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From: hrubin@pop.stat.purdue.edu (Herman Rubin)
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Re: parity is for farmers?
Message-ID: <13106@mentor.cc.purdue.edu>
Date: 3 Jun 91 12:48:33 GMT
References: <1991May21.232331.24888@cs.umn.edu> <1991Jun03.040242.15406@ariel.unm.edu>
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In article <1991Jun03.040242.15406@ariel.unm.edu>, ratshana@triton.unm.edu (R.L.) writes:
> Parity memory isn't really necessary for two reasons:
> 1) Unless you buy really cheap memory, you should NEVER have a problem with
>    screwed up RAM. Besides, if the RAM is screwy, whats the worst that can
>    happen? Your term window dies, so you kill it on another task...

If all you are using your computer for is producing documents, you MAY be right.
But errors can be important, and the worst type is the soft error, not even
reproducible.

When computers are used for COMPUTING, and the results are used, this attitude
cannot be taken.  The soft error problem has been considered as unavoidable in
very condensed electronic memories.
-- 
Herman Rubin, Dept. of Statistics, Purdue Univ., West Lafayette IN47907-1399
Phone: (317)494-6054
hrubin@l.cc.purdue.edu (Internet, bitnet)   {purdue,pur-ee}!l.cc!hrubin(UUCP)