Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uunet!atexnet!cvbnet!aperez
From: aperez@cvbnet.UUCP (Arturo Perez x6739)
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Adam Smith's Hand (Was: The Sixth Generation)
Message-ID: <293@cvbnetPrime.COM>
Date: 8 May 90 14:29:49 GMT
References: <4698@uceng.UC.EDU>
Sender: postnews@cvbnetPrime.COM
Lines: 39

From article <4698@uceng.UC.EDU>, by dmocsny@minerva.che.uc.edu (Daniel Mocsny):
> In article <1990May3.153742.9750@utzoo.uucp> henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) writes:
>>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!
> 
> What architecture is better *right now* for all the Intel x86
> customers? I don't mean what architecture would be better if
> only it ran the applications, or if only a mass market existed
> to drive the prices down, or if only Joe Smallpotatoes could
> get it serviced at the local compustore, or if only
> programmers with Henry Spencer's talents worked for nothing, etc.
> 
> Pervasive technologies are almost never cutting-edge, nor
> particularly exciting. Mostly, they are standardized. A

Now, I'm only familiar with VAXen, 680x0 and a little Sparc so please
understand my bias :-)

What I never understood about the widespread use of the Intel processors
(x86) is that it is so widespread due to the "popularity" of 1 (that's right,
count'em ONE) computer: IBM's PC-DOS machine.

VAXen are proprietary and yet there ARE quite a few of them out in the market.

MC680x0 processors are in Suns, Apollos, Macintoshes, Masscomps (maybe
Concurrent now), BBN's original Butterfly, and I'm sure many more.

So, I don't think arguments about the popularity of the Intel processor carry
much weight (although I would be a fool to say that the popularity of DOS
machines doesn't hold much weight).


How many people buy cars based on the exact engine model under the hood?

Arturo Perez
ComputerVision, a division of Prime
aperez@cvbnet.prime.com
Too much information, like a bullet through my brain -- The Police