[filmscanners] Re: Digital Darkroom Computer Builders?

["Anthony Atkielski" <anthony@atkielski.com>]

Robert writes:

> The problems of running out of physical memory
> are little to do with the limit of 2/4 Gig. Its
> far more to do with the MicroBloat OS and
> associated programs.

No, problems with physical memory tend to be linked to certain types of
applications, such as image-processing applications (both still and moving
images), database managers, and the like.  The very vast majority of
applications are quite happy with 2-4 GB.  It has nothing to do with the OS.

> Photoshop is a good example of something that
> comes from an atrocious memory model, and fails
> to ditch it for a better one ...

I agree--although the atrocious memory model in that case was the Mac OS.

> ... OSX should drag it into reality.

Adobe doesn't even want to admit that there is a problem, much less fix it.
Adobe, like Microsoft and just about every other vendor, is interested
primarily in bloating Photoshop with features in order to drive update
cycles.

> We need 64 bit - not for better MM w.r.t programs,
> but addressability for massive file systems.

Sixty-four bit certainly would not hurt.

> Its arseholes like us who continue to accept
> bloat and poor coding - throwing more money
> and hardware at what we think is our problem.

Photoshop has no competition to speak off.  Operating systems have no real
competition, either (you can always change operating systems, but that
involves moving to a completely different environment, which is extremely
hard to justify).

> Its the "Software Engineers" fault, although
> I dread to think we can classify all programmers
> as SE's.

There are precious few programmers whom I'd consider true software
engineers.  For example, I expect a software engineer to be able to compose
a paragraph without grammar or spelling errors, and most programmers cannot
do that.

> You might note that Im a Unix/Linux user, who
> suffers far less than MSoft people.

Only because Linux is relatively new.  That will change.  Other flavors of
UNIX are unlikely to be affected, but Linux will fall into the same trap
that now holds the Mac and Windows.  It already has, to some extent.

Unfortunately Linux is not really an option for 99.999% of all users.

> He was one hell of a man - and one staggering
> Engineer - gets my vote.

I was thinking of software engineers, who tend to be far less responsible
than their peers in other types of engineering.

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