I have released the first free CBTs on Beowulf/HPCC/SuperComputing (in English language) on my other website (http://www.wbitt.com) .
Here is the article text:-
I feel great pride and satisfaction today, to announce to you gentlemen, that I have made (first?) “free” CBTs / videos of HPCC in English language, and released them (free of cost) on my website: http://www.wbitt.com . This is my first step towards the objective to see “A SuperComputer on every desk!”. And I hope to have more strength and ability to continue serving the community.
The ultimate goal is kind of too big to summarize in words. By sharing these videos (and more), I hope to see more educated, more experienced HPC system administrators / cluster administrators in future. Also, a whole new breed of HPC programmers, as now, they should have a very affordable platform to develop their HPC programs. I also hope to see HPC being utilized in almost all fields of life. In my opinion, industry giants have somehow, made HPC, sort of an “un-touchable” technology for all, but for a very few. The brains and thoughts are also locked in a sense that super computing can only be used to make nuclear weapons, or to launch satellites, etc etc. ( I know scientific / health uses as well). I intend to have this barrier removed. Once every one will be using this technology, I am sure, people will find other uses as well, trickling all the way down to various aspects of our daily lives. I am sure that, just as internet was once un-heard of, has now become an integral part of our lives, supercomputing will also become the same. Time will tell.
Please feel free to refer/distribute these videos to anyone. They are for the community.
Check the downloads page for the file links.
Muhammad Kamran Azeem
26 April 2009
A depressing start of the day today. I heard the news that Oracle has acquired SUN. And Since SUN acquired MySQL about a year+ back, MySQL is now served as a desert.
Let me warn you that I have a love/hate relationship with Oracle. And, it is complicated. My views may be biased. But right now, I am worried about MySQL. Seems like worlds largest commercial database vendor buys the worlds most popular opensource database! And we don’t know, what Oracle will do with it? Is it just to kill the competion, at the lower end as well? (Well, the word “competition” may not suite much, but anyway). What about people who are using MySQL now? There are literally thousands of businesses / shops woven around MySQL technology. What is their fate ? Will Oracle be introducing complex (clever and evil) licensing for MySQL products? Or will they allow it to remain free, and allow them proper exposure and support? Nothing is for sure. Will we be able to see more MySQL releases in future with more features ?
I don’t know, I am one of those, who think that Oracle bought MySQL just to kill it. That makes PostgreSQL the next available candidate in the “free / opensource” slot . PostgreSQL is worlds most advanced open-source database. For some reason, it is not as popular and widely used as MySQL is. So even if PostgreSQL becomes the next platform of choice, what about the existing MySQL database users? (that includes DBAs, programmers, SysAdmins, everyone). The migration cost is just too high to think of. It is kind of dreadful to the sysadmins as well, as most of the management and monitoring utilities are painlessly configured ove mysql. I am also wondering about the famous Qmail+MySQL setups .
I can only hope to see a much “free(er)” version MySQL in future. Possibly by fork(ing) out / branching from the current MySQL code, by the open-source freedom fighters.
I suppose that, “Lets see what happens!”, will do not good. Something “needs” to be done about it. I remember NCR once acquired TeraData, but later spun it off as a separate entity. Can we libertate MySQL from Oracle, by convincing Oracle to spin it off ?
One line of silence for MySQL …………………
Greetings bloggers!
I am setting up this new website just for blogging! This site will contain articles related to technology news (mainly). From computers, software, to cars, cassette players and robots. Anything related to technology. (Including rocket science !) . All those who consider themselves technical savvy, living on the (bleeding) edge ( of technology), and can write good English, are invited to take part. Please write to me about yourselves first, and I will create your user accounts. (It will be selective accounts though. Please keep that in mind !). There is lots of other details, which I will tell you by the passage of time.
Muhammad Kamran Azeem
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