Newsgroups: comp.arch
Path: utzoo!utgpu!utstat!tg
From: tg@utstat.uucp (Tom Glinos)
Subject: Re: R4000 "announcement" (64-bit stuff)
Message-ID: <1991Feb13.202240.28121@utstat.uucp>
Organization: U of Toronto Statistics
References: <90@shasta.Stanford.EDU> <1991Feb8.055009.9883@ico.isc.com> <45789@mips.mips.COM>
Date: Wed, 13 Feb 1991 20:22:40 GMT

I was around BTL in the early 80's when the first transition issues were
solved. A lot of that expertise has been forgotten and will be to be
re-learned by the current set of programmers. My impression is that
the current population of programmers won't be able to do it in the time
frame you estimate.

>We do think that 64-bit desktops are necessary, not just to get
>software development to happen, but because certain kinds of end users
>will need it.

What kind of desktop application do you have in mind?

Have we as programmers given up in trying to develope code that
is small, fast, and solves specific problems? 

How are you going to effectively feed data into such a hugh address space.
Particularly at the desktop.