Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!agate!eos!eugene
From: eugene@eos.UUCP (Eugene Miya)
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Re: SPEC Bench-a-Thon
Keywords: SPEC performance benchmarks systems
Message-ID: <4128@eos.UUCP>
Date: 28 Jun 89 16:38:55 GMT
References: <22031@abbott.mips.COM> <22033@abbott.mips.COM> <4714@ficc.uu.net> <112809@sun.Eng.Sun.COM>
Reply-To: eugene@eos.UUCP (Eugene Miya)
Organization: NASA Ames Research Center, Calif.
Lines: 29

Point of information:
The code nasker was developed here at NASA Ames.  There are very strict
rules for the execution of this code among which 64-bit precision
is required [it was developed for 64-bit vector processors,
I wonder which.... 8)].

Anyway, simplying executing the code is insufficient to obtain a
measurement.  I too was at the SPEC announcement, and the emphasis on
32-bit was announced.  32-bit does not cut it for running this code,
the error bounds make it way too poor.  Modification of the just to
get it running is also limited by bounds on the numbers of modifiable
lines of code [typically for performance, not getting it to accurately].

In other words IMPLICIT REAL*8 won't cut it.  There is also 64-bit
precision COMPLEX as well.  The "rules" are in the text of the TR (TeX)
by Barton and Bailey which can also be obtained with the code
at either nbslib or netlib.

You can tell a person's perspective by asking the number of bits in a
"single-precision" word.

Another gross generalization from

--eugene miya, NASA Ames Research Center, eugene@aurora.arc.nasa.gov
  resident cynic at the Rock of Ages Home for Retired Hackers:
  "You trust the `reply' command with all those different mailers out there?"
  "If my mail does not reach you, please accept my apology."
  {ncar,decwrl,hplabs,uunet}!ames!eugene
  				Live free or die.