yeah, there's one Soltek MB next to me) so they haven't been out of business for very long time.

That said, if you really need BIOS files for Soltek's MBs I noticed there are some driver archive sites. Or you could try Wayback Machine.

I don't know anything about PC World so I'm not going to say anything about them.

-Juha

According to this forum Soltek is out of business

---

Trust me, I did my home work. The race will not happen:
It will not even get close to Core 2 QX6850, on desktop, it is over. On server, I don't know, I am not an expert in this area, but desktop, there is NO way, on single socket, it will be fun ... At least for me.

And Penryn will definitively increase the gap where it matters.
Let me add this: K10 will increase nicely compare to K8 on MMX/SSE2 Packed, and this is expected. Where ever it matter, SSE4 will re-increase the gap. Most of the vendors are already commited to SSE4, you saw windows media, DivX, so, most of the MMX world that matter is covered by SSE4. The 128bits units of K8 will be too short. many software vendor jumped on SSE4 MPSADBW instruction, because it make so much sense, they requested it for years, now that they have it, they love it.

What a funny thing to say especially since Intel for a long time promised a good CPU and delivered nothing that could compete against AMD.

Until Core2Duo and quad(2xc2d)they were outsold/ outgunned / out on their ear

What makes you think that another company cannot do exactly the same and comeback with a killer product.

I may be naive to think It will be Amd's next chip release but then it may be you who is naive to think it will not happen

---

According to this forum Soltek is out of business

Many thanks Philadelphia. It's a shame as my wife's machine has a Soltek SL-NV400-64/L64 board, which I purchased from new, and to date, it has performed flawlessy. I only wanted to update it's bios as it won't accept big drives.

Ah well nothing lasts forever.

Will be updating wife's machine shortly, so it will be stuck in a corner somewhere crunching seti.

Regards

PJ

---

It gets worse:
SSE extension wars heat up between Intel and AMD
Lets make the customer choose between a rock and a hard place.

---

Boinc Button Abuser In Training >My Shrubbers<

According to this forum Soltek is out of business

Many thanks Philadelphia. It's a shame as my wife's machine has a Soltek SL-NV400-64/L64 board, which I purchased from new, and to date, it has performed flawlessy. I only wanted to update it's bios as it won't accept big drives.

Ah well nothing lasts forever.

Will be updating wife's machine shortly, so it will be stuck in a corner somewhere crunching seti.

Regards

PJ

I found other sites that suggested ebay. It may work, I'm sure they had inventory they had to let go for pennies on the dollar when they settled with the court. But it's a stretch.

---

I found other sites that suggested ebay. It may work, I'm sure they had inventory they had to let go for pennies on the dollar when they settled with the court. But it's a stretch.

Thanks. It's due an upgrade anyway.

---

Soltek SL-NV400-64/L64 board

I told you to try Wayback Machine, didn't I? Check this. (If it doesn't work for you let me know - I grabbed a copy of the BIOS.)

@Philly: Yep, thanks for the link.

-Juha

---

Soltek SL-NV400-64/L64 board

I told you to try Wayback Machine, didn't I? Check this. (If it doesn't work for you let me know - I grabbed a copy of the BIOS.)

@Philly: Yep, thanks for the link.

-Juha

Thanks Juha.

I did & I every time I tried kept getting Data Retrieval Failure.

However, The link above worked - I got all the drivers I need except the audio driver. It kept coming up with DTR.

regards

PJ

NB: Sorry about the delay in getting back to you. I've just had the police here. Customer turned up to pick up his computer & paid for it. Unfortunately, "the devil" stole my mobile phone. I've gotta admit, they were pretty quick, & unbelievably, they caught him!!!

---

I did & I every time I tried kept getting Data Retrieval Failure.

However, The link above worked - I got all the drivers I need except the audio driver. It kept coming up with DTR.

Looks like their machine goes up and down. It worked a couple of hours ago but not any more.

Oh wait, it's a time machine - so it must be at the moment in past retrieving some pages so it can bring those to the people who asked for them now at some point in future. :P

NB: Sorry about the delay in getting back to you.

Don't worry about delays, I don't check these forums all the time. To tell the truth, I have something more important things to do, but it's just that kind of day when everything else seems more interesting to do. :/

I've just had the police here. Customer turned up to pick up his computer & paid for it. Unfortunately, "the devil" stole my mobile phone. I've gotta admit, they were pretty quick, & unbelievably, they caught him!!!

Oh please please tell me you didn't have that persons contact info! If you do have that makes the person pretty darn dumb thief! Well anyway, it's good that ****er got caught.

-Juha

---

[Oh please please tell me you didn't have that persons contact info! If you do have that makes the person pretty darn dumb thief! Well anyway, it's good that ****er got caught.

-Juha

Silly "devil" forgot to take the monitor & keyboard & when he came back for them, the police were waiting.

Right now, his wife is having tea with us & begging me not to prosecute.
Unfortunately for her, it's out of my hands. It's up to the police, but as far as I am concerned they can go ahead.

At the moment, I'm thinking nasty thoughts, I've installed a wireless network adapter, & guess what, I'm the admin with password.

SHALL I or Shouldn't I? As Shakespere said "That is the question - to do or not to do"

I'll try for the audio driver later this evening, but even if I can't get it, no matter.

I am more than happy with the link provided. Thanks again

Regards

PJ

---