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From: wagner@utgpu.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: MIPS, Turbo Amiga, Mac II
Message-ID: <1987Mar19.095627.15463@gpu.utcs.toronto.edu>
Date: Thu, 19-Mar-87 09:56:27 EST
Article-I.D.: gpu.1987Mar19.095627.15463
Posted: Thu Mar 19 09:56:27 1987
Date-Received: Fri, 20-Mar-87 06:15:44 EST
References: <12284247071.70.PKG.SPARKMAN@MCC.COM> <2704@jade.BERKELEY.EDU> <1987Mar16.094427.10512@gpu.utcs.toronto.edu> <763@bobkat.UUCP>
Reply-To: wagner@gpu.utcs.UUCP (Michael Wagner)
Organization: University of Toronto Computing Services
Lines: 25
Checksum: 36668

In article <763@bobkat.UUCP> vic@bobkat.UUCP (Vic Sohal) writes:
>>>Not uncommon. MIPS is best interpreted as "Mythical Instructions Per
>>>Second."   
>>
>>I've heard it as "Mythical Indication of Processor Speed"
>>But the idea is the same.  With varying workloads, the same hardware can
>>exhibit vastly different MIPS ratings.  This is most prevalent in microcoded
>>machines like small 370s.
>>
>
>I've NEVER EVER heard of MIPS referring to "Mythical Indication of Processor
>Speed", where did you hear it meant that?
>
>As far as I know, MIPS means "MIllion Instructions Per Second"
>
>                               Just Clearing The Air....Vic Sohal

From a talk given by an IBM performance expert.  You can also substitute
"Misleading" for the first word.  IBM nowadays uses throughput numbers.

And MIPS did originally mean Million Instructions Per Second.  But, as the
conversation on this topic has already pointed out, it's a pretty useless
speed indicator.

Michael