Silicon to be replaced by DNA

[cbn]

http://www.fudzilla.com/content/view/18804/1/

 

[manimal]

People have been heralding the end of silicon for twenty years. Remember the hack that tried to use cellulose and falsified his research?

 

[Idontcare]

silicone has been manhandled and placed under great pressure for far more than 20yrs - chronology of silicone

 

[A_Dying_Wren]

But isn't there a theoretical end once we start to approach molecular sizes?

 

[Ben90]

silicone has been manhandled and placed under great pressure for far more than 20yrs - chronology of silicone

But isn't there a theoretical end once we start to approach molecular sizes?

Actually the advantages of silicon go up exponentially once you start to approach molecular sizes.

 

[veri745]

silicone has been manhandled and placed under great pressure for far more than 20yrs - chronology of silicone

Sorry, IDC. I think everyone missed it.

 

[Idontcare]

Sorry, IDC. I think everyone missed it.

yeah the joke was on manimal, which he obviously got because he subsequently edited his post to change silicone to silicon thus rendering my joke-post regarding silicone irrelevant...so not everyone missed it

Regarding Si, the end is near to be sure but its not like a cliff in which the world will suddenly stop using si-based xtors, even vacuum tubes have their place in today's world nearly 60yrs after the si-xtor was invented.

 

[PottedMeat]

silicone has been manhandled and placed under great pressure for far more than 20yrs - chronology of silicone

1940s Japanese prostitutes have their breasts injected with substances such as paraffin, sponges and non-medical grade silicone to enlarge their breasts, believing that American servicemen favor women with large breasts.

somehow i'm not surprised the idea started in japan :awe:

 

[A_Dying_Wren]

yeah the joke was on manimal, which he obviously got because he subsequently edited his post to change silicone to silicon thus rendering my joke-post regarding silicone irrelevant...so not everyone missed it

Regarding Si, the end is near to be sure but its not like a cliff in which the world will suddenly stop using si-based xtors, even vacuum tubes have their place in today's world nearly 60yrs after the si-xtor was invented.

You should've quoted him

And really? I've heard of magnetic tape being used but certainly not vacuum tubes to do with anything related to computing. Got any links perchance?

 

[Markfw]

You should've quoted him

And really? I've heard of magnetic tape being used but certainly not vacuum tubes to do with anything related to computing. Got any links perchance?

5 seconds of google comes back with http://www.crews.org/curriculum/ex/compsci/articles/generations.htm

The first computer was all mechanical, the second was vacuum tube.

 

[Cogman]

You should've quoted him

And really? I've heard of magnetic tape being used but certainly not vacuum tubes to do with anything related to computing. Got any links perchance?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ENIAC

ENIAC contained 17,468 vacuum tubes

Silicon will probably stick much better then vacuum tubes did (they are now used primarily as giant power amplifiers for things like radio stations, but not much else). Silicon is still cheap, and for tiny IC problems sips power. Things like microwaves and cars will be on silicon forever.

Heck, the PCs will probably have silicon chips in it for at least 10 years after the CPU transfers to a different tech (if indeed it does stop using silicon).

As a side note, the male/female ratio of programmers was MUCH more even back in the earlier days of computing, What have we done!

 

[manimal]

yeah the joke was on manimal, which he obviously got because he subsequently edited his post to change silicone to silicon thus rendering my joke-post regarding silicone irrelevant...so not everyone missed it

Regarding Si, the end is near to be sure but its not like a cliff in which the world will suddenly stop using si-based xtors, even vacuum tubes have their place in today's world nearly 60yrs after the si-xtor was invented.

I did Chuckle IDC. Didnt read your comment till after I changed it.

 

[AsusGuy]

But isn't there a theoretical end once we start to approach molecular sizes?

I believe this is more related to the manufacturing process. When we get far below 32 or 22nm.

 

[slag]

I watched an episode of Dirty Jobs where they replaced traditional circuit boards with those made from compressed feathers from birds.

Seems like a great idea but I'm not sure everyone was down with the results, pun intended.

 

[alyarb]

even a hundred years into the golden age of optronics there will still be niche applications that demand tubes and/or transistors, and probably some constructed from a bouquet of odd materials we don't have today. as far as data storage i don't think DNA stands a chance, and it takes too long to copy.

 

[nyker96]

well maybe when they gets to implements the positronic brain those e-DNAs maybe the brain of the future.

 

[veri745]

I watched an episode of Dirty Jobs where they replaced traditional circuit boards with those made from compressed feathers from birds.

Seems like a great idea but I'm not sure everyone was down with the results, pun intended.

That's just replacing fiberglass though. There's no silicon that goes into the actual PCB

 

[A_Dying_Wren]

...even vacuum tubes have their place in today's world nearly 60yrs after the si-xtor was invented.

5 seconds of google comes back with http://www.crews.org/curriculum/ex/compsci/articles/generations.htm

The first computer was all mechanical, the second was vacuum tube.

Yes I'm quite aware of Tube computing in the early days. I should've been more specific: I've never heard of tube computing still being used today as Idontcare suggests. Might there be any links for such information?

 

[Idontcare]

Yes I'm quite aware of Tube computing in the early days. I should've been more specific: I've never heard of tube computing still being used today as Idontcare suggests. Might there be any links for such information?

I wasn't suggesting vacuum tubes are used for computing in contemporary times (although I am sure there are a few niche apps out there), I said they have their place in today's world...one of those places being high-amp analog applications.

 

[Dadofamunky]

silicone has been manhandled and placed under great pressure for far more than 20yrs - chronology of silicone

LOL (snerk, snerk) The only use for silicone is for to to be manhandled and placed under great pressure, as all the chicks in L.A. and Miami can tell ya..

 

[Cheesetogo]

Anyone else reminded of Prey?

 

[SHAQ]

No. The silicone reminds me more of Duke Nukem than Prey.