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From: mslater@cup.portal.com (Michael Z Slater)
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Re: Fed up with MIPS
Message-ID: <23386@cup.portal.com>
Date: 26 Oct 89 02:30:49 GMT
References: <76700077@p.cs.uiuc.edu> <318@ssp1.idca.tds.philips.nl>
  <1322@crdos1.crd.ge.COM> <329@ssp1.idca.tds.philips.nl>
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
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I don't think the analogy to cars holds up at all.  There is little or
no utility in continuing to increase the speed of cars, since they are limited
by safe driving conditions and roads.  The analogy is fundamentally flawed.

I think that there is a tremendous need for more performance, and that it
will benefit users at all levels.  If you look back in time a bit, once all
computer displays were character-oriented, since there just wasn't enough
compute power to effectively handle a bit-mapped display.  Early word
processors didn't handle fonts, for example, because it too too much
compute power to provide reasonable performance (display technology is also
an issue here, but nevertheless the need for more compute power was evident).

It seems naive at best to assume that we have reached the pinnacle of user
interface design and interactive technology, and it is almost axiomatic taht
more sophisticated interfaces will require more compute power.  Note that
"more sophisticated" may mean _easier_ to use.

The lack of a need for fast CPUs for clerical workers is true only if
you take today's software as a given.  Future software will make all
levels of workers more productive, and will require faster CPUs.  The
availablility of faster CPUs at an affordable price will eventually
result in a qualitative change in the way applications work, and in how
productive users can be.

Michael Slater, Microprocessor Report    mslater@cup.portal.com