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March 16, 2005

Obey Moore's law

Stanley Myers, relayed by MacCentral:

Semiconductor makers will soon need to find a new substrate to replace the pure silicon wafers used to make chips if they are to keep pace with expected advances in chip-making technology, according to the head of a prominent industry group.

It looks like someone misunderstood the meaning of law in Moore's law, interpreting it as:

a rule, usually made by a government, that is used to order the way in which a society behaves, or the whole system of such rules,

instead of:

a general rule which states what always happens when the same conditions exist.

I don't reckon there's a law, even in California, that forces semiconductor manufacturers to double the number of transistors on their chips every 18 months.

(Definitions from Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary.)

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Do not meddle in the affairs of Coding Ninjas, for they are subtle and quick to anger.