Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!apple!ames!ames.arc.nasa.gov!lamaster From: lamaster@ames.arc.nasa.gov (Hugh LaMaster) Newsgroups: comp.arch Subject: Re: What is a mainframe? Message-ID: <27995@ames.arc.nasa.gov> Date: 4 Jul 89 01:51:29 GMT References: <27709@lll-winken.LLNL.GOV> <34038@bu-cs.BU.EDU> <4186@eos.UUCP> Sender: usenet@ames.arc.nasa.gov Organization: NASA - Ames Research Center Lines: 17 In article <4186@eos.UUCP> eugene@eos.UUCP (Eugene Miya) writes: >Sure, the micros don't have the bus bandwidth, but is this a matter >of time and integration, or do you believe such bandwidth will be >forever confinded to mainframes and supercomputers? Yes, COBOL and RPG As long as you can buy a "mainframe" which can do ~1-4 MB/sec of I/O per MIP, and "micros" can do .01 - .2, I would bet there will be plenty of "mainframes" sold. I certainly would like to see mini/micro systems with more memory and I/O bandwidth, yes. When "micros" can do 1-4 MB/sec/MIP, well, then you have miniaturized the mainframe, not replaced it. Whatever a "mainframe" is... Hugh LaMaster, m/s 233-9, UUCP ames!lamaster NASA Ames Research Center ARPA lamaster@ames.arc.nasa.gov Moffett Field, CA 94035 Phone: (415)694-6117