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From: hen@bu-cs.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: CPU Processing Power Needed?
Message-ID: <6865@bu-cs.BU.EDU>
Date: Wed, 22-Apr-87 18:34:05 EST
Article-I.D.: bu-cs.6865
Posted: Wed Apr 22 18:34:05 1987
Date-Received: Fri, 24-Apr-87 03:45:52 EST
References: <505@sw1e.UUCP> <110@hippo.UUCP> <6123@bu-cs.BU.EDU> <6654@bu-cs.BU.EDU> <113@umich.UUCP>
Reply-To: hen@bu-cs.UUCP (Wm. H. Henneman)
Organization: Boston Univ. CS Dept.
Lines: 35


In article <113@umich.UUCP>,  jtr485@umich.UUCP (Johnathan Tainter) writes:

> Even if these applications don't need 100MIPs for themselves, when you have
> a voice synthesizer,
> a voice input system,
> a background music generator,
> a video digitizer input system,
> a posture monitoring video digitizer system,
> an evolving backdrop for your desktop metaphor
> and your application running at once you are going to eat mucho 
> processor time.

> 	--j.a.tainter

Not so much as you might think.  For example, I have an Atari ST which
I use as the hub of a mechanical music system:
	synth, drum machine, bass machine, sampled sound keyboard
	digital delay, reverb, mixing board and recorder.
The "computer" acts primarily as a gigantic metronome; I have much
more processing power (and many, many more megs of ram) off-board than
I have on-board.  

Similary with my MAC - for some time the LaserWriter+ on my desk had 3
times as much memory as the poor little 512 MAC trying to drive it.
The LaserWriter performs unspeakable acts on fonts autonomously; the
MAC was free to do other things for 90% of its duty cycle.

Video digitizer systems capable of posture monitoring are just now
becoming affordable ($30K this year).  These also appear to have their
processing power largely self-contained.  The big limitation I see is
the footprint problem - I would have to have a large desk to hold all
of the wiring to connect these goodies.

				Bill Henneman