Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!sco!seanf
From: seanf@sco.COM (Sean Fagan)
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Re: The Sixth Generation
Message-ID: <6058@scolex.sco.COM>
Date: 6 May 90 09:48:14 GMT
References: <76700193@p.cs.uiuc.edu> <422@dg.dg.com> <1990May3.153742.9750@utzoo.uucp>
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Reply-To: seanf@sco.COM (Sean Fagan)
Organization: The Santa Cruz Operation, Inc.
Lines: 27


In article <1990May3.153742.9750@utzoo.uucp> henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) writes:
>>... And the invisible hand of Adam Smith will make
>>sure that the best architecture comes out on top.
>
>The invisible hand of Adam Smith right now is full of Intel x86 machines,
>and I *refuse* to believe that those are the world's best computer
>architecture!

Hear, hear!  (Wait a second.  Forgot where I worked, for a sec 8-).)

Even if the x86 never existed, there are still all those VAXen out there,
which kinda blows the theory out of the water.

Also, how would you define "best"?  Fastest?  That's usually an
implementation issue.  Most compiler friendly?  What compilers want *does*
change, as compiler technology changes (although not as much as I wish it
did *sigh*).  Most assembly-programmer friendly?  For what type of
application?  (VAX is ok, for that, although I still prefer PDP-11.  I
prefer CDC Cyber 170-state assembly to that, though.)

-- 
-----------------+
Sean Eric Fagan  | "It's a pity the universe doesn't use [a] segmented 
seanf@sco.COM    |  architecture with a protected mode."
uunet!sco!seanf  |         -- Rich Cook, _Wizard's Bane_
(408) 458-1422   | Any opinions expressed are my own, not my employers'.