Author: Graham Laight
Date: 03:29:18 09/06/00
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Here's the article: http://www.pcworld.com/pcwtoday/article/0,1510,11336,00.html While I don't actually believe for a second that there will be a Supercomputer for under $1,0000 dollars available by Xmas, and this article is clearly a marketing ploy by Star Bridge, the very fact that such a system can be claimed with any degree of plausibility demonstrates how far we've come in 7 years! -g On September 06, 2000 at 05:26:06, Graham Laight wrote: >This is a 7 year old computer! > >I think that newer models of Supercomputers probably offer far better value for >money than this machine. > >I suspect that for your $44K, you could get a machine which can out-compute this >machine, and cost far less in maintenance (and electricity). > >Even the computer we used for Crafty in the WMCCC (Compaq Alpha XP1000 >workstation) can be "clustered" into a supercomputer configuration (the British >Formula 1 Racing company Benetton use clusters of Unix machines to simulate >airflow around their car designs - a job which would traditionally have been >done on a Cray). > >Speaking as a lover of mechanical calculating machines, old equipment can be >very beautiful to look at, but is not generally very useful compared to the >newer stuff. > >To stretch the viewpoint a bit further, until the early 1950s, payrolls were >done by huge mechanical computers fed with punch cards. I would happily bet that >a cheap pocket computer with a spreadsheet facility could outcompute (if not do >the printing of) the entire systems of a large 1950s company by a wide margin. > >I'm afraid that, unless your organisation is already set up to program and >maintain Cray computers, $44,000 is too much money to pay to lumber yourself >with an antique calculating machine. Most musuem exhibits are donated for free, >with the honourable exception of the Babbage "Analytical Engine", which was >purpose built by the London Science Museum. > >-g > >On September 05, 2000 at 18:39:27, Ian Osgood wrote: > >>http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=426080142 >> >> >>Hey, Bob! Got room in (and under) your garage? :) >> >>Cray Blitz could live again!
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