ED209
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Registered: Aug 2000
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Posts: 1 |
correct me if im wrong, but an increase in the processor's clock speed does not necessarily mean a proportional increase in how fast programs are executed. that is, just cause the 33MHz processor is (about) twice as fast as the clock on the regular ol deluxe model, doesnt mean that you can run stuff on it twice as fast, as well.
dont get me wrong, i mean, im no CS major or nuthin (no, wait. i AM. damn, i should know this stuff).
but, i think theres a lot more involved than JUST the clock speed. theres all the stuff like the caching, the fetching of memory, bus speed, blah blah blah. the clock isnt always the bottleneck.
sure, if you could access memory in a single clock cycle (like on a SHARC processor), it would increase proportionally. but, say, if you doubled the clock on an intel machine, you MIGHT get a 10% overall speed-up.
and, i dunno if this makes MUCH of a difference, but the prescence of an updraded OS (3.0 -> 3.5) might even add to the slowness.
aside from my ignorance of computer architecture, i AM looking forward to this new handspring device. its a shame i got a deluxe just over a month ago.
dunno if id be getting the prism or just the platinum. color does sond nice, but im concerned about:
- will the color model have less resolution than the b/w model?
- will most (all) the modules work with the prism?
- how about all the apps, im assuming since they (basicallly) use the same OS, theyll work with the prism, too?
- i DO like having rechargeable batteries. i DONT like having to recharge them. true, its a hassle to replace the batteries every other week or so. but i can imagine its not MUCH more fun having to recharge it in the cradle every other day. i like being able to be out on the road or on a trip, and if i start to get low battery, i can just slap in a fresh pair.
- i have the collapsable keyboard. i WOULD like the prism to fit it. not sure if i have much hope for it, though. i dunno. the prism is going to be rechargable. does that mean they reconfigured the physical connection on the bottom of the unit? is there an extra pin or two for power? if so, perhaps it does have a wider connection than the old model, but the keyboard just wont use it. i doubt they would go out of their way to make the prism backwards-compatible with a 3rd-party external keyboard, but ya never know.
- i guess i could do some research on this, but someday i plan on writing some apps for the visor (whatEVER model i wind up with). is there anything special about the new OS? i mean, whats different about it, anyways? anything that i, bothas a programmer and as a casual PDA user, can utilize?
ok, ive rambled on enough already. i (initially) just wanted to say that "no, a doubling of the clock speed usually doesnt mean a doubling of the overall performance".
-ed
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10-16-2000 07:03 PM
great guy too! (If you're reading this, hi Dave!))
OK so do I buy a IPAQ or Prism
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