Supercomputing Power Hits the Desktop, Minus the Software

[NV55]

http://www.wired.com/techbiz/it/news/2008/06/gpu_power

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[Neal]

Post by NV55
http://www.wired.com/techbiz/it/news/2008/06/gpu_power

Its certainly neat where computing has been going as of late... but I
don't believe we are even close to the knee in the curve in providing
high performing parallel devices to consumers. Applications, power,
cost, etc... we aren't there yet. Maybe in 6-8 years it will be
different... but it seems right now the only application for most
people that requires that much compute is games.

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[krw]

Post by Neal

Post by NV55
http://www.wired.com/techbiz/it/news/2008/06/gpu_power

Its certainly neat where computing has been going as of late... but I
don't believe we are even close to the knee in the curve in providing
high performing parallel devices to consumers. Applications, power,
cost, etc... we aren't there yet. Maybe in 6-8 years it will be
different... but it seems right now the only application for most
people that requires that much compute is games.

Dunno, the more power thrown at the desktop the slower they get. I
don't play games but could certainly use a 2x response improvement.

[Ken Hagan]

Post by krw
Dunno, the more power thrown at the desktop the slower they get. I
don't play games but could certainly use a 2x response improvement.

If you are using a "modern" desktop manager, you are playing a game.

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[krw]

In article <***@khagan.ttx>, ***@thermoteknix.com
says...

Post by Ken Hagan

Post by krw
Dunno, the more power thrown at the desktop the slower they get. I
don't play games but could certainly use a 2x response improvement.

If you are using a "modern" desktop manager, you are playing a game.

1) Perhaps true, but quite besides the point.

2) The only game that pays as much as they're paying me is
"business".

3) Windows is *not* in any way a game.

[Robert Myers]

Post by Ken Hagan

Dunno, the more power thrown at the desktop the slower they get.  I
don't play games but could certainly use a 2x response improvement.

If you are using a "modern" desktop manager, you are playing a game.

Parkinson's law: "work expands so as to fill the time available for
its completion."

Software complexity and hardware capability are in a steady state
condition: developers add complexity until the software teeters on the
edge of non-functionality with available hardware.

The push-pull relationship between hardware and software doesn't seem
necessarily one way or the other, but the outcome is the same, either way.

Robert.

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[Ken Hagan]

Post by Robert Myers
Software complexity and hardware capability are in a steady state
condition: developers add complexity until the software teeters on the
edge of non-functionality with available hardware.

Mmm, with the added twist that s/w can be written so as to match its
demand to the available h/w, so that when you upgrade your PC you find
that the *same* software runs just as slowly.

Empirically, I don't doubt you. I just wonder why s/w is written this
way. Are there any other crafts where the intention is to produce a
product that makes the worst use of the available resources?

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[Alex Colvin]

Post by Ken Hagan
Empirically, I don't doubt you. I just wonder why s/w is written this
way. Are there any other crafts where the intention is to produce a
product that makes the worst use of the available resources?

GMC Chevy Tahoe, GMC Yukon Denai.

[c.p. Moderator: Denali, Ford Excursion, HUMMR]

With regard to computers, don't underestimate the effectiveness of brute
force coding.

[Eugene Miya]

Post by Ken Hagan

Post by Robert Myers
Software complexity and hardware capability are in a steady state

Mmm, with the added twist that s/w can be written so as to match its
demand to the available h/w, so that when you upgrade your PC you find
that the *same* software runs just as slowly.

You can't expect real-time programs like games which have clock
synchronization to play faster without going into the code and applying the
ancient Chinese art of Chi-Ting.

Post by Ken Hagan
Empirically, I don't doubt you. I just wonder why s/w is written this
way. Are there any other crafts where the intention is to produce a
product that makes the worst use of the available resources?

You want to take comp.lang.fortran and beat it like a hornets' nest
(like alt.syntax.tactical attacks news groups)?

The best answer I ever saw printed was in Datamation:
God did not an installed base.

You can also learn why Gates made so much money.

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