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From: preston@titan.rice.edu (Preston Briggs)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.misc,comp.arch
Subject: Re: Fast conversions, another urban myth?
Message-ID: <1444@brazos.Rice.edu>
Date: 21 Sep 89 19:18:33 GMT
References: <832@dms.UUCP> <688@UALTAVM.BITNET> <9dAz02zs58y201@amdahl.uts.amdahl.com> <27935@winchester.mips.COM> <136@bbxsda.UUCP>
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In article <136@bbxsda.UUCP> scott@bbxsda.UUCP (Scott Amspoker) writes:

>Fortunately, business applications are usually I/O bound so the
>decimal math can be simulated in software without a perceived
>performance penality (unless you bring in an unethical benchmark).

But isn't this what the chip-makers say?
If a function is so unimportant that it can be simulated in software
without performance penalty, than it seems better not
to spend hardware on it.