Author: Graham Laight
Date: 06:31:10 11/15/00
Go up one level in this thread
On November 13, 2000 at 17:24:16, Christophe Theron wrote: >On November 13, 2000 at 15:27:41, Marc van Hal wrote: > >>On November 13, 2000 at 14:58:59, Bob Durrett wrote: >> >>>Today, the wealthy or lucky have multiprocessor computers and can use the new >>>programs being discussed here. But is this a precursor to a major advance in >>>home computers anytime soon? When? >>> >>>I just recently purchased a 1 GHz single-processor PC. Generally, I plan to >>>replace my computer after about five years, or maybe sooner if there is a big >>>difference sooner. >>> >>>So, to pick a specific date, how about five years from now, 2000 + 5 = 2005 ? >>> >>>Will multiprocessor PCs then be commonplace on the consumer market, priced so >>>the ordinary person can afford them? More importantly, what will the chess >>>software look like then? >>> >>>For example: Will the chess programs for multiprocessor PC computers be >>>designed to perform different tasks or functions on the different processors, or >>>will the processors just be "bunched together" to make the computer look like a >>>really fast single-processor computer? >>> >>>Also: Do the current crop of chess engines use the processors for different >>>tasks? >>> >>>Answers or speculations "are hereby solicited." >> >>For the same money you purchased your 1gig cpu and board you could have bought a >>celeron multiproccesor motherboard with 2 x 500Mhz > > > >Which would perform worse at chess (and probably at anything else) than the 1GHz >computer he has just bought. > > > > > >>But ok it is treu that buying this kind of hardware is extremely expensive for >>the comon man >>I doubt that in the future more programs will use multiprossecor tasks but what >>you do see is that all the hardware gets it's own prossecor like video and audio >>card and so on >>It also is not so that if you use 2 x 1gig cpu on a multi poccesor you get a >>speed of 2 gigs so not as fast as a single cpu computer of 2 gigs > > > >That's right. > > >I don't think multiprocessor computers will be the norm in the future. The trend >in personal computing is going in another direction. > >Have a look at: > http://dailynews.yahoo.com/htx/nm/20001113/tc/comdex_microsoft_dc_1.html > > > > Christophe I disagree, I'm afraid - sorry. I think that, more and more, people will not want the bother of owning and looking after computers - especially while the technology is changing so quickly. Remember how popular renting televisions used to be? Although it hasn't taken off yet, I think that Larry Ellison's vision of having something like a thin client, with the processing being done elsewhere, will become the norm. Already, you can hire time on supercomputers over the www and run your programs on them. Why spend $$$ (or £££!) buying a box that will be obsolete in 2 years, when you can rent time on one which is of a much higher specification? Or possibly even use it for free - payment being in the form of having adverts on the screen. -g
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