Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!asuvax!noao!arizona!dave From: dave@cs.arizona.edu (Dave P. Schaumann) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy Subject: Re: AMIGAstation... Message-ID: <849@caslon.cs.arizona.edu> Date: 12 Feb 91 23:12:58 GMT References: <1991Feb9.164339.12035@msuinfo.cl.msu.edu> <1991Feb11.005426.24174@sugar.hackercorp.com> <12013@helios.TAMU.EDU> <1991Feb12.053906.10441@magnus.ircc.ohio-state.edu> Organization: U of Arizona CS Dept, Tucson Lines: 33 In article <1991Feb12.053906.10441@magnus.ircc.ohio-state.edu> mitroo@magnus.ircc.ohio-state.edu (Varun Mitroo) writes: >[...] >I think people are missing the point of the workstation market. Imagine >having a lab full of unix boxes. They are all connected on an ethernet >network, have a small hard drive to boot and swap, and get most other stuff >through the network. WHY would someone need each box to have 5 slots inside? > >The answer: you don't. Lots of computer companies have realized this. >[...] Hmmm. Today in my algorithm analysis class, the professor related an interesting anecdote: when the IBM 360 he was using was upgraded to a 370, the prevailing attitude was "why do we need to study algorithm efficiency any more? We'll never use all this computing power!" The moral being, no matter how fast your machine, how big your memory, sooner or later your application will outgrow it. Not so long ago, people were using simple terminals to interface with a mainframe. Now, it's not uncommon to use personal computers or even work stations to interface with a central processor. I submit that it is dead wrong to believe that what works today will work tomorrow, and next month, and next year, and forever. This belief has been put forward time and again, and shown utterly wrong each time. Those who ignore the past are doomed to repeat it. > Varun Mitroo > mitroo@magnus.ircc.ohio-state.edu -- Dave Schaumann | DANGER: Access holes may tear easily. Use of the access | holes for lifting or carrying may result in damage to the dave@cs.arizona.edu | carton and subsequent injury to the user.