Prediction articles:
2020: A consumer electronics forecast for the year(s) ahead
AI Chips: What Will 2020 Bring?
CEO Outlook: 2020 Vision: 5G, China and AI are prominent, but big changes are coming everywhere
Top 10 Tech Failures From 2019 That Hint At 2020 Trends – Last year’s tech failures often turn into next year’s leading trends
Trends:
AMD’s 7nm Ryzen 4000 CPUs are here to take on Intel’s 10nm Ice Lake laptop chips
Top 9 challenges IT leaders will face in 2020: From skills shortages to privacy concerns
From the oil rig to the lake: a shift in perspective on data
In December 2020, the new IEC/EN 62368-1 will replace the existing safety standards EN 60950-1 and EN 60065-1
Use of technology money outside company IT department is the new normal
Tech to try:
12 Alternative Operating Systems You Can Use In 2020
CONTINUOUS INTEGRATION: WHAT IT IS AND WHY YOU NEED IT
Research:
Universal memory coming? New type of non-volatile general purpose memory on research, some call it UltraRAM.
1,318 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
Printable Organic Dual-Base Transistors Offer High Performance, Low Power Draw, and Flexibility
Breakthrough production could lead to affordable, all-organic roll-up and foldable displays for future TVs and smartphones.
https://www.hackster.io/news/printable-organic-dual-base-transistors-offer-high-performance-low-power-draw-and-flexibility-8c875d49343d
Tomi Engdahl says:
Lost in the advanced IC packaging labyrinth? Know these 10 basic terms
https://www.edn.com/lost-in-the-advanced-ic-packaging-labyrinth-know-these-10-basic-terms/
Tomi Engdahl says:
HISTORY
Maailman vanhimman tietokoneen manuaali löytyi – kehitettiin natsien nenän alla
Maailman vanhimmalla tietokoneella on varsin värikäs historia. Nyt Z4:n käyttöopas on löytynyt.
https://www.mikrobitti.fi/uutiset/maailman-vanhimman-tietokoneen-manuaali-loytyi-kehitettiin-natsien-nenan-alla/95dda5f0-5cf6-4f8e-abab-04c50383e63b
Missing manual for world’s oldest surviving computer found
https://boingboing.net/2020/09/26/missing-manual-for-worlds-oldest-surviving-computer-found.html
The long-lost manual for the Zuse Z4, the oldest surviving digital computer has been found.
The Z4 was the last computer the Nazis invented.
Tomi Engdahl says:
What’s new in Windows 10 version 20H2
Microsoft’s getting ready to release another feature update for Windows 10. This one’s a minor update, with just a handful of changes. Here’s what you can expect.
https://www.zdnet.com/article/whats-new-in-windows-10-version-20h2/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft’s OS joins macOS and Linux at the Flutter party, but guess which one performs best? Hint: It’s not Windows
Google’s cross-platform development tool targets the Windows desktop with support now in alpha
https://www.theregister.com/2020/09/23/flutter_targets_the_windows_desktop/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Intel 14nm and AMD/TSMC 7nm transistors micro-compared
https://m.hexus.net/tech/news/cpu/145645-intel-14nm-amdtsmc-7nm-transistors-micro-compared/
Overclocking expert der8auer examined an Intel Core i7-8700K under a scanning electron microscope (SEM) a couple of years ago when that processor was one of Intel’s best consumer offerings. This was an interesting exercise but in a recent YouTube video series der8auer has been leading up to a direct comparison between the current state-of-the-art Intel Core i9-10900K and the AMD Ryzen 9 3950X. The former is an Intel 14nm+++ production chip and the latter made for AMD by TSMC on its 7nm process. You probably expect the actual transistor size revealed by the SEM to be rather different…
In the main picture, above, you can see the first direct comparison you can see the transistor sizes of the two chips are very similar when the SEM zooms in to the same magnification. Gate height is very similar but with the guidelines superimposed in the comparison below you can see that TSMC has indeed produced a processor with tighter spacing between the transistors
Having looked at the above comparison, and highlighted it in his video, der8auer challenges the obvious conclusion that Intel 14nm+++ and TSMC 7nm are very similar in physical scale, reminding viewers that the above pictures don’t fully represent the 3D structure that is so important to modern chip optimisation.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Another metric, probably worth closer consideration is transistor density, as revealed by the chip fabricators. Intel 10 nm and TSMC 7nm processes both produce dies with approx 90 million transistors per sq millimetre. Moving forward both Intel and TSMC are targeting approx 150MT/mm² for their upcoming 7nm and 5nm processes, respectively.
https://m.hexus.net/tech/news/cpu/145645-intel-14nm-amdtsmc-7nm-transistors-micro-compared/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Is a smaller manufacturing process always better? Intel’s 10nm SuperFin suggests otherwise
https://venturebeat.com/2020/09/21/is-smaller-always-better-in-chips-intels-new-10nm-superfin-technology-suggests-otherwise/
When it comes to manufacturing technology, we’re taught that smaller transistors are better. They switch faster and use less power. They take up less space, carving out room for more cores, more cache, and ultimately better performance. And when foundries can fit more dies onto the same sized silicon wafer, costs go down. It’s no surprise that the technology world anticipates each process shrink with bated breath.
But not all nodes are created equal. Back in 2017, Mark Bohr, Intel’s former director of process architecture and integration, claimed the company’s 14nm process had about a three-year lead over the competition’s 10nm technology with similar density. In this case, density refers to the number of transistors packed into a unit of area (typically square millimeters). Interestingly enough, he also showed that enhanced versions of Intel’s 14nm node would actually outperform its first 10nm effort, albeit at higher active power consumption.
Today, enhanced 10nm transistors play a key role in helping Intel’s new Tiger Lake mobile platform hit higher clock rates compared to the previous-gen Ice Lake design. The transistors are simultaneously faster and more efficient than any preceding process, rivaling the competition’s 7nm technology. How is such a thing possible? Intel says it’s focusing on manufacturing innovations beyond traditional feature scaling, such as new materials and device architectures. Intel calls the resulting node 10nm SuperFin.
Intel’s 10nm process incorporates contact over active gate (COAG) technology, too. According to Kaizad Mistry, co-director of logic technology development at Intel, moving the contact from its traditional position next to the transistor to right above it improves area scaling by 10%.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft kills off Windows 10 update that had been slowing down PCs
https://www.techradar.com/in/news/microsoft-kills-off-windows-10-update-that-had-been-slowing-down-pcs
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.tweaktown.com/news/75239/amds-next-gen-ryzen-9-5900x-cpu-12-core-24-thread-intel-destroyer/index.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
How to Run Windows 10 From a USB Drive
Loading and running Windows 10 from a USB drive is a handy option when you’re using a computer saddled with an older version of Windows.
https://uk.pcmag.com/migrated-70846-windows-10/88253/how-to-run-windows-10-from-a-usb-drive
Tomi Engdahl says:
Intel Core i7-1185G7 reference design laptop benchmarks confirm iGPU gains over the AMD Ryzen 7 4800U in a Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7 but the CPU part still suffers from core count envy
https://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-Core-i7-1185G7-reference-design-laptop-benchmarks-confirm-iGPU-gains-over-the-AMD-Ryzen-7-4800U-in-a-Lenovo-IdeaPad-Slim-7-but-the-CPU-part-still-suffers-from-core-count-envy.494786.0.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Truth About That Pic Of A Russian Priest Sprinkling Holy Water On Central Bank Servers
https://www.businessinsider.com/russian-priest-central-bank-internet-trolling-2014-12?amp
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.tomshardware.com/news/third-party-gpu-makers-respond-to-nvidia-rtx-30-series-crash-to-desktop-issues
Tomi Engdahl says:
Top 10 Digital Transformation Trends For 2021
https://www.forbes.com/sites/danielnewman/2020/09/21/top-10-digital-transformation-trends-for-2021/
No one could have predicted where 2020 would take us: The last six months alone have produced more digital transformation than the last decade, with every transformation effort already underway finding itself accelerated, and at scale. While many of my digital transformation predictions from a year ago benefited from this shift, others were displaced by more urgent needs, like 24/7 secure and reliable connectivity. What does this mean for 2021? Will core technologies like AI and data analytics still dominate headlines, or will we see newer, previously emerging technologies take the lead? Only time will tell, but here are my top ten digital transformation predictions for 2021.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Windows to become emulation layer atop Linux kernel, predicts Eric Raymond
Happening in plain sight with Proton, WSL and Edge-for-Linux, says open source advocate
https://www.theregister.com/2020/09/28/eric_raymond_linux_beats_windows_prediction/
Open-source software advocate Eric S Raymond has penned an argument that the triumph of Linux on the desktop is imminent because Microsoft will soon tire of Windows.
Raymond’s argument, posted to his blog late last week, kicked off with some frank admiration for Windows Subsystem For Linux, the tech that lets Linux binaries run under Windows. He noted that Microsoft is making kernel contributions just to improve WSL.
http://esr.ibiblio.org/?p=8764
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Future Of Business Innovation Is Not Based On Coding Alone
Accelerate innovation with APIs, no-code, and automation.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/googlecloud/2020/09/08/the-future-of-business-innovation-is-not-based-on-coding-alone/
Tomi Engdahl says:
//That’s a lot of YAML https://noyaml.com
Tomi Engdahl says:
ECMAScript 2020 biggest new features
https://areknawo.com/ecmascript-2020-biggest-new-features/
It’s June and this means that the new 11th edition of ECMA-262 standard defining the ECMAScript and thus JavaScript language will be out shortly. Now, as you might know from my previous article about ECMAScript and the one about ES2019 features, JavaScript, ever since the introduction of ES6, is experiencing kind-of a rolling release cycle. This means that while new editions of the ES specification go through the whole proposal, discussion, approval and finalization process, individual features often appear much earlier in different browsers than the yearly specification release.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Highlights of the day: TSMC 3nm monthly output to reach 100,000 wafers
https://www.digitimes.com/news/a20200925VL200.html?chid=9
emand for TSMC’s advanced process support has been strong. The foundry is set to move the 3nm node to volume production in 2022, with monthly output expected to reach 100,000 wafers in 2023. It remains to be seen whether Huawei – banished by the US from large parts of the IT world – could receive capacity support from TSMC again. Handset retailers in China are raising prices for Huawei smartphones that are powered by the vendor’s in-house-developed, TSMC-made Kirin chips, expecting them to be out of stock soon. Meanwhile, memory module firms expect demand to pick up during fourth-quarter shopping season, but falling DRAM and NAND prices will continue to heap pressure on their profitability.
TSMC to ramp up 3nm chip production starting 2H22: TSMC is on track to enter 3nm chip production with monthly output set to reach 55,000 wafers in the second half of 2022, according to sources familiar with the matter. The 3nm process output will climb further to 100,000 units in 2023.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Piirien rakenne muuttuu 2 nanometrissä
https://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11208&via=n&datum=2020-09-28_15:38:00&mottagare=31202
Taiwanilainen TSMC on aasialaisraporttien mukaan tehnyt läpimurron, joka mahdollistaa sirujen valmistamisen peräti 2 nanometrin viivanleveydellä. Tiettävästi kahteen nanometriin siirrytään testimielessä vuonna 2023 ja volyymituotannossa vuotta myöhemmin.
Tällä hetkellä TSMC:n uusin valmistusprosessi on ensimmäisen sukupolven 5 nanometrin prosessi, jota käytetään esimerkiksi Applen tulevien iPhone 12 -puhelimien prosessorien valmistukseen. Kyse on 5 nanometrissä edelleen FinFET-transistoreissa, joissa ”fin” viittaa transistorin evämäiseen rakenteeseen.
FinFETin sijaan TSMC:n 2 nanometrin transistorissa käytetään erilaista rakennetta, jota kutsutaan nimellä MBCFET (Multi-Bridge Channel Field Effect). Kyse on rakenteesta, joka täydentää edellisiä FinFET-malleja.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Can China Become the World Leader in Semiconductors?
China’s semiconductor industry faces considerable challenges in reaching global leadership status. But don’t assume it’s impossible.
https://thediplomat.com/2020/09/can-china-become-the-world-leader-in-semiconductors/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Deals That Change The Chip Industry
Nvidia-Arm is just the beginning; more acquisitions are on the horizon.
https://semiengineering.com/deals-that-change-the-chip-industry/
Tomi Engdahl says:
IC Packaging, Testing Industry Growth at Almost 9%
The production value of the local integrated circuit (IC) packaging and testing industry is expected to grow almost 9% from a year earlier in 2020 on the back of the booming “stay at home economy” in the Internet era, the Market Intelligence and Consulting Institute (MIC) said. In addition, the emerging 5G technology as well as the launch of new products by international smartphone brands …
https://focustaiwan.tw/business/202009250019
Tomi Engdahl says:
Worldwide Wearables Market Forecast to Maintain Double-Digit Growth in 2020 and Through 2024
Global shipments of wearable devices are expected to total 396.0 million units in 2020 according to new data from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide
https://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS46885820%20
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2020/09/28/pc-cases-are-still-stuck-in-the-dark-ages-but-we-can-fix-this/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2020/09/28/boot-sector-pong-as-a-crash-course-in-assembly/
Boot Sector Pong As A Crash Course In Assembly
Tomi Engdahl says:
Remote Work Spurs Desktop Performance Increases
https://www.eetimes.com/remote-work-spurs-desktop-performance-increases/
Tomi Engdahl says:
”Olemme jääneet pahasti jälkeen” – Eurooppalaisia it-jättejä tarvitaan tai raha valuu muualle
https://www.tivi.fi/uutiset/tv/7dfc652d-7a90-4d77-b139-58fa494c7f22
Efecten toimitusjohtaja Niilo Fredrikson toivoo Euroopan panostavan it-yritysten kasvattamiseen. Samaa mieltä oli tilaisuudessa puhunut Risto Siilasmaa.
Eurooppa on alustatalouden markkinoilla jäänyt merkittävästi jälkeen Pohjois-Amerikan ja Aasian suurimpien yritysten kasvusta, suomalaisen saas-yritys Efecten toimitusjohtaja Niilo Fredrikson sanoo. Hän toivoo Euroopassa panostettavan digialustojen kehittämiseen ja paikallisten ratkaisujen käyttämiseen.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Cyber security news following
https://www.designnews.com/industry/25-fastest-growing-computer-hardware-companies-2020
These 25 hot privately held computer hardware companies posted an eye-popping average of 195 percent annual growth this year.
The Inc. magazine annual roundup of the 5000 fastest-growing privately held companies in America includes a computer hardware category. Some of these companies are resellers targeting commercial, government, or education markets, while others make their own hardware, such as wireless keyboards and protective cases and some assemble their own PCs to customers’ exact specifications.
Tomi Engdahl says:
What?
Full-Stack-Fortran
A toolchain to compile Fortran to Webassembly.
https://github.com/StarGate01/Full-Stack-Fortran
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft is giving Windows on ARM a much-needed boost
Windows on ARM is about to get lots of apps thanks to new x64 emulation
https://www.theverge.com/2020/9/30/21495510/microsoft-windows-on-arm-x64-app-emulation
Microsoft is giving Windows on ARM a much-needed boost
Microsoft is officially revealing it’s working on x64 app emulation support for Windows on ARM today. Currently, Windows on ARM devices like the Surface Pro X can only run native 32- and 64-bit ARM apps, alongside 32-bit x86 apps. The vast majority of desktop apps, including Adobe’s Creative Suite, have moved to 64-bit x86 and many have stopped supporting their 32-bit variants.
This has left devices like the Surface Pro X unable to access certain apps, but Microsoft’s new emulation support will mean any and all Windows apps will now work on Windows on ARM. The new x64 emulation support will start rolling out to Windows Insider testers in November and should arrive in a broader operating system update next year.
Microsoft confirmed the support in a blog post today, also revealing that Microsoft Edge will be improved to be faster on ARM devices and use less battery. A native Microsoft Teams client is also coming to Windows on ARM, and Visual Studio Code has been updated and optimized for ARM-based devices.
Now more essential than ever — the role of the Windows PC has changed
https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2020/09/30/now-more-essential-than-ever-the-role-of-the-windows-pc-has-changed/
We are excited about the momentum we are seeing from app partners embracing Windows 10 on ARM, taking advantage of the power and performance benefits of Qualcomm Snapdragon processors. We heard your feedback and are making Microsoft Edge faster while using less battery, and announced that we will soon release a native Microsoft Teams client optimized for Windows 10 on ARM. We will also expand support for running x64 apps, with x64 emulation starting to roll out to the Windows Insider Program in November. Because developers asked, Visual Studio code has also been updated and optimized for Windows 10 on ARM.
For organizations, we’re committed to helping them ensure their apps work with Windows 10 and Microsoft 365 Apps on ARM64 devices with App Assure. We are working closely with Acer, HP, Lenovo, Samsung and Surface to bring these Windows 10 on ARM innovations and products to our shared customers.
Our company mission, to empower every person and organization on the planet to achieve more, drives us. It reminds us that there isn’t one PC that will work for all — offering choice is critical. Today, we’re pleased to share some of the latest PC innovations from our OEM partners.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Windows 10 Can Now Make and Receive Android Phone Calls
https://uk.pcmag.com/windows-10/122971/windows-10-can-now-make-and-receive-android-phone-calls
The latest Windows 10 Insider Preview Build adds support for using your PC speakers and microphone to handle calls from your linked Android phone.
Microsoft made it clear back in August at the Samsung Unpacked event that it wanted to allow Android phone calls to be possible through Windows 10. Now the feature has rolled out in the latest Insider Preview build of the operating system.
The new Calls feature forms part of the existing Your Phone app which already allowed texting, notifications, and file transfers between an Android device and Windows. Linking your Android device to Windows 10 is easy. Now it allows you to leave your Android phone in your bag or pocket and make/receive calls through Windows 10.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Trump Kneecaps Chip Giant SMIC Over ‘Concerns’ US Exports Being Shared With Chinese Military
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/trump-kneecaps-chinese-chip-giant-simc-over-concerns-us-exports-being-shared-military
Trump Administration is moving to cut off Semiconduct Manufacturing International Corporation – or SMIC – China’s biggest producer of microchips, with wafer fabrication sites all across the mainland, off from US-made supplies. A letter obtained by the FT dated on Friday orders American companies not to send any more products to SMIC.
The administration argued that the products pose an “unacceptable risk” of being diverted to “military end use,” according to a copy of the letter seen by the Financial Times. Just like sanctions on Huawei, the move threatens to cut off China’s biggest chipmaker from crucial US software and chipmaking equipment. Any companies that do want to export to SMIC will need to secure a special license from the Commerce Department.
“It all depends on how the US implements this. In the worst-case scenario, SMIC is completely cut off, which would severely set back China’s ability to produce chips. This would be a tipping point for US-China relations,”
The administration’s sanctions against Huawei have already seriously impacted SMIC. The rules appeared almost explicitly designed to stop SIMC from supplying certain chips to its largest customer, Huawei.
To be sure, Chinese law requires all companies to cooperate with intelligence and military forces if so ordered by Beijing
Tomi Engdahl says:
Intel’s Roadmap: A Closer Look at Process Technologies and Production Plans
https://www.eetimes.com/intels-roadmap-a-closer-look-at-process-technologies-and-production-plans/
At its Architecture Day last month Intel Corp. disclosed some additional details about its upcoming process technologies and how they will affect its product lineup from 2020 and onwards. Furthermore, the Intel’s roadmap revealed its packaging technologies roadmap, which is crucial for its next-generation CPUs, GPUs, FPGAs, and other products for different market segments. Finally, the company disclosed its new chiplet ideology that promises to change the way how Intel builds its chips.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Foundry Boom Highlights Strategic Chip Technology
https://www.eetimes.com/foundry-boom-highlights-strategic-chip-technology/
As semiconductors move front and center in the technology Cold War with China, readers need look no further than recent foundry sales forecasts to see how chip prowess underpins everything from AI to 5G wireless.
Pure-play foundry sales are forecast to jump 19 percent this year after declining 1 percent in 2019 and registering anemic growth over the last several years. The key driver is ten-fold increase in 5G handset shipments, according to IC Insights, which estimates 200 million handsets will be shipped this year. Others are predicting shipments will reach 250 million.
The foundry sales forecast, if realized, would be strongest gain since 2014. Moreover, the market tracker is forecasting uninterrupted growth in pure-play foundry sales through 2024, when global foundry sales are predicted to reach $ 90.9 billion. That total represents a doubling of foundry sales in a single decade.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Silicon-Based Quantum-Junction Power Transistors Demonstrate WBG-Like Performance
Quantum-tunneling junction technology promises to enable production of smaller, more efficient, and easier-to-produce semiconductors for digital, analog, and power applications.
https://www.electronicdesign.com/power-management/whitepaper/21143272/siliconbased-quantumjunction-power-transistors-demonstrate-wbglike-performance?utm_source=EG+ED+Analog+%26+Power+Source&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CPS200924060&o_eid=7211D2691390C9R&rdx.ident%5Bpull%5D=omeda%7C7211D2691390C9R&oly_enc_id=7211D2691390C9R
Tomi Engdahl says:
Maailman suurin FPGA: 32 miljardin transistorin jättipiiri
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/11223-maailman-suurin-fpga-32-miljardin-transistorin-jattipiiri
Tomi Engdahl says:
SMIC supplier moves China one small step closer to chip self-sufficiency with purchase of used ASML system
https://www.scmp.com/tech/innovation/article/3103674/smic-supplier-moves-china-one-small-step-closer-chip-self
Suzhou-based chemical supplier paid just over US$11 million to buy the Dutch-made lithography machine from South Korea’s SK Hynix
China relies exclusively on imports for high-end photoresist materials used in semiconductor manufacturing
Tomi Engdahl says:
Global IC foundry output to surge 17% in 2020, says Digitimes Research
https://www.digitimes.com/news/a20200930PD206.html
The global IC foundry industry output is forecast to increase 17% to US$70 billion in 2020, and rise another 6.8% in 2021, according to Digitimes Research’s latest report.
Despite the coronavirus pandemic and US-China trade tensions’ impacts on the global semiconductor supply chain and overall demand, the output in 2020 will still be driven up by a number of factors.
Demand created by stay-at-home activities is expected to remain robust in the second half of 2020, and the semiconductor supply chain has been ramping up orders to stock up extra inventory as a precaution amid tight foundry capacity.
As 5G smartphones will see increased penetration rates, and new CPUs for high performance computing (HPC) applications will be launched, orders with upstream wafer foundries will continue to rise in the second half of 2020.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and Samsung Electronics will continue expanding their capacity, unaffected the pandemic.
Tomi Engdahl says:
System-Level Packaging Tradeoffs
Growing complexity is creating an array of confusing options.
https://semiengineering.com/system-level-packaging-tradeoffs/
Leading-edge applications such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, automotive, and 5G, all require high bandwidth, higher performance, lower power and lower latency. They also need to do this for the same or less money.
The solution may be disaggregating the SoC onto multiple die in a package, bringing memory closer to processing elements and delivering faster turnaround time. But the tradeoffs for making this happen are becoming increasingly complex, regardless of the advanced packaging approaches.
In PCB-based systems, there are lots of devices on one board. Over time, as scaling allows for tighter integration and increased density, it is possible to bring everything together onto a single die. But this also is swelling the size of some designs, which actually can exceed reticle size even at the most advanced process nodes.
But choosing what to keep on the same die, what components to put on other die, and how to package them all together presents a lot of choices.
“2.5D and 3D is making this very complex, and people cannot always understand what’s going on,”
Tomi Engdahl says:
COVID-19 accelerates the digitalization of enterprises
https://www.controleng.com/articles/covid-19-accelerates-the-digitalization-of-enterprises/?oly_enc_id=0462E3054934E2U
Facing pressure and uncertainty from COVID-19, manufacturing companies need to improve innovation, agility and adaptability as it applies to products, services, operations, and employee developments.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Verge:
HP debuts 14-inch Spectre x360 laptop with a 3:2 aspect ratio, 11th-gen Intel processors, Thunderbolt 4, and AI-based noise removal features, starting at $1,199
HP’s new Spectre x360 14 laptop has a 3:2 aspect ratio plus a Thunderbolt 4 port hiding in the corner
Plus updates for Spectre x360 13 and HP’s Envy lineup
https://www.theverge.com/2020/10/2/21497532/hp-spectre-x360-14-13-envy-intel-tiger-lake-price-specs-release-date?scrolla=5eb6d68b7fedc32c19ef33b4
HP has just announced several new laptops, including the Spectre x360 14 convertible, which brings some notable improvements compared to its already-impressive 13-inch predecessor: a 3:2 aspect ratio display, a 16 percent larger touchpad, quad speakers, and a Thunderbolt 4 port located in one of its diamond-shaped corners so you can plug in your all-in-one cable for charging, data, external monitors and peripherals even if the back or sides of the machine are blocked. There’s also a physical button you can press on the keyboard to block the webcam.
The three-pound HP Spectre x360 14 is equipped with Intel’s latest 11th Gen “Tiger Lake” processors, specifically up to a quad-core 28W Intel Core i7-1165G7 with Intel’s Xe integrated graphics onboard; just one step below the chip that impressed us in a recent Tiger Lake test. HP says the new laptop should be up to 34 percent faster than last year’s Spectre x360 13 model.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Jim Salter / Ars Technica:
Survey of 500+ North American developers: ~50% say they manage at least 100 times more code than they did in 2010
Sourcegraph: Devs are managing 100x more code now than they did in 2010
Developers manage more code, in more languages, for more platforms than ever.
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2020/10/sourcegraph-devs-are-managing-100x-more-code-now-than-they-did-in-2010/
Sourcegraph, a company specializing in universal code search, polled more than 500 North American software developers to identify issues in code complexity and management. Its general findings are probably no surprise to most Ars readers—software has gotten bigger, more complex, and much more important in the past ten years—but the sheer scope can be surprising.
Before diving into the data, it’s important to understand the angle the survey is coming from. Sourcegraph’s own business model is enabling code search at an enterprise scale—which means not just grep -r’ing your way through a directory, but simultaneously searching across a potentially vast array of repositories, both local and cloud, and with support for just about any language you can think of.
This sort of universal, parallel search—for example, you might query `repo:^github\.com/sourcegraph/ f:dockerfile apt-get|apk` to find all instances of Docker files installing Debian packages in a set of Github repositories—becomes increasingly important as both the scale and technological diversity of a project grows.
Sourcegraph refers to a sort of critical mass of this technological complexity as Big Code, and the developer survey—contracted through third-party Dimensional Research—attempts to get a handle on the scale and scope of that growth.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Tom Warren / The Verge:
Microsoft unveils $549 Surface Laptop Go with smaller 12.4″ display, 10th-gen Intel Core i5, in three color variants, preorders start today, shipping October 13 — This new Surface laptop is smaller, lighter, and less powerful — Microsoft is introducing a new Surface Laptop Go today …
Microsoft’s new $549 Surface Laptop Go aims to compete with Chromebooks
This new Surface laptop is smaller, lighter, and less powerful
https://www.theverge.com/21496684/microsoft-surface-laptop-go-price-release-date-specs?scrolla=5eb6d68b7fedc32c19ef33b4
Tomi Engdahl says:
Cherlynn Low / Engadget:
Microsoft updates Surface Pro X with a faster SQ2 processor and a new platinum color, starting at $1,500, says it made ARM-optimized versions of Teams and Edge
https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-surface-pro-x-2020-sq2-processor-130041584.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Verge:
Facebook moderators at Accenture say they were told to return to the office despite the pandemic; Facebook says their work can’t be done remotely — Employees are concerned about COVID-19 now that they’re being told to return starting October 12th — Facebook moderators employed …
https://www.theverge.com/2020/10/1/21497789/facebook-content-moderators-accenture-return-office-coronavirus?scrolla=5eb6d68b7fedc32c19ef33b4
Tomi Engdahl says:
Should You Build For Windows, Mac, IOS, Android, Or Linux? Yes!
https://hackaday.com/2020/10/01/should-you-build-for-windows-mac-ios-android-or-linux-yes/
The holy grail of computer languages is to write code once and have it deploy effortlessly everywhere. Java likes to take credit for the idea, but UCSD P-Code was way before that and you could argue that mainframes had I/O abstraction like Fortran unit numbers even earlier. More modern efforts include Qt, GTK, and other things. Naturally, all of these fall short in some way. Now Google enters the fray with Flutter.
Flutter isn’t new, but in the past, it only handled Android and iOS. Now it can target desktop platforms and can even produce JavaScript. We haven’t played with the system enough to say how successful it is, but you can try it in your browser if you want some first-hand experience.
Flutter uses Dart and support for the Mac and Windows is considered alpha quality. If you know any traditional language like C++ or Python, you won’t have any trouble with Dart.
https://flutter.dev/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/11230-vmworld-ehka-dellin-pitaisi-paastaa-irti-vmwaresta
Tomi Engdahl says:
Here’s why PC builders are demanding to know how many capacitors are in the RTX 3080
You know what also starts with a C? Crashing
https://www.theverge.com/2020/9/29/21493946/nvidia-rtx-3080-capacitors-crashing-issues