Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!lll-winken!ames!eos!shelby!unix!garth!fouts@bozeman.ingr.com (Martin Fouts)
From: fouts@bozeman.ingr.com (Martin Fouts)
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Re: Speed Kills (long)
Message-ID: <544@garth.UUCP>
Date: 8 Jul 90 21:40:51 GMT
References: <447@garth.UUCP> <2723@canisius.UUCP>
Sender: fouts@garth.UUCP
Distribution: comp
Organization: INTERGRAPH (APD) -- Palo Alto, CA
Lines: 42
In-reply-to: pavlov@canisius.UUCP's message of 24 Jun 90 16:16:39 GMT

In article <2723@canisius.UUCP> pavlov@canisius.UUCP (Greg Pavlov) writes:

   In article <447@garth.UUCP>, fouts@bozeman.ingr.com (Martin Fouts) writes:
   > 
   > A) Some apparently random thoughts:
   > 
     I believe that most of this article is half-true.   But, while recently
     doing a task, I had happened to think about some of the same issues and
     came to the opposite conclusion:  that the same sort of task, which took
     me about two hours, would have taken me several days 10-15 years ago. And
     the hardware I am operating on now cost apx. 15% of the hardware I was using
     then.

     The faster processors permit me to use higher-level software: reasonably so-
     phisticated DBMS's and interactive/interpretative languages.  These chew up
     lots of resources but permit me do get much more done with less effort.

     I see the biggest gain in the ability to work iteratively in something app-
     roaching "real-time":  the responses to my "commands" come quickly and I can
     react and adjust subsequent queries accordingly.  This requires interpretat-
     ive software operating on fast processors (the latter to make the former
     effective).

     I personally see this as a big gain over the "good old days" of writing 
     Fortran code.  I don't miss them at all.

     greg pavlov, fstrf, amherst, ny

I agree with you.  I'm just saying that the hardware has gotten fast
enough now, lets concentrate on making it easy to use rather than
faster for a while.

Marty
--
Martin Fouts

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If you can find an opinion in my posting, please let me know.
I don't have opinions, only misconceptions.