Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!uupsi!sunic!isgate!krafla!thsa
From: thsa@rhi.hi.is (Thorvaldur S Arnarson)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: A540, R140, R2xx etc
Summary: Lack of FP performance!!?
Message-ID: <3118@krafla.rhi.hi.is>
Date: 8 May 91 22:19:12 GMT
References: <1991May7.032554.7526@metro.ucc.su.OZ.AU>
Reply-To: thsa@rhi.hi.is (Thorvaldur S Arnarson)
Organization: University of Iceland (RHI)
Lines: 24

In article <1991May7.032554.7526@metro.ucc.su.OZ.AU> lester@suphys.physics.su.OZ.AU (K R Lester) writes:
|I am considering buying an ARC, however although brought up on ACORN's
|BBC OS, I have to admit I prefer the elegance of Unix.
[questions deleted]

IMHO you should be very concerned about FP performace.  From your .sig
you sound like the type (high energy physics) who every now and then
runs a FP intensive simulation job.
The ARM2 with FPemulator (no HW) does 11Kflops and the sickeningly expensive
HW (I seem to remember something like 800 pounds) available for A4xx (don't
know whether it fits in an A5xx) only does a petty 100Kflops (someone correct
me if I'm far off)!

B.t.w. Here in Iceland, Digital's distibutor just advertised a 17 mips
DECstation with 1???x1??? screen, HW FP, twin 200Mb SCSI disks etc...  
FOR THE SAME PRICE AS R260!!!!!!! (quoted from memory, could dig out the ad if
pushed sufficiently).

Would someone at Acorn like to tell the rest of us whether they are going
to get real about marketing or just fade out.  Even the firmest beleivers
will start loosing faith real soon now.

-- 
thsa@rhi.hi.is (Thorvaldur S. Arnarson) Microscopic .sig rules!    :-)   *<-<