Path: csiph.com!usenet.pasdenom.info!aioe.org!.POSTED!not-for-mail From: "Rod Pemberton" Newsgroups: comp.lang.forth Subject: Re: Maximum heap memory available to GForth when allot-ing? Date: Tue, 08 Apr 2014 06:13:21 -0400 Organization: Aioe.org NNTP Server Lines: 59 Message-ID: References: <2014Apr1.175357@mips.complang.tuwien.ac.at> <826c8e95-0671-4ddf-be55-97c9b945d587@googlegroups.com> <750df99e-e1ad-488e-b5e9-4d88ae4d454c@googlegroups.com> <87vbusp491.fsf@mosquito.pool> <1de63e9f-eeb8-4d59-96bd-17db0b1cb39b@googlegroups.com> <2c393b04-2043-445a-9a65-2fb46c4fbcd9@googlegroups.com> <16f7f83b-e0b3-4757-ba6e-33e7c8029fc0@googlegroups.com> <0764b335-9b2e-4925-843f-8325eeb8b372@googlegroups.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: CNsg4fVcCsvs3UaOgZtQCw.user.speranza.aioe.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed; delsp=yes Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Complaints-To: abuse@aioe.org User-Agent: Opera Mail/12.16 (Linux) X-Notice: Filtered by postfilter v. 0.8.2 Xref: csiph.com comp.lang.forth:29432 On Tue, 08 Apr 2014 02:25:16 -0400, wrote: > The solution to piracy however, is easy --- micro-processors need to be > serialized. If every CPU had a serial number, then every computer would > be unique. BAD IDEA! That's the solution for government tracking ("Big Brother") and stalkers. In the always connected to the Internet era, either by a personal computer or smart phone, that could result in almost all privacy being eliminated. Does "serialized" mean to have a serial number applied to it? That doesn't seem to be a standard usage or meaning. > The reason why the processor-manufacturers don't serialize processors > (it is easy from a technical stand-point), is because the buyers of > computers aren't demanding it --- and the reason why the buyers aren't > demanding it, is because most computer-programmers are providing them > with free software --- the average computer user considers programmers > to be altruists (and they consider "altruist" to be a synonym for > "serf"). First, some x86 microprocessors already have a unique serial number that can be retrieved via software. Second, I'm sure Microsoft has pressured Intel and AMD to provide a unique serial number for each processor. Microsoft currently goes to great lengths to construct a unique identifier for each computer within their more recent operating systems. Third, there is already an abundance of unique identifiers or serial numbers available in modern computers and cell phones. Each cell phone has three serial numbers (IMEI, ICC-ID, IMSI). One is for the cell phone proper, while two are for the SIM card. Each digital camera, be it standalone and cell phone, stores EXIF metadata in digital pictures. Each x86 computer has a variety of identifiers such as ethernet MAC address, CMOS machine identifier, BIOS serial number, CDROM/DVD serial numbers, unique volume serial numbers for hard disks, partitions, floppies, USB drives, also software serial numbers in most commercial software and the data files they create, "invisible" yellow dots printed by printers to track the printer and prevent counterfeiting of U.S. currency, as well as a variety of unique identifiers for software and hardware: CLSID, GUID, UUID, OID, SID, etc. Of course, most of them are not permanent and so can be changed, although that's somewhat infrequent. Rod Pemberton