pcplantdb

["Lawrence F. London, Jr." <lfl@intrex.net>]

This should represent implications for PIW users in the future who will 
download data and various media files
from PIW to their personal library collections for reference and research 
purposes.  LL

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<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4246569.stm>

The world is casting its gaze on the Cell processor for the first time,
but what is so important about it, and why is it so different?
The backers of the processor are big names in the computer industry.
IBM is one of the largest and most respected chip-makers in the world,
providing cutting edge technology to large businesses. Sony will be using
the chip inside its PlayStation 3 console, and its dominance of the games
market means that it now has a lot of power to dictate the future of computer
and gaming platforms. The technology inside the Cell is being heralded as
revolutionary, from a technical standpoint. Traditional computers - whether
they are household PCs or PlayStation 2s - use a single processor to carry
out the calculations that run the computer. The Cell technology, on the other
hand, uses multiple Cell processors linked together to run lots of 
calculations
simultaneously. Order of magnitude This gives it processing power an order of
magnitude above its competitors. Whilst its rivals are working on similar
technology, it is Sony's which is the most advanced. The speed of computer
memory has been slowly increasing over the last few years, but the memory
technology that accompanies the Cell is a huge leap in performance. They
hope that the Cell processor can become the dominant technology in the
living room, shutting out their rivals. Using a technology called XDR,
created by American firm Rambus, memory can run up to eight times faster
than the current standard being promoted by Intel. Perhaps more important
than any of the technology is the Cell's role in the imminent "war on living
rooms". The big trend predicted for this year is the convergence of computers
with home entertainment devices such as DVD players and hi-fis. Companies like
Microsoft and Sony believe that there is a lot of money to be made by putting
a computer underneath the TV of every household and then offering services 
such
as music and video downloads, as well as giving an individual access to all
the media they already own in one place. Microsoft has already made its first
tactical move into this area with its Windows Media Center software, which has
been adopted by many PC makers. Sony had a stab at something similar with the
PSX - a variation on the PlayStation - last year in Japan, although this 
attempt
was generally seen as a failure. Both companies believe that increasing the
capabilities of games consoles, to make them as powerful as PCs, will make the
technology accessible enough to persuade buyers to give them pride of place on
the video rack. Cell processor. Sony and IBM want to make sure that the 
dominance
of the PC market enjoyed by Microsoft and Intel is not allowed to extend to 
this
market. By creating a radically new architecture, and using that architecture 
in
a games console that is sure to be a huge seller, they hope that the Cell 
processor
can become the dominant technology in the living room, shutting out their 
rivals.
Once they have established themselves under the TV, there is no doubt that 
they
hope to use this as a base camp to extend their might into our traditional PCs
and instigate a regime change on the desktop. Cell is, in fact, specifically
designed to be deployed throughout the house. The links between the multiple
processors can also be extended to reach Cell processors in entirely different
systems. Vast home network Sony hopes to put Cells in televisions, kitchen
appliances and anywhere that could use any sort of computer chip. Each Cell
will be linked to the others, creating a vast home network of computing power.
Resources of the Cells across the house can be pooled to provide more power,
and the links can also be used to enable devices to talk to each other, so 
that
you can programme your microwave from your TV, for example. This digital home
of the future depends on the widespread adoption of the Cell processor and 
there
are, as with all things, a number of reasons it could fail. Because the 
processor
is so different, it requires programmers to learn a different way of writing
software, and it may be that the changeover is simply too difficult for them 
to
master. You can also guarantee that Microsoft and Intel are not going to sit
around and let Cell take over home computing without a fight. Microsoft is 
going
to be pushing its Xbox 2 as hard as possible to make sure that its technology,
not Sony's, will be under your tree next Christmas. Intel will be furiously 
working
on new designs that address the problems of its current chips to create a 
rival
technology to Cell, so that it doesn't lose its desktop PC dominance. If Cell
succeeds in becoming the living room technology of choice, however, it could
provide the jump-start to the fully digital home of the future. The revolution
might not be televised, but it could well be played with a videogame 
controller.