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Facebook open sources its servers and data centers

gigaom.com

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Re: Facebook open sources its servers and data centers

#61

Post by newmediaclay »

yanw wrote: post #2

Not sure how many startups built their own servers anymore, this event seems like a response to the Greenpeace accusations of Facebook's environmental responsibility or wherever. Edit: I agree it's a good thing, it's just that hosting a press event rather than just making the announcement through a blog post suggests other motives as well.

The only other motive it suggests is garnering as much publicity for their innovation/company as they can. Facebook is notorious for being able to magnify a small announcement into a big event and reap the dividends -- remember the announcement of a redesign via 60 minutes? If you can get media and influences to come pay attention to cool stuff you're doing, why wouldn't you?

Re: Facebook open sources its servers and data centers

#62

Post by db42 »

codex wrote: post #60

This is a strategic attack on Google. A proliferation of scalable data centers hurts Google a lot more than Facebook by enabling Google's competitors. Cheap computation matters much more to search engines than social networking sites.

That is a good point, that you have raised. But I wonder, why well established companies like microsoft, apple etc. are not doing this.

Re: Facebook open sources its servers and data centers

#64

Post by diegob »

codex wrote: post #60

This is a strategic attack on Google. A proliferation of scalable data centers hurts Google a lot more than Facebook by enabling Google's competitors. Cheap computation matters much more to search engines than social networking sites.

A proliferation of scalable data centers could also enable the next generation of social networking sites ... I don't see why it's limited to helping Google's competitors and not Facebook's.

Re: Facebook open sources its servers and data centers

#65

Post by jacques_chester »

razzmataz wrote: post #52
wmf wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This "sorry ARM" stuff is mostly just the media's need to turn every story into a horse race. But there is some technical detail here: Facebook said they're not ever willing to use 32-bit and ARM won't have 64-bit for years. Also notice that Facebook's servers are "conventional" 2-socket with lots of DIMM slots, not 1-socket "microservers".

I am curious if they would ever look into loongson. It's 64bit and fairly power efficient.

There are other MIPS licensees too.

Re: Facebook open sources its servers and data centers

#66

Post by datums »

db42 wrote: post #62
codex wrote: post #60

This is a strategic attack on Google. A proliferation of scalable data centers hurts Google a lot more than Facebook by enabling Google's competitors. Cheap computation matters much more to search engines than social networking sites.

That is a good point, that you have raised. But I wonder, why well established companies like microsoft, apple etc. are not doing this.

They are. http://goo.gl/RPgs2. It's not new.

Re: Facebook open sources its servers and data centers

#67

Post by whatusername »

diegob wrote: post #64
codex wrote: post #60

This is a strategic attack on Google. A proliferation of scalable data centers hurts Google a lot more than Facebook by enabling Google's competitors. Cheap computation matters much more to search engines than social networking sites.

A proliferation of scalable data centers could also enable the next generation of social networking sites ... I don't see why it's limited to helping Google's competitors and not Facebook's.

Becuase Search is ultimately about technology, but Social is about the users.

If I was the only user of Google (and they had the same technology stack) then +1 aside - my experience would be the same as it is now. If I was the only user of facebook - what would be the point.

Re: Facebook open sources its servers and data centers

#69

Post by iloveponies »

Swannie wrote: post #57
iloveponies wrote: post #21

One thing I've found interesting: The decision to have batteries not per server like Google, or per data centre, but per group of racks.

Pretty standard in telecoms. Never quite understood why Google went per server.

Their claims were that the efficiency was that great, and that it's acceptable to pay the extra few dollars in motherboard manufacture to build it in.

Re: Facebook open sources its servers and data centers

#70

Post by diegob »

whatusername wrote: post #67
diegob wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A proliferation of scalable data centers could also enable the next generation of social networking sites ... I don't see why it's limited to helping Google's competitors and not Facebook's.

Becuase Search is ultimately about technology, but Social is about the users. If I was the only user of Google (and they had the same technology stack) then +1 aside - my experience would be the same as it is now. If I was the only user of facebook - what would be the point.

I'm sorry, but it seems like you're implying that search doesn't need users. Some of Google's ranking depends on analyzing search histories, so if you were the only user, the experience would be worse. That means that search is also about the users. Data center technology can benefit everybody, that's all I'm trying to say.
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