FLOSS Weekly Episode 858: YottaDB: Sometimes the Solution is Bigger Servers

https://invidious.privacyredirect.com/watch?v=aUhdny-zHdw

This week Jonathan chats with K. S. Bhaskar about YottaDB. This very high performance database has some unique tricks! How does YottaDB run across multiple processes without a daemon? Why is it licensed AGPL, and how does that work with commercial deployments? Watch to find out!

Did you know you can watch the live recording of the show right on our YouTube Channel? Have someone you’d like us to interview? Let us know, or have the guest contact us! Take a look at the schedule here.

Direct Download in DRM-free MP3.

If you’d rather read along, here’s the transcript for this week’s episode.

Why LLMs are Less Intelligent than Crows

The basic concept of human intelligence entails self-awareness alongside the ability to reason and apply logic to one’s actions and daily life. Despite the very fuzzy definition of ‘human intelligence‘, and despite many aspects of said human intelligence (HI) also being observed among other animals, like crows and orcas, humans over the ages have always known that their brains are more special than those of other animals.

Currently the Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) theory of intelligence is the most widely accepted model, defining distinct types of abilities that range from memory and processing speed to reasoning ability. While admittedly not perfect, it gives...

AMD Ryzen Embedded 8840U COM Express Type 6 Compact module takes up to 128GB DDR5

SolidRun has unveiled a new COM Express Type 6 Compact module powered by the AMD Ryzen Embedded 8840U Series with up to 39 TOPS of AI performance for industrial, medical, automation, and edge AI applications. The module supports up to 128GB DDR5 of memory via two SO-DIMM sockets, on-module M.2 NVME SSD storage, and features an Intel i226 2.5GbE controller. It exposes I/Os through standard board-to-board connectors, including 16-lane PCIe Gen4, four DisplayPort video outputs, eDP or LVDS display interface, two SATA, various USB ports, and more. Ryzen R8000 CoM6 specifications: SoC – AMD Ryzen Embedded 8840U CPU – 8-core/16-thread...

STEVAL-ROBKIT1 – A robot evaluation kit based on STM32H725 and STM32G0 microcontrollers

The STEVAL-ROBKIT1 is an evaluation kit for robotics applications based on ST’s STM32H725 and STM32G0 Arm microcontrollers. It’s the first such robot kit from the company, and it targets both traditional engineering teams, educators, and students. The kit features an STM32H725 main board, an STM32G0 motor-control PCB, and a 1.53MP camera + ToF sensor module, as well as a robotic frame, wheels, and motors with encoders. It does not require a soldering iron for assembly to make it easier for students. STEVAL-ROBKIT1 key components and features: Main board – STEVAL-ROBKIT1-1 SoC – STMicro STM32H725IGT6 Arm Cortex-M7 microcontroller @ 550 MHz...

How we run CI for our open source silicon projects

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52Pi UPS Gen 6 UPS for Raspberry Pi 4/5 supports up to 4x external battery packs, PikaPython scripting 

The 52Pi UPS Gen 6 is another UPS solution for the Raspberry Pi 5 that supports external battery packs for long-duration projects, and uses I²C plus PikaPython scripting to manage power settings and safe shutdowns. Designed for the Raspberry Pi 5 and 4B, the module mounts on the bottom of the board and delivers power via pogo pins. It also includes an aluminum heatsink with an automatic fan for cooling. It runs on two 18650 batteries, which can be mounted to the Pi with spacers, and there is an option to add three more battery packs in parallel if you...

We will run Soldering workshop for RVPC – the Retro Style RISC-V computer on FOSDEM 2026

FOSDEM 2026 will take place in Brussels on 31 January and 1 February 2026. It is the largest European event dedicated to Open Source Hardware and Free/Libre Open Source Software, bringing together thousands of developers from around the world each year. Our proposal for a Soldering Workshop at FOSDEM has been approved. On Saturday, from […]

Beacon AM62L – A compact (38x28mm), low-power dual-core Cortex-A53 System-on-Module (SoM)

Beacon EmbeddedWorks has announced a compact (38x28mm) System-on-Module (SoM) based on the recently introduced low-power Texas Instruments Sitara AM62L dual-core Cortex-A53 SoC designed for IoT, HMI, and general-purpose applications requiring a display. The AML62L SoM features LPDDR4 or DDR4 memory, an 8-bit eMMC flash, and an optional WiFi 5 and Bluetooth 5.0 LE module. All I/Os are exposed through two board-to-board connectors, including RGB LCD or MIPI DSI display interface, two gigabit Ethernet interfaces with TSN support,  USB 2.0, CAN FD, analog inputs, and more. Beacon AM62L specifications: SoC – Texas Instruments AM62L dual-core Arm Cortex-A53 processor up to 1.25GHz;...

The stack circuitry of the Intel 8087 floating point chip, reverse-engineered

Early microprocessors were very slow when operating with floating-point numbers. But in 1980, Intel introduced the 8087 floating-point coprocessor, performing floating-point operations up to 100 times faster. This was a huge benefit for IBM PC applications such as AutoCAD, spreadsheets, and flight simulators. The 8087 was so effective that today's computers still use a floating-point system based on the 8087.1

The 8087 was an extremely complex chip for its time, containing somewhere between 40,000 and 75,000 transistors, depending on the source.2 To explore how the 8087 works, I opened up a chip and took numerous photos of the silicon die with a microscope. Around the edges of the die, you...

7.3-inch full color e-paper wooden photo frame is designed for the Raspberry Pi Zero

Waveshare RPi-Zero-PhotoPainter-ACCE is a 7.3-inch color e-paper photo frame designed for the Raspberry Pi Zero family. It’s an 800×480 resolution display based on E-Ink Spectra 6 (E6), and housed in a wooden frame. The display also features an RTC with backup battery support, a LiPo battery connector with “UPS circuitry”, a USB-C port for power, a 3-pin debug/serial header, a power button, and a charging LED. It supports portrait and landscape orientation on the desk thanks to a rotatable stand and wall mounting through a hook hanger. RPi-Zero-PhotoPainter-ACCE specifications: Display – E-Ink Spectra 6 (E6) Full-color display with Black, White,...