Date: Thu, 15 May 1997 14:31:39 -0700 (MST) From: Terry Lambert <terry@lambert.org> To: jgrosch@sirius.com Cc: terry@lambert.org, hackers@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Cluster Computing in BSD Message-ID: <199705152131.OAA15807@phaeton.artisoft.com> In-Reply-To: <199705152018.NAA20638@superior.mooseriver.com> from "Josef Grosch" at May 15, 97 01:18:16 pm
next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
> >> > scientific process could take nearly 1/6 of the time on a fast network). > >> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ > >> > >> The difference between "could" and "does" is the > >> reason for the failure of (nearly) every business unit that sold > >> highly parallel/cluster systems. [ ... ] > I am going to have to disagree with you here, Terry. While the above > mentioned companys produced, in their time, insanely great machines (say > the words "Cray XMP" to a fluid dynamics person such as my father and watch > them drool) as a profit making company they have not fared as well > post-cold war as they did during the Reagan buildup. Failure for lack of profit does not mean that the technology wasn't there, which is what he was implying. Otherwise your father wouldn't be drooling. Pointing at failures also does not make your case for you; you have to prove that there are *no* successes. The "nearly" was a parenthetical, which is a typical CYA move meaning "I'm not 100% sure"... that's what it means when I use it that way, and it should be taken that way: as an indicator of confidence. The difference between "could" and "does" has no bearing on the success or failure of the company for non-technology reasons; the failure of the company is not indicative of a large gap between "could" and "does", as was implied. This is silly. You can point at a long list of technical successes which failed for non-technical reasons. Start with Beta losing to VHS, and somewhere in the middle, find Apple, Xerox, and Bell Labs losing to Microsoft. Regards, Terry Lambert terry@lambert.org --- Any opinions in this posting are my own and not those of my present or previous employers.
Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?199705152131.OAA15807>