[rescue] Re: [geeks] THIS. MAKES. ME. SICK.

[Brian Hechinger]

>> hey, SGI isn't doing too well these days.  at least they didn't just slap a
>> Cray logo on a big Origin box.
>
>  They're doing fine.  They keep selling HUGE machines (with HUGE
> profit margins) to government labs.

good.  i like SGI.  and i want them to do well.

>> the Alpha is actually a pretty slick CPU.  not vector mind you, but how much
>> call is there for big vector machines these days? (Dave or James?)
>
>   As much call as there was in the 1970's.  Do we still run weather
> predictions?  CFD?  Do we still do finite element analyses?  Of course

ok, i'm being dense, what's CFD?

> we do.  The types of operations that vectorized on the first vector
> machines of the 1960s still vectorize today.  And if those operations
> were BEST done on a vector processor back then, then they're STILL
> best done on a vector processor.  By their very nature.  I can't think
> of a better way to explain it; I hope that's adequate.

perfect.  i just don't think i realized how much stuff that would still be
done today on a large scale was so vector friendly.

cheers,

-brian