AMD Revises Opteron Roadmaps, Pushes Out Rev Gs
by Timothy Prickett Morgan

Hoping to build some confidence in its processor roadmaps, Advanced Micro Devices last week was talking more specifically about its Opteron and Athlon X64 processor plans between now and 2010. With the difficulties of the 'Barcelona' quad-core Rev F Opterons for two-socket and larger machines behind it and the "Budapest" quad-core variants for single-socket boxes coming this quarter, AMD has taken a hard look at its roadmaps and made some important changes--changes that should improve its chances of keeping pace with a resurgent Intel. READ MORE >

New and Updated Barcelona Boxes Debut from Sun
by Timothy Prickett Morgan

In an effort to expand its footprint in the X64 server space and use every advantage it can bring to bear on customer sales, server and operating system maker Sun Microsystems is this week officially rolling out an updated 'Galaxy' X64 server line based on the "Barcelona" quad-core Opteron 2000 and 8000 series. The revamping of the Galaxy line includes three new machines, two of which are akin to existing designs already launched using Intel Xeon processors, as well as updates to two existing Galaxy products. READ MORE >

Java Performance Is OS Agnostic on Power6 Gear
by Timothy Prickett Morgan

Way back when, in the dawn of time--well, about a decade ago when IBM first caught the Java bug and decided that this would be the language of choice on its commercial servers and their operating systems--the software engineering teams in Rochester, Minnesota, and Toronto, Ontario, worked diligently to take advantage of the 64-bit addressing that OS/400 had and that many Unixes of the time lacked. The idea was simple: If Java was going to be the imposed lingua franca for future application development, then OS/400 would speak it fluently--and fast. READ MORE >

As I See It: Soothing the Savage Programmer
by Victor Rozek

Dr. Masaru Emoto has a gentle, curious face and a facile mind with which he probes the bumpy intersection of science and metaphysics. Using a dark-field microscope with photographic capabilities, he researches the effects of external factors on the molecular structure of water. Not just such obvious influences as pollution, but much more esoteric factors not commonly thought to possess substance-altering properties, such as thoughts, words, and music. READ MORE >