Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!sdd.hp.com!think.com!paperboy!hsdndev!husc6!encore!wcarroll From: wcarroll@encore.com (Mr. New Dad) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc Subject: Re: The New Macs: Greedy Compromises? Message-ID: <130159@jake.encore.com> Date: 20 Dec 90 14:36:18 GMT References: Organization: Encore Computer Corp, Fort Lauderdale, FL Lines: 20 From article , by n67786@lehtori.tut.fi (Nieminen Tero): > > These days MIPS is not used to refer to Millions of Instructions Per > Second. Instead 1 MIPS means the computing power of a VAX 11/780 > measured using a certain kind of bencmark test. If you're interested, see IEEE Computer December 1990 (Vol 23 No 12) "An Overview of Common Benchmarks" by Reinhold P. Weicker for a discussion of benchmarks and the meaning of MIPS. He states that the most common meaning is Meaningless Indication of Processor Speed. Another is Meaningless Information Provided by Salesman. If you really think advertised mips, even vax mips, translates into any real-world performance metric, I feel sorry for you. -- William R. Carroll (Encore Computer Corp., Ft. Lauderdale FL) wcarroll@encore.com uunet!gould!wcarroll "The brain-dead should not be allowed to operate motor vehicles!" - Me