Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!ssbell!mcmi!unocss!mlewis From: mlewis@unocss.UUCP (Marcus S. Lewis) Newsgroups: comp.os.aos Subject: Re: AOS/VS -> DG/UX transition Message-ID: <2016@unocss.UUCP> Date: 7 Oct 89 01:21:09 GMT References: <1156@svx.SV.DG.COM> Organization: U. of Nebraska at Omaha Lines: 41 From article <1156@svx.SV.DG.COM>, by gary@dgcad.SV.DG.COM (Gary Bridgewater): > in quicker CPU cycles. In terms of our MV systems - it kicks an MV/20000 > in the teeth. I don't have a local 40000 to compare to. An MV/20000 is > about twice an MV/10000sx and an MV/10000sx is about 1.5 a VAX 11/780. > (An MV/10000sx is about 2.5x an MV/4000 .) OK, I'll bite on that. I read comp.arch too ;-> I manage an MV/20 and for kicks the other day (while the system was loaded) I moved a rather large (600K+) file around the system disk. And the numbers are appallingly low, roughly 80KB/sec throughput from a directory on the system disk to @NULL. This is on a system with about 90 people logged in, on Argus disks. This does NOT compare well with standalone PC disk throughput as reported in comp.arch. But then, this is an apples-and-oranges comparison, right? How does the Aviion kick a 20 in the teeth? Screen painting? I have a circa 1976 8080 that paints the screen faster than a 20, but it is using full memory bandwidth to do it, while the 20 is limited to 9600 baud. So? Believe it or not, I believe your informal comparison, even in general. I submitted an article to DG Review on RISC in general which goes into detail why the Aviion is so much faster than an MV. Something about cycle time. One of the comparisons I came up with that has gotten a chuckle or two is Aviion == Shelby Cobra, MV/20 == 3/4 ton pickup with everything, plus a Cummins diesel engine. It takes real guts to push a Shelby to its limits, and not every driver is even going to try. But even I could make a Dodge truck strain. Try dragging cows around, like my dad, in a Cobra. My point is (with the above comparison) that you can't honestly compare a CISC machine with a proprietary OS to a RISC running a customized generic OS. They aren't doing the same things. Marc -- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Na khuya mne ehto gavno? | Internet: cs057@zeus.unl.edu preferred machine->| UUCP: uunet!btni!unocss!mlewis ---------------------------------------------------------------------------